There are certain countries that may not rise to the top of your list if you're thinking of searching the globe to find the next big name in country music.
India, for example. Or Mexico. Or South Africa.
But a new competition show on Apple TV+ has flipped the script on all of that, with scouts travelling the world to try to find country music's next big star — and they've stopped off in some unlikely locations.
It's called My Kind of Country and the executive producers include Academy-Award-winning actor Reese Witherspoon and Grammy-Award-winning country artist Kacey Musgraves.
The scouts on the series are just as interesting as the contestants.
They include Mickey Guyton, who was the first black artist to earn a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album, Orville Peck, who is openly gay and never seen without his signature fringed mask, and Jimmie Allen, who in 2021 was the first black solo performer to win New Male Artist of the Year at the Annual Country Music Association awards.
Speaking to the ABC, Allen said it made sense to go beyond Nashville in search of a country music star.
"There are so many people that are fans of country music from different parts of the world, Australia being one of them," Allen said.
"So, since we know people from all over the world love country music, why not try to find artists from those same countries that love country music and hear how they interpret country music with their culture, with how they grew up, with where they're from?
"And that's what makes country music what it is, it's the stories, and we can't say that country music gives the best stories if we don't have stories from different people."
Allen said the judges had each gone into the competition looking for something different from the various contestants.
"Orville is looking more for the storytelling, Mickey was looking more for the heart, I was looking more for the artist that has the self-belief and the tenacity to, no matter how many times they get knocked down, get back up. I was looking for the artist that was able to figure out who they were and market themselves."
There are so many competition shows. What makes this one unique?
If one thing's for sure, there's a glut of music competition shows.
On free-to-air television you have The Masked Singer, The X Factor, The Voice, and Australia's Got Talent. Even Australian Idol has been revived after more than a decade off the air.
Streaming services have also got in on the act with shows like Rhythm + Flow on Netflix. So, what makes My Kind of Country unique?
Allen said it all came down to the fact that this show was dedicated to country music and also viewers got to learn more about the contestants' backstories.
Having auditioned for American Idol himself in 2011, Allen said he applied the positive things he learned from that competition show to his role as a judge on My Kind of Country.
"Even though I didn't win, I still learned so many things that I applied to my career when the show was over," he said.
"So, I wanted to take that same mentality and to be a resource for these artists for when the show's over and they go back to the real world, where it all matters.
"They can have something that they can apply to their life and help them reach the next level of their career."
Only one person will win the competition, with that winner awarded prize money and global exposure across Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
Allen said if there was a second season, the scouts hoped to visit Australia.
"Australia is on top of our list," he said.
"We love Australia."
My Kind of Country premieres today on Apple TV+
