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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Mae Estes? Mae be a star.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mae Estes
Born1993 (age 32–33)
Magnolia, Arkansas, U.S.
OriginNashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2019–present
Labels
Websitemaeestes.com

Mae Estes (born 1993) is an American country music singer and songwriter from Hope, Arkansas. She released music independently beginning in 2019 before signing with Big Machine Records in November 2023; the label was rebranded as Blue Highway Records in 2026. Estes has issued three extended plays—Before the Record (2023), Good Ol' Boys (2024) and the self-titled Mae Estes (2025)—and has appeared repeatedly at the Grand Ole Opry since her debut there in 2023.

A three-time winner of the Arkansas Country Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year, Estes was named to CMT's Next Women of Country class of 2024 and won Rising Artist-Writer of the Year at the 2024 AIMP Nashville Country Awards. Critics have characterized her work as neotraditional country, noting her use of pedal steel guitar, fiddle and dobro and her stated debt to 1980s and 1990s country.

Early life

[edit]

Estes was born in Magnolia, Arkansas, in 1993 and raised in Hope, Arkansas, in Hempstead County.[1][2] She has said she first sang in public at the age of seven, performing the national anthem a cappella at a local 4-H riding event at the Hope Coliseum.[2] As a child she competed in barrel racing. After Billy Herrell of Billy's House of Guitars in Glenwood, Arkansas, judged one of her early talent-show performances, he became a musical mentor and invited her to perform on a weekly classic-country AM radio program. Her family drove her to Glenwood every Tuesday during middle school, an experience she later credited with deepening her interest in traditional country music.[3][4][5] She wrote her first song at the age of twelve.[6]

Estes attended Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, graduating with a bachelor's degree in mass media communication before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in August 2015.[5][2] In Nashville she worked as many as three jobs at once, including restaurant and retail work and a period at the Grand Ole Opry gift shop.[2] Accepting her 2024 AIMP award, she told the audience that she had "worked three jobs at a time in this town for almost six years" before securing a publishing deal.[7]

She has cited Keith Whitley and Lee Ann Womack as her principal influences, along with The Judds, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill, Martina McBride and Loretta Lynn.[8][6]

Career

[edit]

2019–2022: Independent releases

[edit]

Estes began releasing music independently in 2019 with the single "Naked," and that year toured overseas with Armed Forces Entertainment, performing at United States military installations in Guam, Diego Garcia and Singapore.[5] She followed with "Recycled" and "Best Side" in 2020 and "Roses" and "Hell You Raised" in 2021.[9]

She won Female Vocalist of the Year at the Arkansas Country Music Awards in 2021, and was nominated the same year for Song of the Year for "Recycled."[10][11] She retained the Female Vocalist award in 2022.[10][12]

After the restaurant where she worked closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Estes signed her first publishing agreement with Plaid Flag Music in 2020, with advisement from Kobalt Music Publishing, and began writing full-time.[2][7] Her 2022 single "Thinkin' 'Bout Cheatin'" brought her first music-video feature on CMT.[6]

2023: Before the Record and Big Machine signing

[edit]

Estes released her debut extended play, Before the Record, on February 16, 2023, through her own imprint, Maeniac Records.[13][9] The six-song record was produced by songwriter Paul Sikes, and Estes co-wrote every track except "Your Hands," written by Autumn McEntire, Marti Dodson and Matthew Morrisey.[13][9] She holds a co-producer credit on "Run" and on the re-recorded versions of "Recycled," "Thinkin' 'Bout Cheatin'" and "Town Left Me."[9]

She made her Grand Ole Opry debut on March 4, 2023.[14] She has performed at the Opry repeatedly since; by January 2025 she had appeared there nine times.[2] In 2023 she won a third consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year award from the Arkansas Country Music Association and was additionally nominated for Country Artist of the Year.[10][12]

On November 17, 2023, Estes announced that she had signed with Big Machine Records, with booking handled by William Morris Endeavor. The announcement coincided with the release of a re-recorded version of "Thinkin' 'Bout Cheatin'" and with her thirtieth-birthday week.[15]

2024: Good Ol' Boys

[edit]

On January 23, 2024, Estes was named to CMT's Next Women of Country class of 2024, revealed before an industry audience at City Winery Nashville. The fourteen-member class was introduced by CMT executive Leslie Fram alongside mentors Kimberly Perry and Colbie Caillat.[16][17] She performed at the CMT Next Women of Country "Concert and Conversation" during CMA Fest that June.[18]

That January she also began her first tour as a supporting act, opening for Jackson Dean on his Head Full of Noise Tour.[19][20]

On April 1, 2024, Estes won Rising Artist-Writer of the Year at the AIMP Nashville Country Awards, held at the Ryman Auditorium. It was her first performance on the Ryman stage.[7][21]

Estes released "What I Shoulda Done" in May 2024,[22] followed on September 13, 2024, by "Good Ol' Boys," issued as a single and packaged with three earlier tracks as a four-song extended play.[23] Billboard selected the title track for its weekly new-country roundup, writing that Estes "lends her bluegrass-tinted lilt to this tale of small-town deception."[24] The song addresses domestic abuse concealed behind a respectable public reputation.[25]

2025: Mae Estes

[edit]

Estes released "Mr. Fix It" in May 2025, a song written about her husband, a mechanic.[26] "Mountain of a Man" and "Drunk on That" followed.[27]

Her self-titled extended play, Mae Estes, was released on October 10, 2025, through Big Machine Records. Session musicians Lonnie Wilson and Joe Spivey played across the entire record, and Liz Rose co-wrote "Mountain of a Man."[28]

In September 2025 she sang harmony on "I Feel You," a track from Jake Worthington's album When I Write the Song; Billboard described the song as "tender, piano-led" and Estes as a "stellar vocalist."[29]

On November 6 and 7, 2025, Estes made her Ryman Auditorium debut as a support act, opening two sold-out nights for Ella Langley and joining her onstage during the show.[30][31]

2026–present: Blue Highway Records

[edit]

On February 17, 2026, HYBE America rebranded its Nashville division—previously the Big Machine Label Group—as Blue Highway Records, naming Jake Basden chief executive. Estes was among the artists named to the new label's roster.[32][33]

She toured as support for Priscilla Block on the Things You Didn't See Tour in early 2026,[34] and performed at the C2C: Country to Country festival in March 2026.[31] Earlier in 2026 she released the singles "We Should Probably Stop Here" and "Yard Sale," the latter featuring Ashley McBryde.[27]

In March 2026 Estes co-wrote "A Million Tears Ago" with Vince Gill and sang harmony on his recording of it, released on Lonely's What I Do, the fifth extended play in Gill's 50 Years From Home series.[35][36] Gill said of the collaboration that Estes "really loves the kind of old school spirit of our music."[37]

"The 90s Called," her first single for Blue Highway Records, was released on July 17, 2026. Written by Aaron Raitiere and Benjy Davis, the song personifies the decade itself telephoning to reclaim its trucks, hairstyles and sounds, and name-checks Brooks & Dunn, Conway Twitty, Billy Ray Cyrus and Alan Jackson.[38][39] Estes has said she found the song while visiting Raitiere's kitchen to talk about traditional country and asked whether he had anything she ought to hear.[40] The recording features double dobro and fiddle from The Time Jumpers musician Joe Spivey.[40] Reviewing the single, All Country News wrote that Estes's voice carries "the commanding power of Reba McEntire" alongside the wit of Mary Chapin Carpenter, and judged the track "less like a novelty and more like a declaration" that modern country retains room for steel guitar and fiddle.[41] The German outlet Country.de described the production as honky-tonk in style, with driving drums, fiddle and dobro recalling the peak of neotraditional country.[39] The single was paired with a recording of Brooks & Dunn's 1994 hit "She's Not the Cheatin' Kind" in which Estes recasts the lyric in the first person, singing as the woman the original describes rather than about her; she described the appeal of stepping "into the boots of the woman stepping out."[40][42] It precedes a full-length debut album planned for 2027.[43]

In February 2026 she recorded a duet, "Stronger Where You're Broken," with veteran songwriter Skip Ewing.[44]

Artistry and reception

[edit]

Estes works in a neotraditional country idiom drawing on 1980s and 1990s country radio. Grammy.com, the Recording Academy's editorial site, described her as "a new-school torchbearer for Nashville tradition," citing her insistence on "acoustic guitars, pedal steel, fiddle, and dobro."[8] Taste of Country likewise framed her as offering "a fresh take on traditional country music."[45]

Reviewers have repeatedly noted the prominence of pedal steel and fiddle in her arrangements and the absence of contemporary pop-country production.[46] Billboard has characterized her voice as a "bluegrass-tinted lilt."[24] Entertainment Focus wrote of the 2025 self-titled EP that Estes "channels the heart and soul of 1970s country—full of pedal steel, fiddle, and unguarded emotion—while bringing a fresh energy," and compared her storytelling to that of Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire.[46]

Her subject matter has drawn comment for its directness: "Good Ol' Boys" concerns domestic abuse hidden behind small-town respectability,[25] while "Mr. Fix It" is a straightforward affectionate portrait of her husband.[26]

Songwriting

[edit]

Estes works as a professional songwriter in addition to recording her own material.[2] She co-wrote "Don't Call Me Baby," recorded by Julie Roberts on her 2022 album Ain't in No Hurry, with Erin Enderlin and Waylon Payne,[47][48] "Apartment," recorded by Priscilla Block on her 2024 extended play PB2, with Joybeth Taylor and Sarah Allison Turner,[49] and "A Million Tears Ago" with Vince Gill, recorded by Gill in 2026.[35][36]

Her frequent collaborators include producer and co-writer Paul Sikes, Autumn McEntire, Marti Dodson and dobro player Josh Matheny, whom she has credited as her earliest connection within the Nashville music community.[2][6]

Songs written for other artists

[edit]
Title Year Artist Album Co-writers
"Don't Call Me Baby" 2022 Julie Roberts Ain't in No Hurry Erin Enderlin, Waylon Payne
"Apartment" 2024 Priscilla Block PB2 Joybeth Taylor, Sarah Allison Turner
"A Million Tears Ago" 2026 Vince Gill Lonely's What I Do Vince Gill

Touring

[edit]

Estes first toured as a supporting act on Jackson Dean's Head Full of Noise Tour in early 2024.[19][20] She joined Dierks Bentley's Gravel & Gold Tour on select 2024 dates[50] and has opened shows for Gary Allan, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,[22] Ella Langley[30] and Priscilla Block.[34] In December 2024 she opened for and performed with Lainey Wilson at the National Finals Rodeo.[26]

Festival appearances include CMA Fest in 2024,[18] the Stagecoach Festival in April 2025,[51][52] and C2C: Country to Country in March 2026.[31]

Personal life

[edit]

Estes is married; her husband works as a mechanic and is the subject of her 2025 single "Mr. Fix It."[26]

In January 2025 a TikTok video from a fan account, assembled from spliced interview clips, claimed that Estes was the daughter of Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman. The video drew more than half a million views before Estes responded publicly, calling it nonsense and adding, "if it makes y'all check out my music, though, carry on."[53][54] She refers to her fanbase as the "Maeniacs."[55]

Discography

[edit]

Extended plays

[edit]
Title Details
Before the Record
  • Released: February 16, 2023
  • Label: Maeniac Records
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Good Ol' Boys
Mae Estes

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Album
"Naked" 2019 Non-album singles
"Recycled" 2020
"Best Side"
"Roses" 2021
"Hell You Raised"
"Thinkin' 'Bout Cheatin'" 2022 Before the Record
"What I Shoulda Done" 2024 Good Ol' Boys
"Good Ol' Boys"
"Mr. Fix It" 2025 Mae Estes
"Mountain of a Man"
"Drunk on That"
"We Should Probably Stop Here" 2026 Non-album singles
"Yard Sale" (featuring Ashley McBryde)
"The 90s Called"
[edit]
Title Year Artist Album
"Common Ground" 2020 Nate Botsford Non-album single[56]
"I Feel You" 2025 Jake Worthington When I Write the Song
"Stronger Where You're Broken" 2026 Skip Ewing Non-album single

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Organization Category Nominated work Result
2021 Arkansas Country Music Awards Female Vocalist of the Year Mae Estes Won
Song of the Year "Recycled" Nominated
2022 Arkansas Country Music Awards Female Vocalist of the Year Mae Estes Won
2023 Arkansas Country Music Awards Female Vocalist of the Year Mae Estes Won
Country Artist of the Year Mae Estes Nominated
2024 AIMP Nashville Country Awards Rising Artist-Writer of the Year Mae Estes Won

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Melde, Vicki (April 1, 2022). "Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do". Four States Living Magazine. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Hope native Mae Estes aims for country music stardom". Arkansas Times. January 20, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Hope For The Holidays Concert Featuring Mae Estes and Rachel Hale Coming To Hempstead Hall". Hope Prescott. November 15, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  4. ↑ Coleman, Sarah (December 22, 2021). "Making Mama Proud: Mae Estes is Hitting All the Right Notes". AY Magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Country Next: Mae Estes". Country Now. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Who Is Mae Estes? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music". Country Swag. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 "Jordan Davis, Morgan Wallen & Big Loud Publishing Lead 2024 AIMP Nashville Country Awards Honorees". Billboard. April 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "14 Rising Country Stars To Know Now". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Mae Estes". AllMusic. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 "Past Nominees". Arkansas Country Music Association. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Arkansas 'Female Vocalist of the Year' Mae Estes Coming to Hope". KKYR. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Mae Estes to Perform at Awards Show". Hope Prescott. April 25, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Mae Estes Releases Debut EP 'Before the Record'". Country Evolution. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Mae Estes to Fulfill Dream of Performing at the Grand Ole Opry". AY Magazine. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Mae Estes Signs With Big Machine Records". MusicRow. November 17, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  16. ↑ Nicholson, Jessica (January 23, 2024). "CMT Reveals 'Next Women of Country' Class of 2024". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  17. ↑ "CMT Reveals Next Women Of Country Class Of 2024". MusicRow. January 23, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  18. 1 2 "CMT's Next Women of Country • Concert and Conversation • 2024". Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  19. 1 2 "Jackson Dean Slates Headlining 'Head Full Of Noise Tour' For January". MusicRow. November 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Jackson Dean Brings Electric 'Head Full Of Noise Tour' To Brooklyn Bowl". MusicRow. February 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  21. ↑ Cantrell, LB (April 2024). "AIMP Honors Indie Songwriters & Publishers At 2024 Nashville Country Awards". MusicRow. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Mae Estes: "What I Shoulda Done" Out Now". Big Machine Label Group. May 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Good Ol' Boys – EP by Mae Estes". Apple Music. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  24. 1 2 "6 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Billy Strings, Margo Price, Parker McCollum & More". Billboard. September 13, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Mae Estes Redefines The Term 'Good Ol' Boys' with Heart-Wrenching Ballad About Betrayal and Abuse". Country Now. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Mae Estes shares 'Mr Fix It'". The Music Universe. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  27. 1 2 "Mae Estes". Apple Music. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Mae Estes Releases Stunning Self-Titled EP – Out Now". Big Machine Label Group. October 10, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Jake Worthington Revives Traditional Country Sounds on 'When I Write The Song'". Billboard. September 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  30. 1 2 "Ella Langley Wraps Tour With Two Sold-Out Nights At The Ryman". MusicRow. November 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  31. 1 2 3 "Mae Estes Discusses C2C Festival 2026, Making Her Ryman Debut with Ella Langley and More". Holler. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  32. ↑ Cantrell, LB (February 17, 2026). "HYBE America Nashville Launches Blue Highway Records, Taps Jake Basden As CEO". MusicRow. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  33. ↑ "HYBE AMERICA Nashville Launches Blue Highway Records, Previously BMLG". Business Wire. February 17, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  34. 1 2 "Review & Photos: Priscilla Block, Mae Estes in Columbus, Ohio". Out of the Blue. February 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  35. 1 2 "Vince Gill Unveils 'Lonely's What I Do' EP". MusicRow. March 13, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  36. 1 2 "EP5 – Lonely's What I Do". 50 Years From Home. Vince Gill. March 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Vince Gill's Lonely's What I Do EP Out Today!". Grateful Web. March 13, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Mae Estes Brings 90s Country Nostalgia To Life With New Anthem 'The 90s Called'". Country Now. July 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  39. 1 2 Neuhaus, Dirk (July 17, 2026). "Mae Estes feiert den Sound der 1990er mit neuer Single "The 90s Called"". Country.de (in German). Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  40. 1 2 3 "Mae Estes to release debut Blue Highway Records single 'The 90s Called' on Friday". Entertainment Focus. July 15, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  41. ↑ "New Country Music You Need To Hear This Week From Mae Estes, Tyler Braden, Kaylee Rose & More". All Country News. July 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  42. ↑ Iahn, Buddy (July 16, 2026). "Mae Estes releases 'The 90s Called'". The Music Universe. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  43. ↑ "Mae Estes Brings Back '90s Country with Single "The 90s Called"". V13. July 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Born on This Day in 1964, the Songwriter Behind Hits From Conway Twitty, Reba McEntire, Clint Black, and Kenny Chesney". American Songwriter. March 6, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  45. ↑ Whitaker, Sterling. "RISERS: 2026 Artists to Watch — Mae Estes Has a Fresh Take on Traditional Country Music". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  46. 1 2 "Review: Mae Estes honours the past & shoots for the future on her new EP". Entertainment Focus. October 10, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  47. ↑ Hollabaugh, Lorie (October 7, 2022). "Julie Roberts Returns With Triumphant New Album 'Ain't In No Hurry'". MusicRow. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  48. ↑ "Julie Roberts Taps Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser for Comeback Album 'Ain't In No Hurry'". The Boot. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Priscilla Block: PB2". AllMusic. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  50. ↑ "Dierks Bentley 2024 Tour Dates: See Cities and Opening Acts". Rolling Stone. February 12, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  51. ↑ "Stagecoach Festival 2025: Lineup, Set Times, Dates and Tickets". Holler. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  52. ↑ "Stagecoach Wraps 2025 Festival". MusicRow. April 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Country Singer Mae Estes Breaks Silence About Fan Theory She Is Keith Urban's Daughter". Wide Open Country. January 26, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Does This Arkansas Country Singer Have Famous Parents?". AY Magazine. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  55. ↑ Whitaker, Sterling (October 25, 2022). "Mae Estes Leans Into Traditional Country Themes on 'Die in a Bar'". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  56. ↑ "Common Ground (feat. Mae Estes) – Single by Nate Botsford". Apple Music. February 28, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
[edit]
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