We all got into country music somehow. Whether it was George Strait and Alan Jackson in the 90s, Brad Paisley and Tim McGraw in the 2000s, or even Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett in the 2010s, everyone has certain songs and artists that helped them on their way to becoming country music fans.
It’s a perfect time to throw pretentiousness to the side and be honest with ourselves. We didn’t all start listening to the Jason Isbells, Turnpike Troubadours and the Zach Bryans of the world immediately; it took a slow familiarization with the genre for many to build their way up to listening to these artists.
It should come as no surprise that many of the most popular, sometimes pop-influenced artists fit this exact mold, so here are some of our picks for gateway country artists.
Zac Brown Band
Though their reputation took a bit of a blow towards the late 2010s with the release of The Owl and some other controversies, there’s no denying how much of a juggernaut Zac Brown Band was in the late 2000s and early 2010s. To this day, it’s still common to see non-country fans still site Zac Brown Band as their favorite country artists in videos such as this.
The reason is quite obvious from two different perspectives. The first is that their smash hits such as Chicken Fried, Toes and Knee Deep are simply fun songs. It doesn’t take a country purist to see why these songs work: they’re catchy, neotraditional and relatively simple.
The second reason is how diverse the band’s discography is. It’s no secret that Zac Brown and Co. love to flex their musicianship whenever they can. From the extremely diverse Uncaged to the experimental Jekyll + Hyde to their live shows which feature covers ranging from Queen to Adele to Metallica, there’s something for everyone to latch on to when listening to the band.
Morgan Wallen
It might sound a little counterintuitive to put an artist as relatively new as Morgan Wallen, but it would be simply foolish not to acknowledge the crossover power he currently has. From crossovers with rappers such as Lil Durk and possibly Drake to collaborations with Diplo and Post Malone, Wallen has the greatest crossover pull ever seen from a country artist.
Though many traditionalists will argue that Morgan Wallen “isn’t country,” it’s hard to ignore what he’s doing for the genre from a popularity standpoint. Whether it’s shattering chart records or beating out juggernauts such as Taylor Swift and Drake, Wallen is clearly drawing eyes onto the genre.
What makes the Whiskey Glasses singer stand out from the rest of these artists is the sheer popularity he has. Though everyone else on this list has had their fair share of success in the genre, no one comes close to the mainstream popularity Wallen is currently experiencing. It’s clear that if nothing else, Wallen is pulling people towards the genre whether many like it or not.
Florida Georgia Line
Seeing Morgan Wallen and Florida Georgia Line back to back on this list definitely has country purists rolling their eyes, but once again, it’s hard to ignore the absolute chokehold that Florida Georgia Line had on the genre in the 2010s.
Like Wallen, Florida Georgia Line has had their fair share of cross-genre collaborations. Whether it’s Nelly appearing on a remix of Cruise, their appearance on Bebe Rexha’s 11x platinum Meant to Be or their collaboration with the Backstreet Boys, God, Your Mama And Me, the band has had plenty of songs that cross genre lines and introduced a larger audience to country music.
Their smash hits like the aforementioned Cruise, as well as tracks like H.O.L.Y. and This Is How We Roll were simply everywhere back in the 2010s. Whether it was “good” or “bad,” there’s no denying that Florida Georgia Line dominated the genre for an extended period of time and drew many listeners in.
Luke Bryan
Lately, it seems like Luke Bryan has become the butt of many jokes. From his questionable dance moves on stage, to his sound which has never truly evolved in his 15 years in the industry, Bryan has often found himself as the poster child of criticism of the bro country era that dominated the mainstream during the 2010s.
That being said, much like Florida Georgia Line, you simply can’t ignore how successful his career has been til this day. While many songs such as That’s My Kinda Night and Kick The Dust Up are quite frankly inexcusable, there’s no denying that his hits could very well serve as an entry into the country music genre.
His tenure on American Idol since 2018 also cannot be ignored. Like Blake Shelton on the Voice, Bryan has forced his way into a popular music show. Though it cannot be directly correlated, his chart success to this day may be indicative of his sustained success despite the quality of his current output and current age.
Keith Urban
If being one of the best guitarists in a genre doesn’t gain you notoriety, being married to one of the most popular actresses (Nicole Kidman) surely will. In Keith Urban’s case, both apply.
Though his recent releases have been nothing short of disappointing, it’s hard to ignore how successful Urban was in the 2000s and 2010s. In an age where pop country was gaining popularity, Urban took the formula and arguably perfected it. With hits such as Somebody Like You, Days Go By and Sweet Thing, he struck an incredible balance between light, poppy production while still implementing traditional elements such as banjo and mandolin in the instrumentation.
Early entries in Urban’s discography prove that pop country is not always a bad thing when the hooks are infectious and the instrumentation is actually inspired, unlike today’s forgettable style of pop country.
Darius Rucker
Love or hate country music, one thing is agreed upon by nearly everyone: Darius Rucker’s cover of Wagon Wheel is a certified classic. The song is currently 11x platinum with over 660 million streams on Spotify alone. Even some of the most country-hesitant listeners still view the song as an American classic.
Even if you disregard the massive success of Wagon Wheel, Rucker still serves as a vehicle into country music due to his popularity as the frontman for Hootie and the Blowfish. Fans of Rucker’s vocals and overall style very well could have been introduced to country music due to his successful venture in the genre starting in the late 2000s.
Carrie Underwood
Underwood’s popularity has diminished in the past couple of years, but there’s no denying how big of an icon she was for the better part of the 2000s and 2010s. From her iconic cheating songs to her tenure on NBC’s Sunday Night Football to her clothing and beauty products to her ventures in acting, it seems like Underwood has done a little bit of everything since her debut in 2005.
Since winning season 4 of American Idol in 2005, Underwood has scored over 20 #1 singles. Hits such as Before He Cheats, Undo It and Cowboy Casanova remain popular to this day in many non-country circles due to her “bad girl” persona.
Honorable Mentions: Chris Stapleton, Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts.