One of music’s biggest stars has helped country music discover a hidden gem.
Charlie Puth, known for his incredible artistry and musicianship, has helped rising country star Kenny Whitmire break into the scene. At Puth’s recent Nashville show at Ascend Amphitheater on June 9, Kenny Whitmire took the stage to perform his song, “I Gave Her the Moon,” alongside Charlie.
Puth is known for massive hits such as “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” “See You Again,” and “Attention.” He is one of the most recognizable artists, producers, and songwriters in pop music today. So how did he discover this country artist, and how did all of this come to be?
In late 2025, singer songwriter Kenny Whitmire posted a clip of his original song, “I Gave Her the Moon,” on TikTok. The video caught the attention of Charlie Puth, who commented, “This is a wow.” Puth then reached out to Whitmire directly and even contacted industry professionals about potentially getting the song produced.
A few days later, Charlie posted a video on TikTok of himself performing his own version of “I Gave Her the Moon.” This immediately introduced Kenny Whitmire to Puth’s millions of followers.
This kind of traction from a star like Charlie Puth is life changing, and that’s exactly what happened for Kenny Whitmire. It took him from a promising Nashville dreamer to one of the industry’s most talked about rising artists. Artists like Luke Combs have even praised the song.
It’s important to note that this wasn’t some out of the blue overnight success story. Whitmire has spent years in Nashville, grinding away, writing songs, and performing every chance he could get. Seeing him finally receive this level of recognition is both amazing and well deserved.
At the June 9 stop of Charlie Puth’s “Whatever’s Clever” Tour in Nashville, Puth teased earlier in the day that there would be a surprise special guest. Videos from the show captured Charlie introducing Kenny before the two performed Whitmire’s hit alongside the band.
For an unsigned artist at the time of the original TikTok post to go on and receive public praise and a live performance opportunity from an artist of Puth’s caliber is incredible. This relationship has quickly become one of the most compelling artist to artist stories of the year.
Whitmire has said that he hopes to eventually record with Puth and potentially collaborate on future music. He has also stated that “Charlie changed my life.” Whitmire spoke about how shocking and exciting the entire experience has been, from the initial comment on his video to the direct message he received. He feels that Charlie has truly helped launch his career.
We are seeing more and more stories like this throughout the music industry. Artists are being discovered on platforms like TikTok and then going on to achieve success far beyond what they ever imagined. We saw a similar situation with Gabriella Rose and her rise through TikTok with her song “Doublewide.”
As an artist myself, I think it’s important to recognize that we need to be everywhere. Posting on TikTok. Posting on Instagram. Heck, even posting on Facebook. This story is a perfect example of why you have to be present to win. You truly never know what could happen.