Who Was the Viral Star of the Year? Vote in the 2018 ToC Fan Choice Awards
Though country music success is still driven by country radio (mostly), social media engagement is becoming more and more important every year. We saw several viral sensations in 2018 — who was country music's viral star of the year?
Mason Ramsey was one of the most surprising success stories in country music in 2018. The 12-year-old singer came to wide attention when a video of him singing Hank Williams in a local Walmart went viral. Alternately referred to as "Walmart Boy" or "Yodel Boy," Ramsey followed that up with a series of national TV appearances and festival performances, and was even able to parlay his fame into a single, "Famous," and an EP of the same name.
Former The Voice contestant Dustin Christensen scored an unexpected viral hit in 2018 when he released a humorous country parody song titled "Parked Out by the Lake" under the name Dean Summerwind. It was already going viral when it caught the attention of Bobby Bones, and the attention from his national radio show helped turn it into an online smash that was completely unexpected.
Maryland high schooler Jackson Dean also went viral with a very unique, dark country rendition of the national anthem, while Jay Allen earned massive views on his searingly emotional song, "Blank Stares," dedicated to his mother who is fighting Alzheimer's. A 25-year veteran firefighter named Marc Wright earned posthumous viral fame when a clip of him fulfilling his dying wish to sing Garth Brooks' "The Dance" drew massive attention online. He died just days after filming the clip.
Who among them is the viral star of 2018? You can vote more than once in the poll below, and make sure to spread the word to your friends and family who love country music. But you need to act fast — the Taste of Country Fan Choice Awards voting ends on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 11:59PM ET.
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