If you haven't heard of Caitlyn Smith, you will very soon. It is just a matter of time.

Here's a little background before I tell you why. Ha! I have heard about Caitlyn for a few years now. She is an up-and-coming country singer who dropped a critically-acclaimed album in 2018. She's been making a name for herself in Nashville for years but now she's about to blow up - all thanks to her latest single with Old Dominion, which is featured on said album's deluxe edition.

Why is this so special? Because Caitlyn is a Minnesotan! According to her website, she was born and raised in Cannon Falls. Cannon Falls is just about a three-hour drive from the Duluth area.

Her bio states that she grew up in the small town, put together her first band at age twelve and then started begging local Minnesota venues to let her play. I would love if she named names of just which venues but she didn't. According to Music Row, she still splits her time between Nashville and Minnesota.

Get our free mobile app

This is so awesome and I am sad that I didn't know about this connection before. Like I said, she's about to be a huge star thanks to her single with Old Dominion. It is called "I Can't" and you can't help but sing along to it. You can hear it below:

This isn't our only Minnesota music connection. A Biwabick native named Emily Shackelton has written a ton of massive country hits over the past few years and often writes with Carly Pearce. A former Duluth resident named Jordan Schmidt has also penned some of the biggest songs in country music, making a giant name for himself in Nashville and even winning an ACM Award along the way.

Minnesota Musicians Who Have Made An Impact

More From KDHL Radio