Jessie Ritter

Hailing from Northwest Florida, singer-songwriter Jessie Ritter specializes in country-pop marked by emotional depth, an easygoing romantic tone, and abundant appeal. Musical training at Nashville’s Belmont University preceded her initial stage work on cruise ships, after which she issued her first full-length album in 2018. Later that year, victory in the Nash Next Competition delivered national visibility and a recording contract with Big Machine Group.

Raised on a Missouri farm in Cape Girardeau, Ritter absorbed country radio during childhood, drawing influence from Lee Ann Womack, Trisha Yearwood, Shania Twain, and Miranda Lambert. She moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University, sharpening her songwriting through local performances while completing the Commercial Music Program. The 2015 EP Stories Told preceded a two-year stint performing four-hour nightly sets aboard Carnival Cruise line vessels that traveled from Australia to Europe and additional ports worldwide. Those voyages refined her live skills, leading to steady East Coast club dates and fresh songwriting once she relocated to Florida.

Coffee Every Morning, her debut album, surfaced in 2018. She then entered the national Nash Next Competition, progressing from a regional Florida Panhandle win to defeat 800 entrants and claim the overall title. The triumph yielded a Big Machine Group deal alongside artists such as Taylor Swift and Florida Georgia Line. Her first release on the label was the May 2019 single “Nothing But You.”