Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube TikTok Spotify
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube TikTok Spotify
    Country Chord – More Than Just 3 ChordsCountry Chord – More Than Just 3 Chords
    Shop
    • News

      WATCH: Jason Aldean Brings Out Travis Tritt For Surprise Performance Of “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive” During CMA Fest

      June 6, 2025

      Hudson Westbrook Signs Record Deal With River House Artists / Warner Music Nashville 

      June 4, 2025

      Post Malone To Open Nashville Bar This Summer

      June 3, 2025

      Chris Stapleton, Post Malone, Riley Green & Keith Urban To Headline 2026 Gulf Coast Jam Music Festival

      May 30, 2025

      “It Has Nothing To Do With Racism And I’m Really Sick Of It” – Gretchen Wilson Sets The Record Straight On What It Means To Be A Redneck

      May 29, 2025
    • Rankings

      Ranking All 27 Songs From Post Malone’s “F-1 Trillion (Long Bed)”

      August 21, 2024

      Ranking All 26 Megan Moroney Songs From “Worst” To Best

      April 1, 2024

      Top 5 Songs From Every Zach Bryan Album Ranked

      March 11, 2024

      Ranking All 63 Chris Stapleton Songs From “Worst” To Best

      February 23, 2024

      Top 10 Brad Paisley Singles Ranked

      February 16, 2024
    • Music

      WATCH: Jason Aldean Brings Out Travis Tritt For Surprise Performance Of “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive” During CMA Fest

      June 6, 2025

      WATCH: Cody Johnson Absolutely CRUSHES Cover Of Garth Brooks’ “Shameless”

      May 29, 2025

      Memorial Day 2025: Relive Justin Moore’s Bittersweet Performance of “The One’s That Didn’t Make It Back Home” Live From the Capitol

      May 26, 2025

      WATCH: Zach Top Delivers Flawless Rendition of Keith Whitley’s “Between an Old Memory and Me”

      May 25, 2025

      From Body Image To Internet Trolls To Imposter Syndrome: Priscilla Block Gets Brutally Honest About Struggles With Self-Worth On New Song “Couldn’t Care Less”

      May 21, 2025
    • Tours

      Dylan Gossett Announces ‘The Westward Tour’ With Willow Avalon, Drayton Farley And More

      May 19, 2025

      Turnpike Troubadours Announce 2025 ‘Wild America Tour’

      May 13, 2025

      Riley Green Adds New Dates To His ‘Damn Country Music Tour’

      April 28, 2025

      Jon Pardi Announces Sixteen New Dates To 2025 Honkytonk Hollywood Tour

      April 14, 2025

      Parker McCollum Announces New Summer 2025 Tour Dates With Kameron Marlowe, Hudson Westbrook & More

      March 21, 2025
    • Entertainment

      Megan Moroney Comments On A TikTok Users Video Containing A Shirtless Riley Green Tee And The Dating Rumors Are Once Again In Full Effect

      June 3, 2025

      On This Date 25 Years Ago: Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw Were Arrested For Riding a Police Horse & Allegedly Choking A Cop

      June 3, 2025

      HARDY Pierced Morgan Wallen’s Ear With WHAT?! Throwback To The Crazy Story Of How Morgan Began His Infamous Cross Earring Era

      June 2, 2025

      “It Has Nothing To Do With Racism And I’m Really Sick Of It” – Gretchen Wilson Sets The Record Straight On What It Means To Be A Redneck

      May 29, 2025

      “Why Would He Be Driving This Beat Up Piece Of Sh*t?” – Treaty Oak Revival’s Sam Canty Recalls Hilarious Story Of A Fan Second Guessing Who He Was Due To His Truck

      May 28, 2025
    • Playlists
      • Spotify
      • Apple Music
    • Shop
    Country Chord – More Than Just 3 ChordsCountry Chord – More Than Just 3 Chords
    Home » News » Country Music’s Biggest Controversies Of 2023: From Oliver Anthony to Maren Morris & More

    Country Music’s Biggest Controversies Of 2023: From Oliver Anthony to Maren Morris & More

    Aidan CallahanBy Aidan CallahanDecember 31, 2023 Entertainment
    Facebook Twitter Copy Link Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Country music had quite a few controversial headlines in 2023. Every music genre has its own drama, but this year had a particular buzz to it within the country sphere.

    Many of the biggest controversial stories we saw were layered with different stances, views, and positions. Those aspects are up for individuals to decide how they interpret them, as everyone sees things differently in their own eyes.

    As the curtains close on 2023, let’s take a look back at some of the most controversial moments in country music this past year.

    Jason Aldean’s Try That In A Small Town

    Back in May, Jason Aldean released Try That In A Small Town to country radio, eventually becoming his 28th number one hit. The song’s lyrics portray a message that offended many people across the country, leading to a serious debate about links between country music, race, and gun violence.

    The song received some mixed reviews upon release, but the music video really sparked the controversy, featuring scenes of protests, violence, and a filming location where a lynching took place over 100 years ago. The video was quickly pulled from CMT’s video rotation after the outrage ensued.

    After all of the backlash he received, Aldean responded to the public claiming while yes, the song was absolutely meant to be a statement about the current state of the country, it was not geared toward any specific races, political parties, or other groups.

    “I feel like the narrative really got switched over and became more of a racial type thing that’s like if that’s what you got out of the song and the video, I almost kind of feel like that’s on you because that wasn’t our intention.”

    Country Artists vs. Bud Light

    Bud Light made headlines when they partnered with a transgender influencer, leading to waves of backlash from various groups. Many country music fans and artists took distaste with the partnership from the beer company, with some taking very public action against the brand.

    Most notably, artists like Kid Rock and Travis Tritt were very forward in their opinions, addressing the controversy on social media and boycotting Anheuser-Busch. Riley Green went viral when he took Bud Light out of the lyrics of his beloved I Wish Grandpas Never Died at his concerts, causing further buzz around the topic:

    Country Music Artist Riley Green Cancels Bud Light at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium Friday Night

    Riley changed the lyrics from his hit song ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died’ from Bud Light to Coors Light…and the crowd went wild!@RileyGreenMusic pic.twitter.com/VYUZySG0Zh

    — Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) April 16, 2023

    The whole situation caused a further conversation of transphobia and conservative-heavy political issues within country music.

    Amidst the “Bud Light War”, there were also many country artists who took the brands side, such as Garth Brooks, Zach Bryan, and Jason Isbell. While not all of them addressed the controversy that directly, they all took the side of promoting inclusion and making country music a safe space for all kinds of people. As we all know how social media works these days, this just stirred the pot even more.

    Since the issue, some of the boycotting artists have altered their claims. Kid Rock claimed he thinks Bud Light “got the message” and he has recently shown support for the brand, saying he “doesn’t want to be in the party of cancel culture.”

    Bud Light obviously suffered substantial losses due to the controversy, but the conversation of “country music vs. Bud Light” has since calmed.

    Oliver Anthony’s Rich Men Of North Richmond

    Similarly to Try That In A Small Town, there was another significant moment in which an artist drew nationwide attention due to the message of their song- Oliver Anthony’s Rich Men Of North Richmond.

    While many took the viral clip of the then-unknown artist as a debut of phenomenal talent, soul, and authenticity from a new voice, others looked more deeply into the backstory behind Oliver Anthony and the message he was attempting to portray.

    Anthony’s viral tune about wealth, greedy politics, and unfair wages (amongst other themes) hit the internet by storm. While he has been stern with the fact that he didn’t aim the song at any political party in specific, many listeners disagreed, labeling the tune as a “right-wing anthem”.

    The controversy really began when at during a Republican Presidential Debate, Fox News opened the program by playing the song. The candidates were then asked about their thoughts on it, which is a really wild occurrence. This really stoked the fire with some people seeing it as confirmation to their suspicion of right-wing views in the tune.

    Anthony took to the internet prior to the event, saying he was “aggravated” that people were using this as fuel to their political fire of opinions and classifying him as left or right.

    The polarizing new artist responded to both sides of the spectrum, assuring the left that it wasn’t meant as hatred toward that side and pointing out that he felt the right had “weaponized” his tune, misinterpreting its true meaning.

    It’s very clear why the song was so controversial upon it’s release, but fortunately many fans have been able to look past any political interpretations and focus on the arrival of a new, talented artist in country music.

    Maren Morris vs. Country Music

    Maren Morris, the singer of hits like 80’s Mercedes and The Bones recently announced she is leaving country music to continue her career in other genres.

    A few months after making the announcement, she basically doubled back on her claim, essentially saying this might not be fully true? She’s clearly got a lot going on, especially with her sudden divorce from fellow artist Ryan Hurd in the midst of the drama.

    She’s been a controversial figure in country music for a while now with multiple incidents and statements that displeased many people- notably accusing Jason Aldean’s wife of alleged “transphobia” last year.

    A few months ago she released a 30-track EP of “goodbye to country music songs”. A music video on the project included a “don’t tread on me” flag and a sign that read “welcome to our perfect small town”. Sound familiar? She was obviously referencing her disagreements with Aldean.

    Morris labeled the country music scene as a “toxic family tree that’s burning itself to the ground.” She was obviously met with lots of hatred from fans of the genre who disagree with her very forward claims. This led to many people taking to social, telling the artist to go ahead and leave the scene.

    While her My Church days may be over, there are sure to be some country fans who, despite her negative comments and statements, will continue to follow her as fans of her talent. That being said, she will most likely have to deal with some harsh, hardcore country fans for the foreseeable future.

    Jason Aldean Kid Rock maren morris Oliver Anthony
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    WATCH: Jason Aldean Brings Out Travis Tritt For Surprise Performance Of “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive” During CMA Fest

    June 6, 2025

    Hudson Westbrook Signs Record Deal With River House Artists / Warner Music Nashville 

    June 4, 2025

    Megan Moroney Comments On A TikTok Users Video Containing A Shirtless Riley Green Tee And The Dating Rumors Are Once Again In Full Effect

    June 3, 2025

    Post Malone To Open Nashville Bar This Summer

    June 3, 2025

    Country Chord – More Than Just 3 Chords
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram TikTok YouTube Spotify
    • Spotify
    • Apple Music
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
    © 2025 Copyright Country Chord

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please support us by disabling your Ad Blocker.