Ben Rector in Houston

Ben Rector is an American singer-songwriter and pianist born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1986. He writes piano-led pop rock and is known for songs including “Brand New,” “Love Like This” and “Old Friends,” as well as the albums The Walking in Between, Brand New, Magic and The Joy of Music. The Brand New Tour established a theater-sized headline run, followed by The Biggest Tour I Have Done So Far and Magic: The Tour. He later brought The Joy of Music repertoire to theaters and amphitheaters on The Joy of Music Live.

Jon McLaughlin is an American singer-songwriter and pianist, born in Anderson, Indiana, in 1982. His piano-led pop is best known through “Beautiful Disaster,” the albums Indiana and OK Now, and “So Close,” which he sang for the Disney film Enchanted. In 2007, he opened shows on Kelly Clarkson’s My December Tour. The following year, he performed “So Close” at the 80th Academy Awards, bringing a song heard in a film ballroom sequence to the ceremony’s stage. He later made Home for the Holidays an annual concert tradition in Indianapolis.