UMG Nashville Louie TheSinger

Photo Credit: Louie TheSinger’s Instagram

UMG Nashville signs Texas native Louie TheSinger, just three years after his prison release, as the singer takes his second shot at life and a career in music.

It’s been three years since Luis Alfonso Palacios II — better known as Louie TheSinger — served a prison sentence at the Texas State Penitentiary on drug-related charges. It was there that he watched the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, when Becky G, with whom he had shared a management company a decade prior, presented Cardi B with the award for Top Hot 100 Song. And it was then that the realization fully hit him: he’d missed his shot at music fame.

“That was the day it hit me, like, ‘Dude, you lost your career. You lost your shot. You missed it. That was it,’” says Louie.

Three years later, he was released from prison. On October 31, 2023, Louie TheSinger officially signed with Universal Music Group (UMG) Nashville, where CEO Cindy Mabe says he’s going to be the future of country music.

“I think he is going to walk right through the front door and he’s going to change everything and how wide this format is, and I cannot be more proud to be part of this,” says Mabe. “I am so inspired by Louie’s energy, purpose, and intention to expand the sound of country music through his own personal story and his songs. We’re so proud to bring Louie into the Universal Music Group Nashville family!”

Growing up in Fort Worth, Louie is a proud Texan, and proud of his Mexican heritage. Currently, he’s in the studio working on new music to release in 2024.

“It’s crazy to think that I was just in a prison cell three years ago, and now I’m signed to one of the biggest record labels in the world,” says Louie. “Big thank you to Cindy Mabe and my new fam at UMG Nashville. I’m ready to disrupt country music (in a good way). I’m just tryna add a little spice and make my people proud. It’s time Mexican Americans have a voice in this country world, and I’m here for it.”

Since spending time in prison, Louie has vowed to change the trajectory of his life. Upon his release, he has put his focus on his family, as well as creating and performing music his way.

“Having witnessed Louie’s magnetic charisma translate on stages across this country, and watch the rabid fan base he is building, I know that Louie is going to widen the country music audience,” concludes Cindy Mabe.

With a lifelong love of music, Louie TheSinger began his career in R&B. He says he didn’t plan to transition into country music, but his life experiences have led him to a raw, unfiltered lyricism, with friends dubbing him “the Lil Wayne of country music.” He sings openly about his time in prison, drugs, alcohol, his mother, heartbreak, depression — and naturally, criticism he has received over his “legitimacy” as a country artist.

On social media, he boasts a following of 700,000 on Facebook, 158,000 on Instagram, and over 700,000 on TikTok. Spotify Wrapped reveals that his music has enjoyed 8.1 million streams and 743,200 listeners across 171 countries.