Born in Irving and raised on a 12-acre farm in Commerce, Texas, Don Louis learned the meaning of work early on. He grew up tending to livestock, singing along to George Strait and Al Green, and playing football. Don was an All-District defensive end for Commerce High School and played on scholarship at Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas. He performed well at NFL combines, but an injury in 2020 changed everything and Don soon found himself chasing his other childhood dream–being a professional singer.

Don’s mix of Country, Rock, Hip-Hop and Rhythm and Blues has been winning over loyal fans from the start. With his ultra-charismatic swagger and what Billboard calls a “naturally twangy, burnished voice” that recalls influences from George Strait and Toby Keith to The Weeknd and J Cole, Don has amassed more than 3.5 million likes on TikTok and more than 50 million cumulative streams since breaking onto the scene.

Most recently releasing his EMPIRE label debut, Liquor Talkin’, on August 23, 2024, with songs that have earned him praise as a “game-changing artist” by TODAY.com, one of the new Black country artist to watch by BET, “an artist worth watching” by The Tennessean and more. His lead single, “Long Time Comin’” was called a “natural candidate for the next global country-tinged smash.” Ask Don how he’s doing and he’ll often reply, “I’m blessed and highly favored!” That attitude says it all.

EMPIRE’s breakout country artist Sophia Scott may originally hail from Boulder, CO, but the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist found a home in Nashville, TN by continuing a time-honored tradition of storytelling with no shortage of gusto and grit. When it comes to her music, she writes from the heart, shoots from the hip, and holds nothing back. Instead of retreating, she confronts heartbreak head-on and emboldens audiences with the kind of confidence only earned by a lifelong grind. Her debut album, Barstool Confessions, merges Scott’s storytelling with a bold and vibrant sound informed by ’90s Country-Pop and classic Soul—a perfect setting for her nuanced yet gutsy vocal performance.