"This ain’t Texas, ain't no hold 'em," … and this ain't no country artist either. It's Beyoncé.
With Beyoncé's new single, "Texas Hold 'Em," released earlier this year, the rise of country music in pop culture has come to a head. In addition to artists like Morgan Wallen breaking billboard records, traditionally non-country singers such as Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey have started exploring the genre, exposing country music to broader audiences and adding a fresh pop element to the genre.
This has stirred up some controversy among country music fans.
"The reason they're doing it is just for money (and) popularity," said Matthew Kirkland, owner of Scootin' Boots, a country dancing venue in Mesa that is popular among local students.
While some people have a cynical outlook on the phenomenon, others have become more receptive to the change.
Elle Sloan, a senior studying popular music who often writes country music, said that a stigma has surrounded the genre for a long time.
"I feel like we’re kind of finally breaking away from that," Sloan said.
Sloan said that as the genre is more influenced by pop music, the boundaries of the kind of person country listeners have to be and the kind of person the artists have to present themselves as are shifting. For example, Sloan said fewer singers have Southern accents these days, and more electronic tracks are being put into a genre with typically live instrumentation.
Kirkland said country music is growing to be not just about ranching and cowboys but to appeal to all outdoorsy lifestyles, which caters to a broader audience.
Kirkland and Sloan acknowledged Taylor Swift's place in the country music genre as well, adding that her transition to pop music contrasts the trend of pop artists switching to country music that is seen today.
"(The genre switches) seems a little out of nowhere," said Zoe Nichols, a junior studying popular music. "But I also think artists should have (the) liberty to explore lots of things that inspire them."
Nichols said that Beyoncé's background may have prompted this shift. She pointed out that Beyoncé is originally from Texas and that country music and R&B share some roots as historically Black genres. Beyoncé has touched on these subjects in previous music, such as "Formation."
However, while the rise of the country's sound within pop music has opened new genres to artists and listeners, it may also restrict what country music itself can be. While older country music focuses on storytelling and comes from a wide range of emotions, Kirkland said, modern country music focuses more on being a happy, fun genre.
Kirkland said artists like Luke Combs, Aaron Watson and Cody Johnson have risen in response to this. Sub-genres like Texas country music have grown to combat the introduction of pop music into the genre by contrasting country-pop's more explicit content and modern values with traditional values.
In addition to the change in values that country music is beginning to see, Sloan and Kirkland said that country music with pop influences does not focus so much on having technically good vocals, instrumentation or lyrics. However, today's interest in country music might not lie with its musicality.
"Maybe it’s the appeal of the country lifestyle," said Kayla Good, a senior studying nursing and an avid fan of country music. "It's kind of a slower, more traditional life, and nowadays life is so fast-paced."
Sloan and Good said that country music may be especially popular among college students because of its wide range of emotions, romantic themes, a sense of nostalgia and, particularly, the dancing that comes with it.
"There's a lot of people who are on the country bandwagon because of just cowboy culture being fun," Nichols said.
She pointed to trends among sororities to wear cowboy hats, the cowboy costumes in the Barbie movie, and Taylor Swift’s recent Eras Tour as inspiration for the rise of country music in pop culture.
In the end, the answer to the tug-of-war between traditional lifestyles and modern values, good storytelling and fun dancing, Cody Johnson and Beyoncé, country and pop music might just come with balance.
"Today, we play much more newer stuff than we do older, but I still try to stick to our roots," Kirkland said about Scootin' Boots, as its largest audience is students.
He added that he focuses on introducing younger people or those new to country music to the full range of what the genre can be.
"I'm excited to see what happens for the country music world," said Sloan. "I think (this trend is) going to last."
Edited by Sophia Braccio, Walker Smith and Caera Learmonth.
Reach the reporter at pkfung@asu.edu.
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