Troy Cartwright

Troy Cartwright emerged as a vocalist and tunesmith from his native Texas, where his material fuses the heartfelt, down-to-earth words typical of country with pop’s memorable tunes and refrains plus rock & roll’s fervent, crowd-raising anthems. Having earned a degree from one of the nation’s elite conservatories, he possesses both the insight and polish needed to shape successful material, yet he applies those skills to tales of romance and rural existence, his gentle vocal drawl underscoring the songs’ genuine emotional core. His first EP, Bull Run from 2013, earned him a songwriting prize, while the 2016 release Don’t Fade marked his initial national commercial step forward; later projects such as the 2021 EP Halfway to Houston and 2022’s Just Kids, along with tracks including “Unlove You,” “Wild One,” and “Deathbed,” represent his strongest statements so far.

Troy Cartwright entered the world on April 3, 1990, growing up in Dallas, Texas, where a guitar arrived as a gift on his twelfth birthday. Soon after mastering the instrument he began composing and became captivated by the process of pairing melodies with words. During high school he took the stage locally, appearing in bars and clubs alongside a roots-rock group. Following graduation he enrolled in summer classes at New York University; that metropolitan experience solidified his decision to pursue music professionally. He next moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music, concentrating on songcraft while supplementing his income by performing at weddings.

After completing his studies at Berklee in 2012, Cartwright returned to Texas and issued the independent four-song EP Bull Run the next year. That same year he claimed victory in the annual B.W. Stevenson Memorial Songwriting Competition and soon opened for established acts such as Hayes Carll, William Clark Green, and John Fullbright; the last of these recommended him to producer Wes Sharon, who helmed the 2015 debut album Troy Cartwright. The track “Next Flight Home” from that record received regional airplay across Texas, expanding his following. Fellow Texas artist Rob Baird produced the five-song EP Don’t Fade in 2016, which delivered Cartwright’s debut appearance on the national country charts, reaching number 60 on the album listings. Relocating to Nashville in 2017 placed him at the industry’s center; Rolling Stone featured him that year in the article “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know.” He joined the Warner Music Nashville songwriting roster before signing a recording deal with the label in 2018. Warner issued the singles “Love Like We Used To” and “Hung Up on You” in mid-2019, the former achieving modest success and the latter becoming a substantial radio and streaming hit. Subsequent releases “My First Beer” and “Cake for Breakfast” helped him draw bigger crowds on tour. A six-song live EP, Memory Machine Sessions, appeared in May 2021, followed in October by the studio set Halfway to Houston, which featured the singles “Hammer” and “Shine on Me.”

The seven-song EP Just Kids arrived in 2022 and collected several country successes such as “That’s Why,” “Boys Like Trucks,” and “Prettiest Girl I Don’t Know.” Cartwright also co-wrote “Horizon” for Nickelback’s 2022 album Get Rollin’. Throughout 2023 he maintained a steady output of singles, many of them introspective pieces including “Unlove You,” “Wild One,” and “Deathbed,” while supporting the first dates of the “Unlove You Tour,” which continued into 2024.