Tyler Childers Named Best New Live Act in 2018 Golden Mic Awards

Up-and-comer Tyler Childers is one of The Boot's 2018 Artists to Watch, and he's also the winner of Best New Live Act in the 2018 Golden Mic Awards. Childers destroyed his competition, bringing in a whopping 70 percent of the votes; the runner-up was another of The Boot's Artists to Watch, Ashley McBryde, who scored just shy of 15 percent of the votes.

Childers is rapidly growing a solid fan following by playing for audiences across the U.S. and Europe thanks to his transparent songwriting, which makes his shows feel like intimate conversations. He's a memorable live performer for sure, and his recorded music is just as good: His latest album, Purgatory, was produced by Sturgill Simpson and conveys the stark honesty and openness at which Childers excells.

"I was writing an album about being in the mountains," Childers said when Purgatory was first announced. "I wanted it to have that gritty mountain sound. But at the same time, I wanted a more modern version of it that a younger generation can listen to — the people I grew up with, something I'd want to listen to."

After opening two of Margo Price's three sold-out Ryman Auditorium shows (on May 19 and 20), Childers schedule is full of small venues, theaters and festivals this summer. Bonnaroo, the Newport Folk Festival, Lollapalooza and more await, as do some late-summer dates in Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Who Is Tyler Childers? 5 Things You Need to Know