Each year, there are always a few surprises when it comes to the artists that rise to the top of their field; however, in 2019, it seems as if the biggest breakout artists of the year are even bigger surprises than usual. At this time last year, most country fans had never have even heard of a couple of the artists on this list!

At the beginning of 2019, The Boot assembled its annual list of Artists to Watch. Now, as the year comes to a close, a look back at those artists' progress shows that lots of them did big, exciting things in country music. Candi Carpenter put out her new single, "The Astronaut," which was produced by Brandi Carlile, and Dee White released a stunning, Dan Auerbach-produced debut project. Kalie Shorr dropped her debut full-length album, and Travis Denning toured extensively with A-listers in the country format, growing his live show.

Still, some of the biggest breakout acts of the year were those who came entirely out of left field. In fact, there's only one member of The Boot's 2019 Artists to Watch class who made it onto this list.

Want to see who made the biggest impression on us as breakout stars this year? Read on!

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