Does Country Music Have an Identity Problem?

If you’re going by the charts, country music is enjoying a historic run. When MTV came along in the ‘80s and swept away crossover artists like Eddie Rabbitt and Juice Newton from the pop charts, it was generally assumed that country would be confined to its own niche. And except for the occasional “Achy Breaky Heart”-style exception, that’s exactly what transpired.

But in recent years, country crossovers have become a more regular occurrence. And you can make the case that there’s no genre that’s been more successful in the 2020s, especially, when it comes to the overall music scene. With Morgan Wallen leading the way and being followed closely artists like Luke Combs, Oliver Anthony, and Zach Bryan, it’s been a banner year for the crossover.

Yet for some purists, that’s exactly the problem. Many folks who believe that country music is supposed to sound a certain way or feature subject matter of a specific type aren’t crazy about the fact that these are the songs representing the music they love to a wide audience. There are many who feel that the tracks that are breaking free on the pop charts, as well as those that haven’t crossed over but are doing well at country radio, aren’t country at all. Those people would say that country music has a major identity problem.

Is this true? Is it an issue that’s even worth worrying about? And is it something we’ve seen and heard all before with this particular genre? All interesting questions, with no easy answers…but let’s explore. 

The Country Question

Morgan Wallen has achieved levels of success that few in the country genre have ever known, especially when it comes to the pop charts. He was already a top seller coming into 2023, and then his double-album, One Thing at a Time, has sold more than any other release in 2023. Meanwhile, the single “Last Night” has been a juggernaut like no other, topping the pop charts for about four months, one of the longest stretches by any song ever.

Is “Last Night” a country song, though? Well, if you were just listening to it in a vacuum without knowing who the artist was, you’d probably say no. Other than the twang in Wallen’s voice, the song’s quasi-rapped lead vocal and the trap beat signifies it as something that was perhaps put together by pop producers and a songwriting committee, which was the case.

But to hear that and say that Wallen isn’t country doesn’t feel accurate either. Part of the reason Wallen can release double-albums is that it allows him to indulge in many different musical formats. And there are plenty of pure country songs on those records for those who prefer a more traditional approach.

[RELATED: All the Songs from Morgan Wallen’s ‘Dangerous’ Album Ranked] 

That seems to be a formula that many of the crossover country artists prefer. Many of the songs that get sent to radio are meant for big-tent accessibility. Deeper in the catalog are the songs that stick closer to the tried-and-true country formula.

Déjà Vu All Over Again

The thing about this controversy is that it feels like it’s one that’s been played out many times before, and not just within the confines of the country genre. The complaint that artists are “selling out” has been around forever. Think of how R.E.M. faced heat when they left behind their indie roots. Or, if you want to go back even further, how Bob Dylan infuriated the folk music crowd when he started incorporating electric instruments in the mid-‘60s.

What’s interesting is that, with country music, the argument used to be shifted the other way around. The artists who tended to be most traditional were the ones that had the biggest success. Meanwhile, artists ranging from Townes Van Zandt to Gram Parsons were considered “alt-country”; they were the ones who usually garnered a lot of critical love and yet couldn’t get anywhere near the pop charts.

In the current day, it’s not like sticking to traditional country values will automatically wreck your career. Chris Stapleton is beloved by the purists but has managed to make a major mainstream dent. Meanwhile, Lainey Wilson has become country’s brightest new star by adding just a little bit of a personal hippie twist to the proceedings (calling it “Bell Bottom Country”) without sacrificing her connection to the same old three-chords-and-the-truth ethos.

Does It Matter?

At some point, does the argument about whether country music has an identity problem amount to much more than rhetoric? The market will eventually decide what it can bear. As long as there’s an audience for the poppier aspects of country, with the crunching beats and a focus on partying, artists will continue to go in that direction.

But we don’t foresee any time when artists like Stapleton or Wilson won’t have an audience, either. For that matter, the leading lights of the country offshoot Americana, such as Jason Isbell, should continue to thrive, too. Ultimately, genre lines will continue to be blurred, and artists will continue to bounce back and forth across them. Our advice is to not worry so much about the categories. Listen to what you love, and the rest will fall into place.

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