- Texas duo Bottomland (Cannon Brand and Justin Gates) has signed a major-label deal with Sony Music Nashville.
- The signing coincides with the release of the new single "We're About To Break Up," written by Hardy, Jameson Rodgers, Smith Ahnquist, and Hunter Phelps.
- The duo's team stays intact: William Morris Endeavor (WME) continues for worldwide booking, and Conveyor Management continues for career management.
- This is Bottomland's first major-label deal, following breakout single "Over You, Over It," which has topped 7.8 million global streams.
Southeast Texas duo Bottomland has signed with Sony Music Nashville, marking the first major-label deal for singer-songwriters Cannon Brand and Justin Gates. “Still feels a little unreal saying this out loud, but we signed a major record deal with Sony Music Nashville,” the duo said in a statement.
Brand and Gates were each chasing solo careers around Texas honky-tonks before their paths crossed on shared bills, leading to co-writes and eventually a full-time partnership. Their breakout single, “Over You, Over It,” has racked up 7.8 million global streams and built the momentum that got Sony’s attention.
The label deal arrives alongside a new single, “We’re About To Break Up,” penned by Hardy, Jameson Rodgers, Smith Ahnquist, and Hunter Phelps. Sony Music Nashville chair & CEO Taylor Lindsey and president & COO Ken Robold, along with A&R execs Margaret Tomlin and Jason McColl, were on hand for the signing.
Bottomland’s wider team stays unchanged: William Morris Endeavor (WME) continues handling worldwide booking, a deal the duo struck in 2025, and continues with Conveyor Management for management.
Sony Music Nashville has been aggressive on the new-artist front this year. The label added UK singer-songwriter Bellah Mae in March, Appalachian artist Max Alan in June, and Texas native Jackson Wendell just last week. Bottomland’s deal fits a broader pattern of majors betting on developing country and Texas-scene talent.
This is also part of a bigger wave of major-label activity across the industry in 2026: Miley Cyrus signed with Atlantic Records after leaving Columbia, Zara Larsson shifted from Epic to RCA Records within Sony, and Elle Limebear signed with Decca Records as its first contemporary Christian artist.
Takeaways
Sony Music Nashville landing Bottomland is a bet on a duo that built its audience the old-fashioned way, gigging around Texas rather than through a viral moment. Keeping WME and Conveyor Management in place while Sony adds label muscle suggests this is meant to scale an existing machine, not rebuild one.
It also fits a label pattern: rather than chasing one big splashy name, Sony’s been quietly stacking developing artists (Bellah Mae, Max Alan, Jackson Wendell, now Bottomland) across 2026.
Can Sony translate Bottomland’s regional Texas following into a national country audience? Will “We’re About To Break Up” match or exceed the streaming numbers of “Over You, Over It”?
