The definition of what’s considered “country music” is forever expanding. Artists like Beyoncé and Post Malone are trying their hand in Nashville after finding success in other realms like hip-hop, R&B, and pop. Even the genre’s most-streamed artist has admitted he doesn’t listen to much country music on his own time. However, here’s why Jason Aldean doesn’t believe that Morgan Wallen’s listening preferences disqualify him from country music royalty.
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Jason Aldean: Morgan Wallen is “Killing It”
During a recent sitdown with Dax Shepard on the actor’s Armchair Expert podcast, Jason Aldean had high praise for Morgan Wallen amid discussions of country music’s shifting landscape.
“Morgan’s killing it, too—Morgan’s a great vocalist,” the “Try That in a Small Town” hitmaker said. “You know, Morgan’s kind of just like a global level now.”
The Country Music Association’s reigning Entertainer of the Year, 32, grew up on a diverse musical diet in Sneedville, Tennessee, citing Nickelback, Breaking Benjamin, and rapper Lil Wayne among his early influences. And still, he holds multiple country music records, including the longest-running Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper of all time with “You Proof.”
Wallen’s cross-genre appeal is “awesome,” Aldean said. “and that’s awesome too. “We got a guy like that that, you know, really brings in a lot of different listeners into our format, because he’s getting people listening to his stuff that wouldn’t typically listen to country… I mean, it’s all good for all of us.”
Aldean also named-checked Chris Stapleton during the interview, proclaiming him “the best male vocalist in our genre right now.” (He even has the eight CMA trophies to prove it.
New Music is Coming
Jason Aldean last released new music in November 2023 with his 11th studio album, Highway Desperado. During his interview with Shepard, the CMA Award-winning artist hinted that its follow-up will likely drop sometime this month. And this time he’s tackling much weightier material than in the past, including one song about a family member’s dementia battle.
“That’s the beauty of making albums and stuff these days is… song-wise, you go down whatever road you want to,” Aldean told Shepard. “And as you get older, you know, the subject matter gets a little more mature and you deal with s— that you maybe didn’t deal with early on, or didn’t pay attention to early on in your life. And, you know, now it’s a real thing.”
Featured image by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images
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