Exclusive: Yola debuts new video

Yola, one of Nashville's buzziest artists, unveiled a new music video today as part of her month-long partnership with the Opry NextStage project by the Grand Ole Opry.

• Out today and debuted by Axios, the stripped-down acoustic performance of her single "Be My Friend," was recorded on stage at the Ryman Auditorium.

Why it matters: The Opry launched NextStage in 2019 to identify ascending artists and spread the word about them to fans.

• In conjunction with Opry NextStage, Yola performed at the Opry earlier this month and also released interviews and other content.

What they're saying: Jordan Pettit, director of artist relations and programming strategy at Opry Entertainment Group, says NextStage was created to "double down on the future of the Opry and one way we can do that is helping artists earlier and earlier in their careers."

• Yola is the most established of this crop of artists. Pettit says she was selected because the Opry saw potential in her early performances.
• "Yola had played the Opry in years prior and we always enjoyed having her and the audience seemed to like her and respond to her music," Pettit says. "We feel like she's an important artist people should know."

Watch the full video here.