ROCKINGHAM — Rising country artist Anna J will open for the Eli Young Band at ThunderFest, joining the headlining group as part of the festival tied to NASCAR’s return to Rockingham.
Anna J, a Frederick, Maryland, native, studied songwriting at Belmont University under Grammy-winning professors and was mentored by Marcus Hummon, who co-wrote “Cowboy Take Me Away” by The Chicks and “Bless the Broken Road,” by Rascal Flatts.
Since graduating in 2020, she has split her time between Nashville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina, building a reputation as a powerhouse performer and independent artist. Her music has earned three No. 1 singles on the worldwide aBreak Music station with “Nobody with Nobody,” “In Your Heart,” and “If You Don’t Like Country (Then You Don’t Like Me).”
She has recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, performed at the Bluebird Café and taken the stage at the Randy Travis Music Festival in 2024 and 2025.
Earlier this week, organizers announced the Eli Young Band would headline ThunderFest on April 9.
The Denton, Texas-founded band includes Mike Eli, James Young, Jon Jones and Chris Thompson. Its 2005 album “Level” helped launch the group into the mainstream. It followed with three Top 5 albums on Billboard, including the No. 1 “10,000 Towns” and the platinum-certified “Life at Best.”
The band also achieved back-to-back No. 1 singles with the five-times platinum “Crazy Girl” in 2011 and the three-times platinum “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” in 2012. Other hits include the platinum-certified “Drunk Last Night” and the two-times platinum “Love Ain’t.”
ThunderFest will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. April 2 at Harrington Square. The family-friendly event will feature live music, a free kids zone, NASCAR driver meet-and-greets, a beer garden hosted by Rockingham Dragway, food and merchandise vendors, and community activities.
The event will kick off a weekend of racing at Rockingham Speedway, with races scheduled April 3-4 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series East and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
Vendor applications remain open through Feb. 27. More information is available at gorockingham.com/events.