He’s Not ‘Honky-Tonk’: Vincent Mason brings authentic country-pop sound to 2026 Bulldog Bash
Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Country music singer-songwriter Vincent Mason has gone from breakout TikToker to one of the hottest new artists in the genre. That climb now has the country radio chart-topper set to perform on Mississippi State’s biggest concert stage, Bulldog Bash.
MSU’s amphitheater welcomes Mason for an Oct. 16 stop on his current “There I Go” tour, bringing a blend of Georgia-born Southern lyrics with his pop perspectives on life. Known as Mississippi’s largest, free outdoor concert, Bulldog Bash begins at 7 p.m. with opener Penelope Road and Pothole Paradise, university Battle of the Bands’ winner.
Mason earned his first top-15 country hit in 2025 with “Wish You Well” from the debut album “There I Go,” after the breakthrough single “Hell is a Dance Floor” earned more than 140 million streams on TikTok and Spotify. This year, Mason has released several singles, including “What You Want,” “Don’t Ask Me” and “You Win Again.”
“I’m not a honky-tonk country artist,” Mason said when discussing the “There I Go” album with People Magazine in 2025. “We wanted it to be more heartfelt, and the tracklist is strung along in a way where you experience being on the road.”
In April, he earned an Academy of Country Music nomination for New Male Artist of the Year, while June saw the chart-climber in the No. 3 position on Billboard’s Emerging Artists list for all genres. He also is one of only four country performers in Spotify’s 2026 Artists to Watch program and has been named an Apple Music Country Riser.
With his “There I Go” tour filling venues from Boston to New York City and Canada to Australia, Mason also has appeared on the television circuit doing interviews on such programs as “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” “TODAY” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
This year’s Bulldog Bash includes the annual Maroon Market in the Junction from noon to 5 p.m., showcasing local musicians on stage, and art and food vendors. The entire event is sponsored by MSU’s Student Association.
For more information on Bulldog Bash, including sponsorship opportunities, see www.msubulldogbash.com, contact the MSU Center for Student Activities at 662-325-2930 or visit the office in Colvard Student Union, Suite 314.
MSU Bulldog Bash is on Facebook @MSUbulldogbash and Instagram @msubulldogbash.
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