Southern crooner Kashus Culpepper has announced the arrival of his debut album “Act I”, on 23rd January 2026 via Big Loud Records. A student and reverent purveyor of Southern music – country, soul, blues, folk and rock – Alabama-born Culpepper’s husky, sandpaper growl “bellows like a freight train over self-penned stories that are as raw and real as they are haunting.” Finding his voice in church as young as five years old, it wasn’t until 2020’s global pandemic that Culpepper went from listener to performer, picking up a guitar and learning cover songs to play at barrack bonfires in Rota, Spain during his deployment with the US Navy.
“Creating music has been the greatest joy of my life,” shares Culpepper. “What a magical thing it is. My debut album Act I serves as a beginning of that journey”. Previously described by Elton John as, “if Bill Withers made country music,” the depth of in Culpepper’s musical influences is reflected within “Act I“s 18 tracks with country, soul, blues, folk and rock are all represented on the album – songs with banjo and pedal steel, cello, violin and harp too.
Co-writing each song, “Act I” was recorded in Muscle Shoals and produced by Brian Elmquist and features Sierra Ferrell (‘Broken Wing Bird’) and Marcus King (‘Southern Man’). Beginning his recording career just over a year ago, Culpepper has been recognised as one of GRAMMY.com’s 25 Artists to Watch in 2025.
You can pre-save or ore-order via this link.
Culpepper has released the single ‘Mean To Me’, and its accompanying official music video directed by Lewis Cater. The playful yet earnest song was written alongside Oscar Charles, Diego Urias and Matt Warren.
