Country music newcomer George Birge has made his highly anticipated Grand Ole Opry debut.

The “Reason To Go” singer had more than one reason to be grateful on Thanksgiving, as he stepped into the sacred circle just two days before. Opry member Jamey Johnson introduced the Texas native to the venue before he took center stage.

The promising artist delivered an energetic performance of fan favorite “That Drink,” a re-imagined version of Neal McCoy’s “Wink,” and his current single “Mind On You.” Birge declared that the final song in his set list, drastically changed the trajectory of his life. Before the singer-songwriter released “Mind On You,” he was contemplating his music career and was on the verge of giving up.

Birge co-wrote “Mind On You” alongside Jaron Boyer, Michael Tyler, and Colt Ford. The Ash Bowers-produced love song was originally on hold by country superstar Jason Aldean, but a deal offered by RECORDS Nashville was too good for Birge to pass up. The mid-tempo track now lives on his self-titled debut EP and accumulated over eight million streams. Most recently, “Mind On You” became the No.1 most-added song at Country radio.

“This past year has been pretty wild for me. In 2020 I had basically given up the idea of playing live music. I thought I was going to write songs for other people. ‘Mind On You’ has changed my life,” said Birge. “I still can’t believe I made my Opry debut tonight—it’s such a special place with so much history. I am truly humbled by this opportunity and can’t wait to be back,” he added.

Following the career-altering evening, Birge turned to social media to share a clip that showcases his contagious voice and captivating stage presence. The Instagram carousel also includes a precious snapshot of him beaming with joy alongside his two children and wife, Kara.

“Last night wrecked me in the best possible way, thank you @opry for one of the best nights of my life❤️🔥 Swipe til the end to see #MindOnYour for the first time in the circle,” he wrote in the caption.

Country music fans flocked to the comments to congratulate the vocalist and to praise his astonishing performance.

“Epic, Congrats bro!” said artist Hudson Moore. “Your beautiful family must be so proud and thrilled for you. Congrats! Just love watching you experience all these amazing firsts with this awesome song,” shared a follower. “I have goosebumps watching this! Congratulations,” added another.

Although Birge has been making music in Nashville for nearly eight years, it wasn’t until his track “Beer Beer, Truck Truck” went viral on TikTok that he made a name for himself in the competitive industry. 

The emerging artist with superstar potential has over 200K followers on the powerful platform alone and 30 million streams across his catalog. Birge is now on the road with labelmate Matt Stell. While pulling from his impressive repertoire, he hopes to continue the positive momentum and write.

“Matt and I write together probably once a month. We have really great chemistry in the room,” Birge exclusively told CMT. “There might be a song we write out there on the road that lands on one of our records. I think we will definitely be putting in some work out there.”

He said his main priority is to tell his story.

“My biggest thing right now is to tell my story and the story behind the songs. How they were inspired, how they were created, and what got me there,” he explained before his Opry debut and tour with Stell. “I feel like that gets me closer with the fans. The other thing is just energy. We like to go out there and have people forget their worries.”

The must-see trek is expected to roll into 2023, but Birge will wrap up his historic year at the Lincoln Theatre in North Carolina on Dec. 18 with Scotty McCreery and Kylie Morgan. For upcoming appearances, visit georgebirge.com.