New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Only eight months into his recording career, Southern crooner Kashus Culpepper is racking up early acclaim from industry and legendary artists alike. Today he adds to his growing catalog with "Talk With Me," out now.
"'Talk With Me' is one of those songs that could exist at any point in time," shares Culpepper. "I'm proud of it and being able to lean on the greats from the past to draw inspiration from."
Fusing his inextricable influences of country, soul and gospel, a line can be drawn directly from Culpepper's early musical influences - finding his voice in church as young as five years old - to the soulful DNA of "Talk With Me," featuring trio backing vocals reminiscent of a choir. The song co-written by Culpepper, Rhys Rutherford and Rivers Rutherford, and produced by frequent collaborator Brian Elmquist (The Lone Bellow) was recorded at Ivy Manor during a pilgrimage with Culpepper's full band to Muscle Shoals.
The Alabama-native's "brand of hard-earned, raw realness that can't be feigned" (Billboard), has propelled him onto the radar of legends. Cultural mega-icon Elton John called Culpepper's recent "Jenni," "a really great record…great mixture of country and funk," while GRAMMY Award-winning artist / tastemaker John Mayer characterized "Pour Me Out" as "as good as it gets." Culpepper recently made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry just six months into his career as a recording artist. Hitting the ground running this year, Culpepper joins Leon Bridges, Dylan Gossett and Whiskey Myers on the road and is set to make first-ever appearances at Stagecoach, C2C in London, Tortuga Music Festival, and more.
Alabama-born country crooner Kashus Culpepper encompasses the sound of the South. A student and reverent purveyor of Southern music - country, soul, blues, folk, and rock - Culpepper's husky, sandpaper growl bellows like a freight train over self-penned stories that are as raw and real as they are haunting. Finding his voice in church as young as five years old, it wasn't until 2020's global pandemic that Culpepper went from listener to performer, picking up a guitar and learning cover songs to play at barrack bonfires in Rota, Spain during his deployment with the Navy. Covers soon became originals, and once he landed home on U.S. shores, Kash played dive bars up and down the Mississippi Gulf Coast, making a name for himself with the fresh-yet-reminiscent sound that oozes from his very being. Crashing into prominence, Culpepper sold out headline club shows throughout the South before formally releasing a single song, and opened shows nationwide for sound pioneers like Charles Wesley Godwin, Charley Crockett, and NEEDTOBREATHE. With Nashville taking notice, Culpepper found a musical home at Big Loud Records, and has dropped a string of resonating singles: "After Me?," "Who Hurt You," "Out Of My Mind," "Pour Me Out," "Jenni" and latest "Talk With Me." Culpepper joins Leon Bridges, Dylan Gossett and Whiskey Myers on tour this year; and will make first-ever appearances at Stagecoach, C2C in London, Tortuga Music Festival, and more. Named one of GRAMMY.com's 25 Artists to Watch in 2025, Apple Music Zane Lowe's 25 Artists for '25, 2025 Amazon MusicBonfire Artist to Watch, 2025 Pandora Country Artist to Watch, Opry NextStage Class of 2025 and Billboard's February 2025 Country Rookie of the Month, GRAMMY.com hails Culpepper as an artist who "has revived the melodic crooning of '80s and '90s country, buoyed by his blues influence."
