In 1994, Alan Jackson, a country music legend, released the hit “Gone Country,” which was an observation of artists and writers who were leaving behind their music and entertainment hotspots such Las Vegas and Los Angeles and taking a step into the country music scene.
30 years later, the country star, Lainey Wilson, released the song, “Country’s Cool Again.” The song revolves around the rapidly expanding popularity of country culture. It seems to be in reference to the artists switching over to the country genre and the chart domination held by country artists such as Morgan Wallen. Last year Luke Combs’ version of Tracy Chapman’s hit song “Fast Car” made it to the top of both the country and pop charts. This spring, Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” went to No. 1 on both lists as well. Artists such as Kenny Chesney, Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton, and Zach Bryan have been selling out stadiums all over the U.S. this year. When you take all of this into account, it feels as though the country is indeed ‘cool’ again.
One way country is making a comeback is within fashion, whether it’s in concert attire or daily-wear. Themes of cowboy boots, gingham, camo, and denim have become especially prevalent. The hashtag “#cowboyboots” has over 156k posts uploaded to it on TikTok.
At Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” Tour and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, concert attendees have been sporting bedazzled cowboy hats and boots alike. An article by the New York Post explains that the presence of Taylor Swift and the Eras Tour was felt by retailers in Australia as the demand for cowboy boots increased significantly nearing the dates of the shows.
One trend that was especially popular during this summer was the ‘coastal cowgirl’ trend. The coastal cowgirl trend exists within fashion, interior design, and music. Coastal cowgirl fashion involves both western wear and beach pieces combined. Fashion trends often translate to interior design trends and coastal cowgirl was an example of this. Coastal cowgirl as an interior design trend involves incorporating beach house furniture combined with country house decor. This trend also exists within music as Spotify has created it’s own coastal cowgirl playlist. The playlist ranges from country songs like “Somewhere With You” by Kenny Chesney to soft pop songs such as “Malibu” by Miley Cyrus.
Another way that country is coming back is within television. This summer, Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones starred in the movie, Twisters, a sequel to the 1996 film, Twister. The soundtrack for Twisters consists entirely of country music. The first single of the soundtrack, “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma,” was an immediate success. Other popular country artists such as Tyler Childers, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, and Megan Moroney also were featured on the soundtrack.
The show, Yellowstone, has also done a wonder for country music and culture. Yellowstone is a contemporary Western series that airs on Paramount Network. It follows the lives of the Dutton family, who own the largest ranch in Montana, the Yellowstone. The ranch is under constant attack by those it borders: land developers, an Indian reservation, and Yellowstone National Park. Majority of the episodes feature several country songs. The show has given rise to the popularity of several country artists such as Ryan Bingham and Whiskey Myers.
Post Malone:
One of the major artist shifts to country this year was Post Malone, with his album F-1 Trillion. F-1 Trillion features tons of big names in country music including Hank Williams Jr., Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton, and Brad Paisley. Many of the songs are centered around familiar country music themes such as whiskey, heartbreak, and trucks.
Post Malone began in the music industry as a pop/hip-hop artist with hits such as “Sunflower,” “Rockstar” and “Circles.” Although some may believe that he is just hopping on the trend of all things cowboy, Post Malone has actually been on the country music bandwagon for years. Back in 2015, on the brink of fame, Post Malone tweeted: “When I turn 30, I’m becoming a country/folk singer.
In an interview with Vice Canada back in 2017, Post explains where he learned to love country, “My love of country music came from my mom. Whenever I was a little kid, a little niño, my mom would always play country in the car.”
He then reveals his inspirations, “Johnny Cash influenced me a lot. He’s a great storyteller.” Post continued, showing off a Johnny Cash tattoo on his shoulder.
It was in 2023 when Post Malone fully proved to the world that he was going full-country mode. Accompanied by Morgan Wallen and Hardy, he made his Country Music Awards debut. The trio performed a medley of country hits in tribute to the late musician, Joe Diffie.
Post proved his position as a successful country musician with the song “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen. The song launched with a number one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 and stayed for six weeks, establishing itself as one of the songs of the summer.
Beyoncé:
Beyoncé is one of the most well known names in the music industry, but her switch to the country music world has caused a lot of controversy. Though, this year wasn’t the first year that Beyoncé has taken a step into country music. Back in 2016, she performed her song “Daddy Lessons” with The Chicks at the CMA’s, an award show known as one of the biggest nights in country music. This performance resulted in racist backlash for Beyoncé. It is rumored that it was this night that inspired her to create her very own country album, Cowboy Carter.
In an instagram post, Beyoncé explains that “It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive.” She never specifically talks about the 2016 CMA’s, but it can be inferred that it may be what she is referencing.
The two lead singles from Cowboy Carter were immediate hits. She became the first Black woman to ever top Billboard’s country music chart. Cowboy Carter features many artists including Post Malone on the song “Levii’s Jeans,” and Miley Cyrus on “II Most Wanted.” In addition, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Linda Martell appear on interludes on the album.
Lana Del Rey:
On December 1st of 2023, Lana Del Rey released a cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The singer then announced her own country album, Lasso, at Billboard’s pre-Grammy event on January 31st, 2024. At the event, she tells the crowd, “If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country.”
She then explains her own country path with her producer, Jack Antonoff, “We’re going country. It’s happening. That’s why Jack has followed me to Muscle Shoals, Nashville, Mississippi, over the last four years.”
Lana Del Rey’s appeal has just as much to do with her aesthetic as it does to do with the music itself. Her timeless hits like “Summertime Sadness” and “Video Games” put her on the map, but a big part of her staying power in the following years came from the visuals that accompanied her albums. In recent years, Del Rey has been pushing out a more southern, humble image, something different than her old Hollywood glamour aesthetic that she used to portray.
On her recent tour for her album, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd? she skipped over touring the larger cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Instead, she opted for smaller venues in smaller southern cities like Huntsville, AL and Charlotte, NC. Given the financial gains of keeping a live music show in more populated cities, this seems like a conscious decision by Del Rey.
Zach Top
Zach Top grew up on a farm in Sunnyside, WA. He was raised on country music here, forming a band with his siblings at the ripe age of 7. His career took off with his debut country album, Cold Beer & Country Music. The Tennessean declared it full of “star-making tunes” and Country Central calling it a “masterclass in traditional country music.”
Zach Top is loved by countless country fans for bringing back the classic 90’s country sound. In today’s world of country music, several artists are following a more pop-country style of songwriting. Zach Top is a refreshing sound for many, bringing them back to the old-school sound of country that they have been missing.
Morgan Wallen
Morgan Wallen is one of the most well known country artists of this generation. He’s known for his hit songs like “You Proof,” “Last Night,” and “Whiskey Glasses.” He first rose to fame with his appearance on the sixth season of The Voice in 2014. Since then he has garnered mass appeal, with his most recent album One Thing at a Time rising to No. 1 on Billboard 200. He also held the top half of the top 10 tracks on Billboard Hot 100 in 2023, something only 5 other artists including The Beatles and Taylor Swift have ever done.
Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan is another one of the most famous country artists as of right now. Something that sets Zach Bryan aside from other country artists is that his music does not always align with usual country music cliches, it is more introspective and self-reflective.
Zach Bryan wrote much of his earlier music while serving in the US Navy. He would film himself playing these songs and upload them to YouTube. He uploaded 16 songs of varying popularity onto his YouTube before his song “Heading South” went viral. As his popularity continued to rise, he became the second person to be honorably discharged from the military to pursue music, the first being Elvis Presley.
Some popular Zach Bryan songs that have given rise to his popularity include “Something in the Orange,” “I Remember Everything (feat. Kacey Musgraves),” “Pink Skies,” and “28.”
Megan Moroney
Megan Moroney was born and raised in Georgia, something she takes pride in as heard in her song “Georgia Girl.” 2022 brought Moroney to the spotlight with the release of her debut EP, Pistol Made of Roses, followed by her single “Tennessee Orange.” “Tennessee Orange” was embraced with open arms. It had a rapid popularity surge on platforms like TikTok. Within five days of its release, the song shattered records by crossing one million streams.
Megan wasn’t just a one hit wonder with “Tennessee Orange” though, her sophomore album, Am I Okay, also reached the top of country music charts. She recently won the 2024 CMA’s Best New Artist award.
Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton’s first solo success came in 2015 with his debut album, Traveller. Traveller was inspired by an eleven-day road trip he took after the death of his father. He rose to stardom after the 2015 CMA’s where he performed with Justin Timberlake and took home each award he was nominated for that year: Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
Stapleton is loved for his unique storytelling and for putting meanings of love, self-doubt, temptation, and the struggles of just being human into his lyrics. He is often described at the kind of talent that only comes around once a generation.
