Singer-songwriter Cody Belew arrives with his stirring new single, “Charlene,” and an equally thought-provoking visual, both out now via Visionary Media Group.

Today, CMT revealed its newest lineup of rising artists to watch in its highly anticipated 2023 CMT LISTEN UP program, which recognizes and supports country music’s most promising newcomers across CMT platforms.

When I answer a call from Nashville singer-songwriter Cody Belew, he sounds a little worn. Speaking through a thick Arkansas accent, he tells me, “I’ve been working on this upholstering project all day, but it’s been fighting me.”

This guy is a for-real singer, for sure. He completely reinterprets this 1977 Dolly hit, transforming it from a bouncy ditty into a cry of romantic anguish. His only accompaniment is a pianist, but his dramatic performance is so gripping that it needs nothing else.

Presented virtually as an exclusive live streaming event with partner CMT, performances included Herndon, Brothers Osborne, Kristin Chenoweth, Cody Belew, Paul Cardall, Terri Clark, Gavin DeGraw, Brooke Eden, Shelly Fairchild, Jamie Floyd, comedian Dana Goldberg, Harper Grae, Jake Hoot, Chris Housman, Kathy Mattea, Rissi Palmer, Gretchen Peters, Michael Ray, Lily Rose, Tenille Townes, Walker County, Chase Wright, and Jaime Wyatt.

Cody Belew is hanging more than the Christmas stockings this season. An Arkansas native who now lives in Nashville, Belew has placed the irresistible original song “Hang Your Hat on My Christmas Tree” in the new Paramount Channel movie, Dashing in December.

Cody Belew has had his music featured in on screen before — one of his original songs, “The Choice a Lonely Heart Makes,” was on The CW series Roswell, New Mexico. But to have a song of his be part of a first-of-its-kind Christmas movie that centers on a love story between two men was a different kind of proud moment for the Arkansas-born, Nashville-based singer.