The Sioux Empire Fair is excited to welcome Cooper Alan and Dylan Schneider to the Billion Automotive Main Stage at the Sioux Empire Fair on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
With the heart of a showman and the hustle of a modern independent artist, Cooper Alan is bringing fearless creativity and unfiltered authenticity to country music. A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Alan has built a massive, self-made fanbase online with over 18 million followers and 750 million+ streams through heartfelt storytelling, clever humor, or outside-the-box genre mashups.
With the release of his debut full-length album Winston-Salem, out now, Alan introduces the world to every side of himself: the reflective songwriter, the good-time party starter, the husband, father, and the Southern kid proud of where he comes from. Split into two halves, Winston for the introspective tracks and Salem for the rowdy, genre-bending anthems. The album follows his 2023 concept EP Take Forever, which chronicled his real-life love story and marriage.
Alan’s journey began in cover bands and Nashville honky-tonks, but his career took off through viral videos and a direct, genuine connection with fans. From mental health meditations to unapologetic drinking songs, he’s proven himself as one of country’s most fearless new voices, blending country, rock, pop, and hip-hop influences with sharp writing, big hooks, and a live show that’s sold over 150,000 tickets globally, including a sold-out 2024 headline tour in Australia.
With a near-effortless ability to feel where country music is headed, Nashville’s Dylan Schneider is one of Music Row’s most exciting new talents, with all the elements of a true rising star.
Arriving in Nashville at the age of 16, he’s grown a massive fanbase and critical acclaim through a series of EPs that perfectly fused his Midwestern country grit with the energy of rock and modern pop. A pair of Gold-certified hits told the young singer-songwriter he was on the right track – while he grew into his own sonically and lyrically. With his long-awaited debut album Puzzled, the pieces have come together.
A self-taught Indiana native with an instinctive knack for mass appeal. Fired up by edgy rock and rap icons like Nickelback and Drake in his youth, Schneider draws inspiration from across genres. Also looking up to country greats and iconic storytellers George Strait and Brooks & Dunn and later the fresh, upbeat production of Florida Georgia Line, Schneider sought a melting-pot approach to his music, seeking a new way to express his country roots and thus creating his own signature sound.
Named a Pandora Ten Artist To Watch and part of the SiriusXM + Pandora 2024 Future Five, Alan hit #1 on SiriusXM The Highway’s Hot 30 Countdown with his breakout single “Take Forever.” His latest tracks, including “Plead The Fifth”, “Holy Ghost”, “Dale Dickens (RIP)”, and “Hard Acre” signal what is to come for this next chapter of music.