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My Kind of Country casts net in some unlikely places to find contestants for new reality show

Mickey Guyton, Orville Peck and Jimmie Allen are scouts on My Kind of Country. (Supplied: Apple TV+)

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.

Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves are executive producers of My Kind of Country. (Supplied: Apple TV+)

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.

Contestant Ale Aguirre (Chihuahua, Mexico) infuses bilingual lyrics into her music. (Supplied: Apple TV+)
Contestant Justin Serrao (Johannesburg, South Africa) started out playing punk and alternative rock before embracing country. (Supplied: Apple TV+)
Contestant Ashlie Amber (Nashville, Tennessee) began singing at the age of six. (Supplied: Apple TV+)
The Betsies — Zel and Landi Degenaar (Cape Town, South Africa) — are Afrikaans sisters who grew up in a tiny mining town and felt like outsiders due to their passion for country music. (Supplied: Apple TV+)

"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."

Contestant Alisha Pais (Goa, India) hopes her music will bring joy to people's lives and help them connect to their most authentic selves. (Supplied: Apple TV+)
Contestant Chuck Adams (Nashville, Tennessee) initially found success as a writer in rap music and got signed to a label, but after he got dropped in 2011, he took it as a sign to follow his true path in the genre he loved — classic country. (Supplied: Apple TV+)
Contestant Ismay is a non-binary singer-songwriter. (Supplied: Apple TV+)
The Congo Cowboys — Julio Sigauque, Simon Attwell and Chris Bakalanga (Cape Town, South Africa) — perform in English and Lingala, the official language of the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Supplied: Apple TV+)

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.

Contestant Micaela Kleinsmith (Cape Town, South Africa) grew up watching singing competition shows and dreaming of being on stage. (Supplied: Apple TV+)
Contestant Dhruv Visvanath (New Delhi, India) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer-songwriter and producer, who started his musical journey at the age of seven. (Supplied: Apple TV+)
Contestant Wandile (Johannesburg, South Africa) is a fan of analogue storytelling, where he uses his musical viewpoint to reframe harsh memories into better ones. (Supplied: Apple TV+)
Contestant Camille Parker (Durham, North Carolina) credits her passion for music to her granfather, who introduced her to country music. (Supplied: Apple TV+)

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+

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