“I listen to everything but country,” is a phrase that might go extinct soon. We’ve all encountered that one person who adamantly declares they’re allergic to twang, but in 2024, this once divisive style of music has charged its way into the mainstream.
The rise of country music into the wider cultural sphere wasn’t all so sudden. Within the last 10 years, country-rooted acts like Kacey Musgraves, Lainey Wilson, Kelsea Ballerini, and Elle King have paved the way for the genre to thrive in popularity. It made people realize that country music can transcend its problematic past, one that’s historically made some communities feel alienated. “There are some fundamental problems in the history of country music,” Ballerini admitted to StyleCaster in a past interview, but she’s determined to carve out a new space where everyone is welcome. “I can always do better, we can all always do better. The power of conversation and community is really important.”
Of course, there have been those pop icons like Shania Twain, Dolly Parton, and Taylor Swift that have cemented themselves beyond mainstream success over the years. This summer, Spotify held its “Year of the Cowgirl” activation on August 7, and the room was filled to the brim with appreciation for the fashion and the music that inspired it all, but what really caused the boom lately?
“Genre-bending” artists are pioneering their own sound
Everyone these days wants to dip their toes into country. With Post Malone’s new album and his monumental headlining slot at Stagecoach (arguably, the Coachella of the genre), music acts that are usually tied down or associated with another style, like rap, are embracing new sounds.
“If you’re more of a coastal cowgirl, you’ve got great new albums from Kacey Musgraves and Zach Bryan that released this year, and if you’re looking for a little more Yee-Haw, you’ve got barnburners from Post Malone and Shaboozey to dance to,” Spotify’s country editor Claire Heinichen says. “Country music of past decades was much more homogenous, but in the last five to 10 years, we have seen so much sonic diversity that welcomes everyone to join in on the fun.”
“For a lot of people, country music was never a part of their lives and it feels new,” musician Carter Faith says. “Especially with what is happening in the country music genre right now—a lot of people are trying to mix a lot of worlds together, like rap and country and pop and country. So I think that has opened people’s eyes to what country music can be.”
Brandi Cyrus, who has played festivals like EDC, has witnessed the emergence of electronic music blending seamlessly with country music—a rising genre called YEEDM. “To see places like that really embrace country and see so many electronic artists want to dabble in country and play around with it and play country music, and make these remixes, has been amazing,” she says.
What specifically cemented cowgirl into the cultural sphere of 2024 was Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter—her eighth album didn’t conform to the traditional sounds of country, with many publications calling the album “genre-defying.” Despite that label, Beyoncé featured Black country artists, like Linda Martell, Brittany Spencer, and Rhiannon Giddens, to honor the Black roots that have uplifted the genre since its founding. “Texas Hold ’Em” became one of the most successful singles of the year, topping the Billboard charts to make Beyoncé the first Black woman to have a number-one country song in Billboard history. Coming off the high of the ultimate party tour of Renaissance, Cowboy Carter is the perfect cool-down and soundtrack to ride off into the sunset.
The emergence of the coastal cowgirl
When was the last time that you went to a party and someone wasn’t wearing a fun and flirty cowboy hat? It seems like cowboy hats are everyone’s favorite quirky accessory, but it didn’t come out of the blue. Western fashion and music listening go hand-in-hand. And the more people listen, the more they want to dress according to their music choices. It’s more than a lifestyle—it’s a whole identity.
Music and micro-niche trends have only propelled the popularity of Southern staples. Since the release of Cowboy Carter, Klarna reported a 331% increase in cowboy purchases, and fringe jacket sales have increased by nearly 45%. For those who don’t want to go into the nitty gritty of traditional country fashion, coastal cowgirl is the perfect way to flaunt your Southern and Western flair. The trend pairs casual West Coast colors and light dress wear with cowboy boots and hats to put a healthy balance of party and trendy.
Three-time CMA winner and Year of the Cowgirl winner Carly Pearce feels like country fashion has seeped into the mainstream. “I see so many of my favorite brands doing Western lines with fringes and more cowboy hats, more suede and more patterns, more belts, more jewelry, and more boots,” she says, “I think country is just getting started as far as being as big as it is.”
Cyrus observes that people who are usually stuck in their own personal aesthetics are now feeling confident enough to experiment. “Sometimes to take a risk and to step outside of what you’re comfortable with it takes something to inspire that,” she says. “So in a way I almost feel like Western fashion, cowgirl fashion, has maybe opened up people’s mind to listening to the music.”
The trend has sparked many people to find out that their Daylists (Spotify’s autogenerated playlists based on time and vibe) have been set to “Coastal Cowgirl.” “Country Love Songs Coastal Cowgirl” is the most likely Daylist title in the U.S., while as many as 220,000 users on the streaming service have a playlist with the title “Cowgirl.”
As for the future of country music and the cowgirl aesthetic, it’s certainly not going anywhere. “Country music is expanding in every direction sonically,” Heinichen says, noting that lots of artists “got some really exciting releases coming later this year, so I think we’re going to keep watching this phenomenon grow.”
