Sunset Stage Series: Elizabeth Nichols Went From First Song to No. 1 and Nashville Never Saw Her Coming

We were watching The Kelly Clarkson Show a few months back, scanning daytime television the way we scan everything: looking for the moment a country song breaks through somewhere unexpected. Then Clarkson picked up a guitar and covered a track we had not heard before. The song was “I Got a New One.” The artist was Elizabeth Nichols. By the end of that week, the track had climbed to No. 1 on the iTunes Country chart, and we immediately started digging into who this 23-year-old was. What we found was one of the most fully formed and genuinely charming country storytellers we had come across in a long time.

The First Song That Became a No. 1

Elizabeth Nichols did not ease into country music with a slow build of label development and carefully paced single releases. She arrived with “I Got a New One,” and that song did everything a debut single can do. It had personality that could not be manufactured, a central lyric that fans immediately wanted to share, and a delivery that made it sound like she had been performing this material for a decade. There was nothing tentative about it.

When Kelly Clarkson covered it on her daily show, the reaction was immediate and meaningful. Streams surged across platforms. The song hit No. 1 on the iTunes country chart for multiple weeks. The music video on YouTube has been climbing steadily since. And Nichols had been signed to Pulse Records since March 2025, which meant a team was already in place to capitalize on the moment when it came. The result: a debut single sitting at nearly 19 million Spotify streams, and a career that is just getting started.

Texas Roots, a Kentucky Upbringing, and a Nashville Arrival That Changed Everything

Nichols was born in Texas, raised in Kentucky, and educated across Oklahoma and Australia before making her way to Nashville. That kind of geographic patchwork tends to produce artists with wider reference points than their peers, and Nichols proves the theory. Her songwriting mixes the sharpness of a writer who has watched a lot of different kinds of lives with the warmth of someone who grew up genuinely loving country music.

The catalog is growing quickly. “Trailer Treasure” and “Mama,” which has racked up more than 7.5 million online views, show an artist whose range is not just a marketing claim. In 2026 she performed at Stagecoach, C2C Festival in London, and C2C Berlin, and she is deep into a debut album that is generating real anticipation inside Nashville’s songwriter community.

• “I Got a New One” hit No. 1 on iTunes Country after Kelly Clarkson covered it on her daily show
• Nearly 19 million Spotify streams on her debut single, still growing in 2026
• Signed to Pulse Records in March 2025 with co-executives Scott Cutler and Josh Abraham
• 2026 festival appearances include Stagecoach, C2C London, and C2C Berlin
• Debut album in progress with significant anticipation building inside the Nashville community

Why Elizabeth Nichols Belongs on the Sunset Stage

Every artist we spotlight in the Sunset Stage Series represents something we believe belongs at the center of country music’s future. For Elizabeth Nichols, that something is humor paired with genuine heart: the ability to write a song that makes you laugh and then makes you feel something real in the same verse. That combination is rarer than it sounds, and when it shows up in an artist this young, we pay close attention.

She is 23. She has a No. 1 iTunes track. She has already performed on stages in London, Berlin, and Southern California. She turned a Kelly Clarkson cover into a career-defining moment, and that kind of instinct for connecting with an audience does not happen by accident. Watch this name for 2027 and beyond.

Frequently Asked: Who Is Elizabeth Nichols and Where Is She From?

Elizabeth Nichols is a 23-year-old country singer-songwriter born in Texas, raised in Kentucky, and based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her debut single “I Got a New One” reached No. 1 on the iTunes Country chart after Kelly Clarkson covered it on her daily talk show. Nichols is signed to Pulse Records and is currently working on her debut album. Sunset Country Fest 2027 is a country music festival taking place in Apopka, Florida, in the Greater Orlando area, on April 3, 2027.

Elizabeth Nichols is building something rare in country music: a career on her own terms, with songs that travel because they tell the truth in a way that makes people want to share them. We could not be more excited about what she does next, and we are proud to spotlight her here. Sunset Country Fest 2027 is coming to Apopka, Florida on April 3, 2027. We are the voice of country music in Central Florida, and artists like Elizabeth Nichols are exactly why we love doing this.

Sources & References

• Holler Country: Elizabeth Nichols on Scoring a No. 1 With Her First Ever Song
• KNUE: Risers 2026 Artists to Watch, Elizabeth Nichols Is Succeeding on Her Own Terms
• Apple Music: Elizabeth Nichols Artist Page
• YouTube: Elizabeth Nichols, I Got A New One (Official Music Video)

Disclaimer: Important Notice

The information published in this article is based on publicly available data from official sources, press releases, and music industry publications available at the time of writing. Tour dates, ticket prices, venue details, setlists, album release schedules, award nominations, lineup announcements, and all other details referenced in this article are subject to change at any time without prior notice.

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Last updated: September 3, 2026 · Sunset Country Fest Editorial Team · Contact Us