We all know that one guy.
You know, that guy or girl in your life that will listen to “anything but country”. He never lets you have the aux cord in the car because he doesn’t want to hear any of that “hick sh*t”. “It’s all trucks and beer” he’ll say.
Every country fan has had this conversation at some point or another, and it’s frustrating. When it’s someone random you probably just let it slide, but if it’s a friend you’d love to be able to share your favorite music with them.
As a fan, we all know there is way more to country music than a non-country listener knows. It’s such a diverse and varied genre that there is something for everyone to enjoy within it. Country has a seemingly unlimited number of sub-genres, and the sound can vary wildly between them. The challenge is getting that friend over their idea of what country is and getting them to give it a shot.
How do you introduce country in a way that will be accessible to them? The answer: go to whatever they already like. The most important factor in getting someone into country music is the kind of music they already listen to. Finding artists and songs that match the tone of what your friend likes is the best way to ease them into the country world.
You may not love pop country yourself, but it can be a great entry for those who primarily listen to pop music already. There’s a good chance they’ve already heard some of these songs on the radio, so the familiarity makes it less scary of a proposition. Acts like Brett Young, Kelsea Ballerini and Old Dominion could be a decent introduction to country without the twang and accents that can be scary to non-listeners.
Tons of today’s country fans started as Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line listeners ten years ago. Taylor Swift is the most popular artist on Earth right now, and she got her start in country. Less twang and steel guitars could go a long way with this crowd.
For those that prefer more rock music, there are tons of country and southern rock options that cross over perfectly. Jason Aldean has been blurring that line for most of his career, and Brantley Gilbert spent this summer touring with Nickelback. Newer acts like Hardy and Koe Wetzel are so rock-centric that some have argued if they are even country to begin with. Then there’s the southern rock side that include artists such as Whiskey Myers. These are great entry points to show that country isn’t just slow ballads and acoustic guitars.
Those that come from the indie, folk, and alternative scenes might have already started to be exposed to country artists. The indie country scene is as big as it has ever been, with artists like Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers seeing mainstream success that indie country artists haven’t in years past. Bryan recently released songs featuring indie favorites Noah Kahan and Bon Iver, and he collaborated with The Lumineers on his newest album. Indie fans are historically loyal to their favorite artists, so these features and collaborations are great windows for these fans to experience country.
Once you’ve set up these initial crossover artists, you can slowly start to introduce your friends to artists that are more country, but still have aspects of where they came from. After Hardy and Aldean, try showing your rock friend something like Pecos and the Rooftops or Cody Jinks.
Zach Bryan is a nice lead in to someone like Flatland Cavalry, or even Colter Wall if you’re ambitious. And the more pop country they’re exposed to, the more you can bring in more classic country artists that have scene main stream success (think someone like Cody Johnson or Jon Pardi).
The biggest roadblock to new listeners breaking into country is the preconceived ideas of what country is. There is plenty of Silverados and Coors Light to go around, but it is so much more than that, and showing that to a friend can be the perfect way to get them hooked on country.
(If all else fails, just show them Chris Stapleton. If they hate his voice, they may be a lost cause.)