Country music – a genre commonly passed over and even mocked – is experiencing a boom like it never has before. Whether you look at music charts, streaming numbers, or concert attendance, country is on the rise. At least once a month on Instagram, you’ll see pictures of your peers decked out in jeans and boots at the latest weekend country concert. All this momentum is positive for the genre – but why is it all happening?

A new wave of artists, the prevalence of social media/streaming, and a demand for authentic music have all fallen into place at the right time for the country industry to take off. For a long time, the country music world was looking for its next group of stars. With already-established stars such as Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, and Luke Bryan releasing fewer albums, new energy and excitement was needed to re-invigorate the industry. This energy was delivered when mainstream artists Luke Combs, Zach Bryan, and Morgan Wallen came onto the country scene. In 2023, Wallen became the first male solo country singer since 1981 to top the Billboard Hot 100 with his hit song “Last Night,” remaining at the top of the chart for sixteen weeks (Shaboozy became the second in 2024 with his hit song “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” remaining at #1 for fourteen weeks and counting). “Last Night” was the #1 most streamed song across all platforms in 2023, surpassing 1 billion on-demand streams. The success of Wallen’s hit song mirrored a theme across country music in 2023 as a whole: skyrocketing consumption numbers. According to Luminate Data, country music streaming rose by 23.5% last year – nearly double the growth rate the industry normally sees. This makes country music the fastest-growing music genre in the U.S. – accounting for both streaming and traditional sales. In addition, Luminate Data found country music has seen a 9% increase in Gen Z listenership, growing from 29%  in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 38% in the first quarter of 2024. This rise amongst Gen Z consumers can be shown through increased country concert/festival attendance numbers. This past April, the popular country festival Stagecoach sold out before its traditionally better-known counterpart: Coachella. This marked the first time in Stagecoach’s 17-year history that it sold out before Coachella. Anywhere you look, across the board, country music popularity is soaring.

This rise can be attributed to several factors, all of which have created a perfect storm that has made the industry boom. Social media has played a part in spreading popularity, with users (majority Gen-Z) taking catchy bits from country songs and uploading videos with the sound behind them. Social media also allows for connection between the artist and consumer, making it easier for up-and-coming artists to promote their music. This trend is exemplified through the journey of Zach Bryan, who rose to fame through YouTube in September 2019 when his song, “Heading South,” went viral, jump-starting his rise to fame. Four years later, Bryan finished 2023 at #3 on Billboard’s top country artist list. 

“Zach Bryan has become one of my favorite artists,” senior Dylan Perusse said. “I used to not love country, but I really like his unique style and I feel like his songs are very relatable.”

Another contributing factor is the industry-wide shift away from traditional song themes of trucks and beer. In May 2024, Capital News Service conducted a study in which they analyzed the lyrics of every country song over the last 10 years that made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100. The results concluded that there has been a decrease in hit songs with drinking themes and an increase in hit songs with more relatable themes of heartbreak and love. These trends contributed to the rise of country music as well. An additional factor is artists traditionally associated with other genres, such as R&B/hip hop, shifting their music towards country. Notable artists who have expanded to country in 2024 include Beyoncé, Post Malone, and Lana Del Rey. 

“If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers,” Del Rey said at the 2024 Billboard Awards, “the music business is going country. We’re going country. It’s happening.”