Saving Country Music
Country music has a reputation. It has a reputation for being about beer, trucks, and hot girls, but it is about way more than that. Country music has storytelling you cannot find in any other genre. It is a family that invites you in and never lets you go. They do not care who you are. Country singers have a simpler way of doing things than most pop artists. If you go from a Taylor Swift show to a Miranda Lambert show, you are going to see a major difference. When people first listen to the genre, they are going to go straight to the men, which is the first problem. The second problem is the music that people listen to on country radio is garbage. I am going to be honest. That is where people think they know country music from. They think that they just sing about trucks and say “y’all.” I hate that this is the genre’s reputation.
Country is a genre that is about being able to tell your truth and not be judged. You are allowed to be completely vulnerable in your music and you never have to worry about it not being accepted because that is what country music is. Miranda Lambert, a leading female artist in the genre claimed, “I will never lie in my music.” Country music gave Lambert the space to release a 24-song “divorce” album that was extra vulnerable and brutally honest. Everyone in the genre welcomed the album and gave her a place to be able to speak up. That is what country music is about, but outsiders do not always see that.
Country is also remarkably diverse, as there are several subgenres including pop country, contemporary country, traditional country, and more. Country welcomes new artists all the time so the sound is always evolving. Country is increasingly popular because it is adapting to the way music is changing in general. People label country music as “white people’s music” which is far from the truth. Many people of different races and backgrounds enjoy country music. The way a song targets a specific audience of people who can relate to or just enjoy the lyrics overall is what creates a certain aim for the artist and their music. The stereotypes about country music need to change. Most of these stereotypes come from people who have never even listened to a country song.
Country radio is very overpowering and does not represent the beauty of the genre. Radio stations play the music they believe is going to benefit them the most, but it is what is driving away their listeners because they typically play songs by male artists. There are many women in country music who must work harder than their male counterparts for their songs to get heard and their songs are better than what country radio decides we want to hear. Many pop artists from Taylor Swift to Beyonce also originate from country roots.
Everyone always says, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but that is happening. A lot of listeners hear the songs on the radio and form shallow opinions, but do not ever actually go listen to the genre. Country artists have a lot to offer, and it is all about the music for them. Go listen to a Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, or Zach Bryan song, then decide.
