Country music icons Kenny Chesney and John Rich revealed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday why they think so many Americans are turning to country music.
“People are so drawn to country music all the time,” Chesney told the outlet. Rich seconded this point, noting that people are drawn to “real music” that comes from the heart of American culture. And they’re right. As much as the mainstream music industry might hate country, it’s the most popular genre in the country right now.
“Maybe because of streaming and a few hot button songs, it feels like it’s now, but the truth is: I’ve been playing 18, 21, 24 stadiums a summer since 2006,” Chesney continued. “Even when we weren’t, I watched a lot of artists sell a lot of tickets, put a lot of smiles on people’s faces.” (RELATED: Oliver Anthony Releases Next Single, ‘I Want To Go Home,’ And It Will Rip Your Heart Out)
He added that the mainstream rarely pays attention to what’s happening in flyover states. Country music has always been incredibly popular, but it wasn’t forced down people’s throats like trashy pop music.
John Rich Has A Blunt Message For Progressives, And It’s About To Become An American Anthem | @DailyCaller
Thank you @CarlHigbie for introducing me to the music and wisdom of @johnrich https://t.co/GyLLEAv9KR
— KAY SMYTHE (@KaySmythe) July 22, 2022
“People are waking up to the fact that what they thought was true is probably not,” Rich added. “So when songs come out that actually speak the truth – they’re not a marketing angle, it’s not somebody came up with something at a big company and tried to foist it upon the American listener – when it’s real music set in a real way from a real place in somebody’s heart. Well, brother, that’s called the truth. And the truth cannot be stopped, and so when people are exposed to truth after being lied to for so long, they respond en masse. That’s why I think you see all these songs at the top of the charts.”
I think it goes so much deeper than that. After the tyranny imposed on us during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the absolute stupidity of modern governance, real Americans are just trying to find a place where we don’t feel crazy. We want to feel empowered. And that place, right now, is within country music.
Country music’s recent success in the Billboard charts, thanks to people like Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean and Oliver Anthony, feels more like a battle cry. This isn’t just a case of us preferring the lyrics, the message. It’s because we need those messages right now. (RELATED: The True Life Story Behind Mega Viral Country Hit ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Sent Chills Up My Spine)
We’re sick of being dictated to, talked down to, by corporate media. That’s why the flyover folks and forgotten demographics of real Americans are reclaiming their place in pop culture. And it’s beautiful to watch.