Country music is widely known for the thick accents of artists, acoustic guitars, and folk-style tunes. However, a modernized form of country music has risen, creating a contemporary style of music, incorporating the old school styles. 

This genre of music today is widely considered cheesy and boring, featuring songs about love, family, and life goals. People tend to form opinions about this genre based on only a few songs, which I believe is unfair.

Country music is mostly directed towards a younger audience, around the ages of 17-25. Songs, like “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old” by Luke Combs, seem to resonate highly with teenagers, covering uplifting and positive topics. The way the music reaches each person is different, but is usually heart-touching. 

I started to listen to country music about three years ago. It was something I found randomly, and I remember vividly liking the song, “Knowing You” by Kenny Chesney. After the song was over, I didn’t immediately jump into the genre. I waited until I randomly found it again, and then decided to dive deeper into the style of country music. 

There are a variety of different options for country music. You have line-dancing songs, old western styles, a more upbeat modernized version known as country-pop, and even country rock. 

Not liking country music is the same as not liking any other genre–it’s OK for you not to like country if it doesn’t sound good to you. For example, I don’t like rap music because I don’t like the style of talking fast with a weird form of beat. However, with country music, people seem to dislike it because it’s popular not to like it, or they want to seem cool to their friends, claiming to not like it before even giving it a try. 

This is a genre, like many, that is not for everyone. Some songs take a little more effort to listen to, and that’s one of the reasons I love them. 

Country music primarily tells a story. Whether it is about hanging out with friends after a long day, seeing your crush, or getting in trouble for something, it’s always fun to hear the story being told in different ways.

Some of my favorites country songs are “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan, “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton, “Jolene” by Dolly Parton, “The Otter” by Caamp, “Love Story” by Taylor Swift, and “Buy Dirt” by Jordan Davis. 

Listening to country music can be relaxing, a source of background music to study to, something to sing in the car, or just something to make you smile. 

Before saying that all country music is bad, give it a try. You never know if you would enjoy the artistic style of a country’s music.