Corey Kent is crossing another item off of his bucket list, and it’s a big one. The rising star will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday, January 14. Kent announced the news on social media.

“I don’t even know what to say … thanks [Opry],” Kent captioned the photo.

 

Kent had a massive hit at radio with “Wild As Her,” released last year. The song, written by Morgan Wallen, Brett Tyler and Kelly Archer, resonated deeply with Kent, even though he didn’t have a hand in writing it.

“I’m very picky when it comes to outside songs,” Kent told Everything Nash. “For a long time. I knew what I wasn’t, and the hardest part was transitioning from what I know I’m not to knowing what I am, what I want to say, and what I wouldn’t say, what aligns with my brand and what doesn’t align with my brand, and getting to the point where I could filter songs through those lenses.”

Although Wallen could have easily released “Wild As Her” himself, Kent earned high praise from the superstar for his take on the song. For Kent, while it’s important to write songs, it’s also important for him to cut other people’s songs as well.

“He was really grateful for that because he also thought the song was a really great song, but it didn’t quite get its moment,” Kent said. “And now we’ve been able to give this song its moment. And the other thing I would say is I was a songwriter first. I lived in Nashville for years and wrote. I was at Warner Chappell, and I was just a staff writer trying to write songs that other people would cut. And I remember when somebody started to cut my songs, one, how that felt, but two, how that started to build my career in that way.

“I think it’s really important for the songwriting community,” he added, “that artists would be more open-minded to cutting outside songs, because that is how our industry was built. … I just think it’s really a healthy thing for the songwriting community that artists let the best song win in, regardless of who wrote it. Morgan and Kelly and Brett, the writers on this song, they wrote the best song and they deserve to have it out in the world.”

Kent knew right away that “Wild As Her” would be a hit, but he had no way to predict how much it would change his entire life and career.

“We thought it was gonna be a great thing and a huge step forward in our career, but I don’t think you ever anticipate putting a song out that’s gonna change your life,” he told Country Now last August. “The craziest part is, we’re like four plus months in, and the song is still having days where it has more streams than any other day ever, four months in.”

“Man of the House,” Kent’s next single, is due out on February 3. Other artists performing at the Grand Ole Opry, on January 14, which will be held at the Ryman Auditorium for the next several weeks, include Vince Gill, Sawyer Brown, Don Schlitz, Jeannie Seely, Mark Wills, Charlie Worsham and more. Tickets are available here.

Find all of Kent’s music and upcoming shows at CoreyKentOfficial.com.

Read ’10 Artists Who Should Be Grand Ole Opry Members’ here.