Who will perform at iHeart’s Jingle Ball Village, get mentored by Grammy Winners and Win $10,000? You decide!
Dustin Nova
Must be in the top 20 in their group to advance to the next round.
Voting for this round ends on October 26, 2026 at 10:00 PM EDT
About Dustin Nova
I spent years behind the wheel, now I’m chasing a different kind of road. I’m Dustin Nova, a Kentucky singer-songwriter turning the miles, mistakes, memories, and moments of life into R&B and Country songs that people can feel.
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Performances & Content from Dustin Nova
The Best Redheaded Mistake
Worth Every Drop
Covering "Heard it through the Grapevine" - By: Marvin Gaye
Covering "Bad Mama Jama" - By: Carl Carlton
Since We Were Eleven
Learn More About Dustin Nova
What makes you the Next Music Star?
What makes me the Next Music Star? I think it’s the fact that I’m not trying to become someone else. I’m finally becoming the artist I was meant to be. I’ve spent years working, living, learning, making mistakes, getting back up, and collecting stories along the way. I was a truck driver, I’ve worked in hotels, I’ve performed as a cover artist, and now I’m stepping out from behind the songs of other people to create my own. I’m a singer, songwriter, and creator. I write about real life, real people, love, loss, struggles, family, good times, hard times, and everything in between. I don’t have a manufactured story. I have a life that has given me something to say. What I bring isn’t perfection. It’s honesty, heart, personality, and a voice that comes from actually living the words I sing. I’m still learning, still growing, and still chasing this dream. I’m Dustin Nova, and I’m here because I believe my best music hasn’t even been written yet.
What do you love about music and performing?
What I love most about music is the connection. A song can say something you may not know how to say yourself. It can bring back a memory, change your mood, make you feel understood, or simply give you a few minutes to escape whatever life has thrown at you. I love performing because I get to share that feeling with people in real time. There’s something special about standing in front of people, opening your mouth, and not knowing exactly where the moment is going to take you. It’s more than singing a song. It’s telling a story and inviting someone else into it. I also love that music gives me a place to be completely honest. Some of the things I’ve lived through, struggled with, celebrated, and learned from have found their way into my music. And honestly, I love the feeling of knowing that something started as an idea in my head and eventually became something another person can hear, feel, and connect with. That never gets old.
Who are your biggest music inspirations and dream collaborators?
My musical inspirations come from a lot of different places. On the Soul and R&B side, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and the great Motown artists taught me how powerful a voice and a story can be. On the Country side, I’ve always loved artists like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and more recently, Chris Stapleton. What connects all of them for me is authenticity. They weren’t just singing words. You could hear something real in their voices. As for dream collaborators, there are so many I could name. Chris Stapleton would be incredible because of the honesty and emotion he brings to a song. Teddy Swims is another artist I’d love to work with because of his incredible soul and vocal ability. And getting the chance to work with someone connected to the Motown tradition would be a dream come true. Ultimately, I’d love to collaborate with artists who care more about making something meaningful than simply making something popular.
What would you do with the $10,000 Grand Prize?
If I won the $10,000 Grand Prize, I would put it right back into my music and my future as an artist, after giving some to my folks, lord knows they've helped me quite a bit. I’ve spent a lot of time building what I have, learning as I go and doing as much as I can myself. This money would give me the opportunity to take things to the next level. I’d invest in professional recording and production, music videos and better visual content, promotion, and getting my original music in front of more people. I’d use part of it to help release more of the songs I’ve written. I have plenty of ideas and stories I still want to turn into music, and having the resources to properly record and promote them would make a huge difference. Most importantly, I wouldn’t look at the $10,000 as a prize I won. I’d look at it as an investment in what comes next.
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