How Country Music Found a New Audience in the UK

By Alisa Butterwick

Despite being (mostly) political allies throughout history, the US and UK have always acted out a reciprocal relationship of harmless ridicule. Common targets for Americans include our dire need to apologise, our ritualistically excessive consumption of tea, and our tendency to freeze up at the mention of anything racy.

In return, Brits are incredulous at the American political system, mimicking their plethora of accents with exaggerated drawls, and snorting at their inability to carry out mundane tasks without first thanking God.

So why is it that country music - a genre that epitomises archetypal ‘Americanness’ - has encountered such an unexpected surge in the UK, alongside wider shifts in modern music culture and genre revival?

Why Is Country Music Becoming Popular in the UK?

It is unsurprising that the internet has taken centre stage in this escalation.

In 2022, the Country Music Association recorded a fifty percent increase in digital streams in the UK over the previous two years, ensuring it to be our fastest growing music genre.

TikTok and the Viral Rise of Country Music

The contagious effect of TikTok is a significant catalyst for the growth of country music in the UK. Many users’ ‘For You Page’ is laced with montages of jolly-ups in Nashville and ‘Corn-certs’ in the middle of cornfields.

The work of US pop-country artists - notably Luke Combs’ “One Number Away” and Zach Bryan’s “Something In the Orange” - has become subject to the ‘TikTok effect’: turning short snippets of songs into viral sounds used as video accompaniments.

That same social-media-driven appetite for emotionally direct music can also be seen across other growing genres, from the modern resurgence of jazz music to the rise of more intimate independent artists and collectives.

The Growth of the UK Country Music Scene

The app has undoubtedly encouraged mainstream US country music to embark on a voyage overseas, and has even parted that sea to reveal a niche for UK country music on its ebb; The Shires and Ward Thomas are among the leading artists.

On a much smaller scale is Jake O’Neill, an emerging Lancashire country singer with a small TikTok following of just over 600. In 2023, his song “What Do You Say” reached the third spot on the iTunes Country Chart.

"Country music isn’t as Marmite as people think: there are those that love it, those that hate it, but there are also those who hate to love it..."

O’Neill’s style is the paradigm of a successful transatlantic marriage: the track “Lovin’ On Me” from his 2023 debut EP combines a Morgan Wallen-esque tone with O’Neill’s authentic British experience.

Perhaps country music is not confined to the sun and soil of the Deep South after all, particularly as younger listeners continue gravitating towards new artists reshaping Britain’s independent music scene.

Why Some British Listeners Still See Country Music as a ‘Guilty Pleasure’

This rise in popularity of country music, particularly amongst the younger UK generation, is not a simple divergence of lovers and haters.

Country music isn’t as Marmite as people think: there are those that love it, those that hate it, but there are also those who hate to love it.

These are the people that regard country music as a ‘guilty pleasure’, the ones that are ashamed to admit that their soapy shower heads have so often been used to project the unequivocal fact that, man, they really do feel like a woman.

The ones who float their arms out of car windows, storming past the idyllic hamlet of Slough, down the rain-streaked M4, assured by Rascal Flatts that, “Life is a Highway”.

The Stereotypes Around American Country Music

These ‘guilty pleasure’ listeners tend to follow the philosophy that country music is confined to beer-drinking hillbillies. Although these listeners may enjoy it and contribute to growing streaming numbers, the UK’s longstanding mockery of America ensures an inability within them to take it seriously.

There are two particular characteristics that are ‘easy targets’. The first is the Southern American twang. Sonically cordant with the pluck of a guitar string, the twang is often easy to exaggerate. The second is the subject of country songs.

Many of the enjoyments of rural Southern American communities are reflected in the lyrics of the bro-country genre, artists of whom include Trey Lewis and Florida Georgia Line. Lyrics mostly concern vehicles, alcohol, women, and cowboy clothing.

Subsequently, country music becomes subject to ridicule, stereotyped as being solely defined by these primal and overtly masculine values.

Country Music and British Humour

For a lot of ‘guilty pleasure’ listeners, it is the opportunity to perform, revelling in a sarcastic musical act. They love it, but are embarrassed to admit it. There is a tendency to overlook talent within an unconventional practice.

What committed country music fans appreciate is that it is a genre rooted in the amalgamation of different cultural sounds: a mix of English traditional folk music and ballads from British Isles explorers who settled in the Appalachian mountain range, the fiddle tunes of Scotland and Ireland, and African American blues, hymns, and bluegrass.

The Cultural Origins of Country Music

It is a cultural orchestra, a celebration of immigrants and diversity. Country is personal narratives melodically told with the instruments that have shaped American history.

Folk, Blues and Appalachian Influences

It is not all about beer and putting one’s hands in the pockets of their Levis. Country embodies the American landscape and upholds tradition, but also dismantles contemporary barriers.

Kacey Musgraves’ 2013 song “Follow Your Arrow” makes a social statement about the necessity for freedom of expression and sexuality, promoting the pursuit of individual happiness.

The recent re-release of Taylor Swift’s early country albums “Fearless” and “Speak Now” has caused millions of people, not just in the UK but globally, to deeply relate to and appreciate her lyrics concerning the female position in romantic relationships.

That emotional vulnerability and confessional style increasingly echoes through Britain’s newer generation of artists, including many currently emerging from the alternative independent music scene.

Why Storytelling Matters in Country Music

Storytelling within country music seals the gap between audience and artist. Zac Brown Band’s song “Highway 20 Ride” is a personal tale of a divorced father making the journey to visit his child; a poignant and widespread vulnerability that many parents share.

There is a prevalent motif of authentic passion within country songwriting: of truly conveying words and messages, not just performing them. As Clay Walker said in a Matthew Kelly interview: “I’m not writing from an ivory tower, I’m writing with my boots down on the ground”.

That emphasis on authenticity and family-rooted storytelling is also helping introduce a younger generation of country artists to wider audiences, including groups such as The Castellows, whose traditional influences feel closely tied to the genre’s cultural roots.

It is not just about riding down a Tennessee dirt-road in a pickup truck, but who the memory is made with and the feelings it evokes.

Why Country Music Resonates With UK Audiences

The UK has a systemic culture of self-deprecation that clashes with the heartfelt intent inherent in US country music, which is why some understand it and some do not.

Emotional Storytelling and Escapism

What both ‘guilty pleasure’ and true country fans do share, however, is the desire for blissful escapism.

There is a reason for this newfound demand for country music in the UK, and that is because there is something very attractive about transcending to a magical land of rhinestone cowboy boots, denim and line dancing, but also to a land that positions love, family, patriotism and human emotion above everything.

The appetite for country nights and Americana-inspired live events also reflects Britain’s renewed appreciation for grassroots live music spaces and intimate venues.

Country Music Beyond Cowboy Stereotypes

There is a reason for the canonic presence of country artists such as Shania Twain, Sheryl Crow, and of course the matriarch, Dolly Parton. It is because country music is good; it has do-si-doed its way over to Blighty and is here to stay.

Much like the intrigue surrounding anonymous and genre-defying British collectives, country music’s rise proves audiences are increasingly drawn towards emotionally immersive music that feels rooted in identity and authenticity.

Final Word

Country music in the UK is no longer a novelty or ironic guilty pleasure.

Streaming culture, TikTok trends and a growing appetite for emotional storytelling have allowed the genre to move beyond outdated stereotypes and connect with younger British audiences in entirely new ways.

What once felt distinctly American now feels increasingly universal.