In February 2024, Lainey Wilson boldly declared, “Country’s cool again.” Now that the year’s most sacred day has come and gone (Spotify Wrapped, obviously) it’s clear that Wilson’s statement wasn’t just a catchy slogan. Jelly Roll’s meteoric rise to fame has given way to other big names, like Beyoncé and Post Malone, successfully crossing genre lines. And now that the numbers are in, it’s official: Country music is more popular than ever.
Country Music Streams Jumped Significantly This Year
John Stein, who has served as Spotify’s head of North America editorial for two years, spoke to The Tennessean about country music’s unprecedented rise. He noted that the genre saw a 20 percent increase in monthly streamings worldwide from 2023 to 2024.
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“Country’s evolution into a genre that’s not a monolith, but embracing wildly different musical influences, has created something that unprecedentedly connects with anyone interested in good music,” Stein said.
According to Spotify Wrapped, Beyoncé got over 36 MILLION people listening to country music for the first time in 2024. pic.twitter.com/8boKLESDc4
— Pop Fusion HQ (@PopFusionHQ) December 5, 2024
Shaboozey, who dominated the country charts with this summer’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy,)” is a prime example of this phenomenon. The two-time 2024 People’s Choice Country Award winner saw a staggering 1,600 percent increase in monthly listeners over the past 12 months, according to Spotify.
Shaboozey’s success demonstrates the genre’s “unbelievable possibilities past the core country audience,” Stein said.
[RELATED: 4 Male Country Singers with the Most Unique Voices in the Genre]
Beyoncé, Shaboozey Made History in 2024
Before dropping Act II: Cowboy Carter in March, Beyoncé said, “This ain’t a country album. This is a Beyoncé album.” That proclamation didn’t stop the “Crazy In Love” singer from making country music history. Cowboy Carter’s lead single, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,” became the first song by a Black woman to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart since October 1958.
“TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” reigned supreme until Shaboozey swept in with “A Bar Song (Tipsy.)” This, too, was a historical moment, marking the first time a Black artist had been replaced by another Black artist on the chart.
Featured image by Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
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