Tyler Hilton

With his sharp ear for memorable melodies, keen lyrical insights, and husky, engaging voice, Hilton has already connected with people in a big way with his 2004 major-label debut, The Tracks Of Tyler Hilton. The success of the album, an appealing slice of strummy pop Americana, and its breakout Top 40 singles "When It Comes," and "How Love Should Be," have driven music fans online to post clips of themselves performing Hilton's songs on YouTube. His own videos have racked up more than five million views on YouTube, and his songs have garnered more than four million collective plays on MySpace. It hasn't hurt that the 24-year-old Palm Springs, CA, native has been featured as a "Breaker Artist" by AOL, a "You Oughta Know" artist by VH-1, and a "Breakout Star" by MTV. He has been nominated for two Teen Choice Awards, performed multiple times on MTV's TRL, as well as on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and toured with the likes of Michelle Branch, Gavin DeGraw, Goo Goo Dolls, Rooney, and many others.

Indeed, the last few years have been busy for Hilton, who grew up playing guitar in a family of musicians and began writing his own songs at the age of 14. He soon graduated to performing at open mic nights in clubs and coffeehouses around Palm Springs. "I’ll never forget the thrill of seeing my name in yellow chalk on a blackboard at a local hangout," he says. "It felt like I was on my way."

Encouraged by the solid fan base he built throughout Southern California, Hilton released an independent album in 2000, which led to a recording deal with Maverick Records and The Tracks Of Tyler Hilton. The album was released in September 2004, the same month Hilton made his first guest appearance on The CW's One Tree Hill, which led to his recurring role as Chris Keller. Hilton has also appeared as Elvis Presley in 2005's Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line and in the 2008's comedy Charlie Bartlett. His songs have been included on the Grammy Award-winning Walk the Line soundtrack and on all three of One Tree Hill's popular soundtracks.

Hilton spent most of last year writing songs for his next album in Nashville. Currently, he's back in Los Angeles, and continues working on the album, which Warner Bros. Records will release in Summer 2009.