GRAHAM BARHAM

Walking in the footsteps of Morgan Wallen, Louisiana native Graham Barham sings with a pronounced twang and swaggers with a rural insouciance, a combination showcased on his 2024 singles “Bayou Boy” and “Whiskey Whiskey.” While he deigns to dabble with 21st century flair — “Break It in a Bar,” his 2022 breakthrough single, shimmers with its electronic veneer — Barham is also comfortable with such retro-stylings as the slow-burning soul of “Beer by My Bed.” In early 2025, he delivered his second EP, Oil Money.

Raised in the small Louisiana village of Oak Ridge, Graham Barham grew up on a farm surrounded by music. He learned gospel through his grandmother, who played organ in church, and he was drawn to country music as a child. Learning guitar at the age of ten, Barham had started writing songs by the end of high school, beginning with a tune dedicated to the memory of his best friend’s mother.

At the age of 18, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend Belmont University. While bartending, he worked his way into songwriting circles, eventually debuting his own material with the release of “Preachers Need People” in 2022, a song co-written by Will Bundy. After “Preachers Need People” earned an online following, one strengthened by “Break It in a Bar,” he signed a distribution deal with Virgin, inking a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music and Cornman Music in May 2023.

The soulful ballad “Beer by My Bed” became his first single under this Virgin distribution, followed quickly by the singles “Two Broke Hearts” and “Breakin’ Down.” All these singles were collected on the North of Hell EP — its title track was released as a single — and Barham wrapped up his 2023 with the singles “What Doesn’t Kill Ya” and “Good Sinner.”

In January 2024, Barham signed with Sony Music Nashville and Disruptor Records and released “Lights on Nobody’s Home.” “Bayou Boy” and “Whiskey Whiskey” followed swiftly on its heels. Both were later rolled into his next EP, Oil Money, in early 2025. Another single, “Camo,” arrived two months later.