Drew Hale, a Traverse City-based singer-songwriter, announced on Facebook yesterday (Saturday) that he will be performing at Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry next month. Hale will take the stage at the legendary country music venue on Wednesday, October 4.

The Ticker reported in May that Hale had been chosen as a finalist for the inaugural Tractor Supply Company Emerging Artists Program, a contest intended to “help launch the careers of rising artists and their songs.” The competition asked artists to submit original songs via the social network TikTok, after which Tractor Supply and five major partner artists from the Nashville country music scene – Lainey Wilson, Dustin Lynch, Ashley McBryde, Lauren Alaina, and the duo Kat & Alex – reviewed the entries. Each artist ultimately selected two finalists, and Hale’s name was among that final 10.

From there, each partner artist was tasked with narrowing down their top two and picking one songwriter apiece to mentor. Wilson, who has recently enjoyed chart success with songs like “Heart Like a Truck” and “Things a Man Oughta Know” –and who won the 2022 CMA Awards for New Artist of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year – picked Hale as her mentee.

The five winners of the Emerging Artists Program, Hale included, traveled to Nashville in June to meet with their mentors and perform as part of the annual CMA Fest. “He’s special,” Wilson said of Hale to ABC’s On the Red Carpet at the time. “I think he’s got a story to tell; I think it comes from a unique place, and I’m ready to take him under my wing. I’m ready to introduce him to people. I’m ready to do exactly what people have done for me, and that’s what country music is all about: It’s about helping the next person and paving the way, and then it continues and goes on and on and on and on. [Hale] is just a good dude.”

Now, the five Emerging Artists are heading back to Music City to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry is both a venue and a weekly live country music radio show that dates all the way back to 1925. The Opry website describes it as “the stage that showcases country music's past, present, and future.” Hale will perform at the Opry, alongside Wilson “and the other Emerging Artists,” on October 4. His visit to Nashville will also include live performances at two other Nashville area venues: the Whiskey Room in Franklin on October 5, and the Wildhorse Saloon on October 7.

Tickets for the Opry show are available now on AXS.com, while details about the other two shows can be found on Hale’s website.