Jessie Murph at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds -- August 6.
Thursday, August 6, 8 p.m.
Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, 2815 West Locust Street, Davenport IA
With both artists having enjoyed top-10 Billboard successes (and songs in the horror smash Scream 7) over the past 13 months, ascending country-pop stars Jessie Murph and Stella Lefty jointly headline the Mississippi Valley Fair grandstand concert on August 6, the former's Sex Hysteria a popular and critical hit last July, and the latter's Is This Heaven? released to great acclaim this past May.
Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, Murph, as stated at AllMusic.com, "grew up in Alabama, where she moved with her musician parents at age five. Living first in Huntsville and later in Athens, she became interested in performing, listening to a mix of pop, hip-hop, and country. She began posting vlogs and cover songs online, drawing both fans and cyberbullies, the latter of whom would inspire her emotive and deeply felt songwriting style. The industry also took notice, and in 2021, she signed a recording contract with Columbia Records and released her debut single, 'Upgrade.' More tracks followed, including 'Sobriety,' 'When I'm Not Around,' 'Always Been You,' and 2022's 'Pray, the latter of which appeared on her first EP, If I Died Last Night.
"In early 2023, Murph returned with a full-length mixtape, drowning. That June, she teamed up with Maren Morris on the moody 'Texas,' then took part in a Diplo and Polo G collaboration, 'Heartbroken.' The latter reached number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. Murph's next track, 'Wild Ones' featuring Jelly Roll, fared even better, reaching 35 on the same chart. The latter song was included on Murph's proper debut album, September 2024's That Ain't No Man That's the Devil, which favored the country, blues, and hip-hop portions of her eclectic influence spectrum. Also included was her biggest hit yet, the number 22-charting 'High Road' with country singer and Columbia Records labelmate Koe Wetzel, which had originally appeared earlier the same year on his album 9 Lives. That Ain't No Man That's the Devil went on to crack the Top 30 of the Billboard 200 and Canadian Album charts.
"In April 2025, Murph issued two singles, the first of which, 'Gucci Mane,' sampled its namesake's 2009 cut 'Lemonade.' It was followed a few weeks later by 'Blue Strips,' which became a breakout international hit that reached the Top 20 in the U.S. A third single, the Bekon and Adam Alpert-produced 'Touch Me Like a Gangster,' also appeared that June. All three songs heralded her sophomore album, Sex Hysteria, which arrived in July 2025. It found Murph balancing songs about sex and relationships with examinations of trauma and her troubled relationship with her father. It debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200. The single 'I'm Not There for You' followed that October along with the deluxe edition of Sex Hysteria. Another single, 'Criminal,' appeared in February 2026 as part of the soundtrack to the horror franchise film Scream 7."
Stella Lefty, meanwhile, has been practicing songwriting since early childhood. While studying abroad in Amsterdam during a depressive period, she began sharing her earliest song compositions on TikTok. After establishing a social media presence and graduating college in 2024, she started releasing music independently, including singles "Stay" and "Kiss Me." She released her debut EP, Tragic, Really, in 2025. In January 2026, she released the single "Thinking 'bout You," which she wrote in collaboration with friends Grace Enger and Sadie Jean. In February, she performed the song "The Kill" for the film Scream 7. Shortly thereafter, she signed with Atlantic Outpost, a country music imprint of Atlantic Records.
Lefty gained prominence in 2026 following the viral success of her country-pop single "Boston," which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 95 in April and climbed to top 20 a month later. The breakout single is heavily built around a melodic interpolation of "Stick Season" by Noah Kahan, who is credited as a co-writer. In May 2026, she released an EP, Is This Heaven? featuring previously released songs, including "Boston," "Thinking 'bout You," "I Know I Know," and a collaboration with Vincent Mason, "Something to Lose". Is This Heaven? debuted at number 38 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart and number nine on the Top Country Albums chart with 20,000 units sold.
Jessie Murph and Stella Lefty perform their headlining engagement on the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds grandstand stage on August 6, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $50 (free with Fun Card purchase), and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-5338 and visiting MVFair.org.
