Set 'Em Up, Koe
The cult Texas artist became a mainstream country star on 2024's 9 Lives. His new album reunites him with Noah Kahan producer Gabe Simon
Koe Wetzel brought together a mix of friends, industry VIPs, and journalists at a Nashville speakeasy late last month to preview The Night Champion, his sixth studio album and first since 2024’s 9 Lives transcended his career from cult Texas artist to mainstream country star.
The plan was for Wetzel to play a handful of tunes off the LP, which dropped on Friday, before settling into a series of handshakes and selfies with a crowd that mingled at cocktail tables and velvet couches. It was a far more intimate setting than one of country music’s most outsized personalities is accustomed to playing, but Wetzel decided to lean into the moment.
“When I talk about The Night Champion, and the sound up to now, it’s almost like closing a book,” Wetzel tells Rolling Stone.
