Country music often earns itself a bad rap for its old-fashioned themes such as trucks, beer and girls.
It has a serious sexism problem; female artists such as Dixie Chicks and Kacey Musgraves are treated as novelty acts despite their talent being taken seriously. This is simply unacceptable.
It’s boring
Country music can often be looked upon with disdain by many listeners, due to its twangy vocals and themes about trucks and small towns. Furthermore, its negative lyrics often come with political overtones that turn some listeners off of country altogether.
country music can also be dull. The genre often employs stereotypes and cliches that grow tiring over time, making songs about hard work and heartbreak repetitive; there aren’t enough variations within the genre to keep things exciting – many songs also follow a formulaic formula with slow openings that describe daily American life.
Country music has also come under scrutiny for its lack of diversity. Although there are artists of color (such as Mickey Guyton and viral Facebook sensation Coffey), most country musicians remain white males – creating an image that country is only meant as an artificial form of identity when in reality it should offer rich explorations of blue-collar identity.
There are artists within country music who are trying to change this. Today’s crop of country artists are adopting more varied sounds and exploring various musical genres. They’re pushing to break away from tradition and make country music more intriguing and appealing to contemporary audiences. To remain competitive in today’s market, country must continue evolving and accepting new sounds; otherwise it risks falling behind other genres. Artists need to break out of the mold and experiment with something fresh if they hope to attract younger audiences and revitalize its image, so as to compete against pop and hip-hop that have taken over the music scene.
It’s sexist
People often assume country music consists of trucks, beer and sex – an incorrect generalization – yet this does obscure the fact that country music can often contain strong themes of sexism. A recent study examined lyrics from popular country songs and found most had themes of sexism – something which should alarm researchers due to its potential to cause more damage than racism or homophobia; additionally it can be difficult to gauge its extent without reading its lyrics and that is why studying its sociological impact requires looking closely at its lyrics when studying its sociological impact.
There is much animus directed against country music, yet much of this animus is unjustified. While many country artists do evoke images of “trucks, beer and girls”, other genres also share this trait – for instance rap is often accused of this behavior – so generalizing about an entire genre just because one or two bad artists come along shouldn’t be taken as truth.
Although country music’s gender gap may not be as widespread, it still needs to be addressed. Women are not being heard or supported by country radio; their voices go unheard and artists like Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires who push the limits are being forgotten about as well.
Country music’s association with middle-America conservatism can be problematic; this can alienate listeners who do not share these ideological convictions. Even more dangerously, classism in country music has long plagued it; white, East Coast liberals often criticize it for stereotyping the Southern U.S.
Yola is just one such musician attempting to change the narrative surrounding country music by using her music to tell an alternative tale than that told by country radio acts and the mainstream press.
It’s racist
Country music often has a bad rep for being racist, not due to any inherent racism in its genre but due to how people perceive it. Country is commonly perceived as an industry exclusively catering to white people or as being safe harbor for card-carrying racists; yet it should be remembered that there are artists of color within country music who have found success within it and have led by example for others; furthermore it’s essential that we recognize racism isn’t always intentional but often results from decades-long stereotypes surrounding particular genres such as country.
Though our efforts have made progress, the issue still persists: many do not like country music due to its perceived sexism and racism. It’s unfortunate that this stereotype so pervades its industry; country needs to become more inclusive by welcoming diversity into its ranks so as to appeal more broadly.
One such case of this is singer Morgan Wallen. After appearing on The Voice and quickly becoming a country music idol, his success was abruptly stopped after being caught using racist language against African-Americans. Even so, Morgan remains popular in music circles despite this incident and continues to enjoy its benefits.
This incident is far from isolated; similar instances have happened before. The music industry is almost exclusively white and many of its stars have histories of racism. It is essential that everyone in the industry remember that there are people of color within it who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Although there are some up-and-coming artists of color in country music, their numbers are far too few for it to have any real effect. Without an overall shift, white males continue to dominate this industry – this is neither fair to them nor their fans; so in order to broaden its appeal the music industry must become more open-minded and inclusive, no longer presuming black artists cannot create great country music!
It’s dated
Country music conjures images of pickup trucks and cowboy hats; while this may be stereotypically associated with it, there is more to country than meets the eye. Country has long been associated with traditional working-class values from southern United States states such as Alabama or Mississippi as well as patriotic politics that represent conservatism; its lyrics also tell hard truths about life that many may find offensive today. Unfortunately, however, many themes associated with country music may no longer resonate as effectively; many no longer need reminders about rural living when there are other genres which better represent these issues than country could ever do!
Another problem with country music is its outmoded approach to race and gender issues. Country has long had an issue with writing women out of its songs, yet this trend persists even with prominent artists such as Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires and Maren Morris trying to combat it. Additionally, diversity issues persist within this genre: while other genres such as hip-hop or Atlanta-based rap embrace influences from across different sources more freely; country remains almost exclusively segregated.
At times, country songs can become quite monotonous and boring when their lyrics repeat themes such as heartbreak and hard work – it can get old very quickly for listeners who become quickly disinterested by this genre’s reliance on pop influences that tend to dilute its authenticity and ruin its sound.
Country music may not be for everyone, but it remains a highly-popular genre in America. Country has many passionate followers who support it, as well as having some members become famous through it. If country is not your cup of tea, don’t worry; there are other genres to explore and find what best fits with you and maybe boppy tunes are more your jam than country!