As tens of thousands of country music fans descended on downtown Nashville for the 53rd annual CMA Fest, several Jewish artists took the stage, sharing their music and stories of identity and belonging.
According to CMA Fest's website, The Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience began in 1972 as Fan Fair, attracting 5,000 fans to Nashville's Municipal Auditorium. More than five decades later, CMA Fest has become Nashville's signature country music event, drawing fans from all 50 states and dozens of countries around the world.
Among the Jewish artists participating in this year's festival were Israeli-born singer-songwriter Omer Netzer, actor and musician James Maslow, Nashville-based pop-country artist Risa Binder, and Nashville native MORGXN.
Netzer moved to Nashville from Israel nearly three years ago and said performing on the Wrangler Stage represented a significant milestone.
"It was just a blessing," Netzer said. "Not just as a Jewish artist, but as someone who came from Israel with a few t-shirts and a pair of jeans. I had nothing."
This was his second year playing and a new experience from last year's CMA Fest, when he played an acoustic set at Music City Center. He said Jewish audience members shared the excitement.
"A few Jewish people came to me after the show and told me how excited they were," Netzer said. "For me, being Jewish and playing at CMA Fest and representing the whole nation is just amazing."
Maslow moved to Nashville almost three years ago, with his now fiancée. He said following a trip to Israel shortly after October 7, helped clarify his priorities and ultimately influenced the couple's decision to relocate.
This year's CMA Fest marked Maslow's solo country music debut. Music he's been working on since being in Nashville.
"I have truly become a country fan," he said. "One of my favorite things is writing with country writers who think differently than the pop world. It's story first, lyric first."
Maslow said he's become more intentional about visibly expressing his Jewish identity. He's always worn a Star of David necklace but does so more frequently. He said the response from fans and fellow artists has been overwhelmingly positive.
"I've felt nothing but love from the CMA community, the country community and Nashville as a whole," he said.
For Binder, CMA Fest has become an annual tradition. She's participated in the festival for the past eight years, and this year participated in a meet-and-greet.
"It's one of my favorite weekends of the year," Binder said.
Raised in a Reform Jewish family in Columbia, Maryland, Binder said she did not begin actively seeking Jewish community until she moved to Nashville.
"I consider myself an artist first, and I happen to be a Jewish artist," Binder said. "But I didn't really dig into my Jewish identity until I was here."
She sees connections between her faith, spirituality, and her work as a songwriter.
"If I can connect with someone and make them think about who they are as a person and where they're at in their life, then I'm doing what I feel God's gift to me was," she said.
For Nashville-born artist MORGXN, CMA Fest represented a different kind of homecoming.
"Sometimes it feels like Tennessee has shaped everything about who I am as an artist," MORGXN said.
Despite being born in Nashville, MORGXN said claiming the city as home was not always easy. As both a Jewish and queer artist, MORGXN viewed the performance as an opportunity to expand representation within country music.
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"Playing CMA Fest felt like a full-circle moment I honestly didn't know I was allowed to want," MORGXN said. "Country music has a complicated relationship with people like me. So, standing on that stage felt less like a career milestone and more like a statement: We're here. We've always been here."
While all four of their backgrounds and musical styles differ, the artists described Nashville as a place where they have found opportunities to grow both professionally and personally. Together, their presence at CMA Fest reflected the diversity of today's Jewish community and the voices helping shape the future of country music in Nashville.