Today, Taste of Country launched RISERS, a new program that will highlight country music's most promising acts for the year ahead. These are the musicians who are poised for stardom in 2017, and we want you to hear about them from us first.

With the help of the RISERS advisory board — a committee made up of radio programmers, talent bookers, managers, streaming service providers and digital media members — we vetted dozens upon dozens of Nashville newcomers to arrive at our initial group. And that’s where you come in.

Fans get to have their say on who makes it in as the final member of the inaugural RISERS class during a week-long election that kicks off today. We’re calling it The Hot Seat, and it’s up for grabs for one out of nearly three dozen country acts. Eligible Hot Seat artists include Luke Bryan tour mates Jon Langston and Adam Sanders, Chris Stapleton protege Brent Cobb, former Hot Chelle Rae singer Ryan Follesse, teen sensation Tegan Marie, and country music video innovator Bailey Bryan. Burgeoning songwriters, electric stage performers and masterful vocalists on the brink of blowing up round out 2017’s list of stars-in-the-making.

You can vote for your favorite artist once every four hours until the poll closes on Jan. 23, 2017 at 11:59PM ET, so keep your eyes locked on the Hot Seat voting page all week long. And make sure to tell us who you want to win by using the hashtag #tocHotSeat on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Taste of Country's 2017 RISERS will be revealed March 1, with in-depth interviews, performances and more, kicking off a yearlong commitment to these artists. The next Maren Morris can be found on the Hot Seat voting page. Can you find her?

Learn About All 31 Hot Seat Artists

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