Submissions for the 2026 Rising Star Series are now closed.

2026 Rising Stars

Rowdy Shea

Rowdy grew up in Bowling Green and attended South Warren High School. Reflecting on his upbringing, he said, “We had the quintessential upbringing in Bowling Green, and we’re proud to be from here.”

Athletics and horses were a large part of his childhood. His passion for music began around the age of 20 when his mother encouraged him to pursue his music dreams.“I was at a crossroads in my life, and she told me to pick something I loved and go for it,” Shea recalled. After taking a vocal lesson, he fell in love with singing and quickly picked up the guitar. When those 2 worlds collided, he knew where he was always meant to be.

He has been a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice” where he competed on Team Gwen. Since then, he’s been writing with some of Nashville’s finest and getting ready to release his first solo project.

When he’s not playing a show, you can probably find Rowdy working with horses in some way shape or form. He has covered a lot of cowboy miles doing just about every job you can name.

Rowdy Shea is where the western sky meets top 40 country radio.

We are very excited to welcome Rowdy to the Gatlinburg Songwriters family!

Jael Gadsen

Jael is an accomplished performer, and singer/songwriter from Charleston, SC, and a graduate of Furman University. She has worked as a performer in Japan, Singapore, and throughout the United States.  Similarly, she won a national songwriting contest for Lincoln cars, for her song, “Your Season,” affording her the opportunity to open for national recording artist, “Common,” at the House of Blues in Chicago. She also sang “God Bless America” at the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium for their baseball team. 

Television performances include, being a finalist on a live television show, “Nodojiman the World” in Tokyo, Japan in 2014, singing songs in Japanese. She also performed on “Showtime at the Apollo” with a singing group named Ebone. As an actress, she made an appearance in a K-Swiss television commercial, and in movie called American Dreamz. She also does musical theater and has played lead roles such as Sara in the Broadway musical, “Ragtime, Joanne in “Rent,” Hope in the musical “Urinetown, Celie, in “The Color Purple,” Rachel Marron in “The Bodyguard” musical, and Deloris in “Sister Act.”

Moreover, as an accomplished songwriter and composer, she has released three albums, entitled “Red Bridge Sunrise,” “The Journey,” and “Coming Full Circle.” All albums can be downloaded on I-Tunes, Amazon, and Spotify. Her original song she wrote, “Shake Your Boonkey,” has been featured in the films, “Bring it On, and Evil Bong.” She also teaches voice and has worked as the vocal captain  for various theme park shows and as a vocal and music director for theater shows. Moreover, in high school, she was the music director for her church’s youth choir. She is enthusiastic and exceptionally grateful for opportunities to share her gifts, meet new people, and inspire others!

NOAH PATTEN

Noah Patten is a Clarksville, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter with a southern soul, an outlaw spirit, and a deep respect for country music that speaks truth. His songs are built on honest lyrics, strong melodies, and the kind of real-life detail that comes from living it, not just writing about it. With roots in classic country and a style that stays raw, heartfelt, and unapologetically southern.