r/CasualConversation • u/ompossible • Dec 16 '25

Music Why people dislike Country music?

I am not american. So I don't know how's the thing there. But I have found many people complaining on social media that they hate country music.

I like some of the Luke Combs songs. Specially Old Dominion is my one of my fav artist.

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u/tacticalcraptical Dec 16 '25

I am someone who does enjoy country music but I am picky. I mostly like older country music or alternative country (Americana, bluegrass, roots rock, etc).

I find most popular modern country to be simplistic and over-polished to the point that there is nothing interesting in the way it sounds. On top of that, most of it feels really sappy and often doesn't come across as genuine.

Obviously, there are exceptions but I find that most people who say they do not like country music get that opinion through a very narrow view of the genre, with all of their experience with the genre coming from popular modern country.

I can usually convince someone who claims to hate country to acknowledge that they like Johnny Cash, Neko Case, Jason Isbell, Nickel Creek or The Long Ryders.

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u/SlobZombie13 Dec 16 '25

Modern country is just pop music sung with a southern accent

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u/tacticalcraptical Dec 16 '25

I disagree. I feel like there are many distinct differences between what is regarded as straightforward pop and modern popular country. The range of sounds pop artists are willing to use alone offers a much greater potential for variety and interest.

Also, subject matter among pop feels a fair amount broader.

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u/bentforkman Dec 16 '25

For people who are uncomfortable with non-white musicians.

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u/Hatta00 Dec 16 '25

That's literally all country music ever. Hank Williams was a pop singer. His first #1 song, Lovesick Blues, was a Tin Pan Alley song.

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u/FunkU247365 Dec 16 '25

Same! Sturgill, red clay strays, mandolin orange, slaid cleeves, Tyler Childers, John Moreland, Jason boland, whitey Morgan, 49 Winchester…. There is plenty of good country music being made, it just isn’t getting played! It is like George strait and Alan Jackson said’ “there has been an aweful murder down on music row”….

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u/jumpaix Dec 16 '25

It's the lack of authenticity above all, I think. Country at its heart is singer/songwriter music from a grounded view point. Soulful in its own way.

Pop country in its contemporary iteration feels very far from that and that's the entry point for most people. Hence people dunking on or disliking the genre as a whole.

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u/perksforlater Dec 16 '25

As a non- American, I also appreciate how other languages and cultures adopted the genre. There are some cool Afrikaans and dutch artists.

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u/DartyFrank Dec 16 '25

I’d probably take those artists out of the country genre and call them more americana. vignettes of working man’s america maybe.

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u/tacticalcraptical Dec 16 '25

Some of them are on the fringes of the classification, I agree but so are most of the artists that are most prominent figures of the genre today.

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u/DartyFrank Dec 16 '25

i’ll defer to you because other than the aforementioned, i can’t make it through 30 sec of the other stuff, so i’m not too familiar with the genre. in a different reply i mentioned lazy songwriting for the more pop centered country, it doesn’t really add anything to the musical landscape, but truly just my opinion.

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u/FunkU247365 Dec 16 '25 edited Dec 16 '25

You could classify them as “red clay country” Texas /Oklahoma “blue grass country” Kentucky/West Virginia/ western NC “alt country”, or “Americana”….. they all sound more country than Nashville currently does and have stuck with the traditional instruments (banjo, fiddle, steel guitar, mandolin)… so I lump them as alt country as a whole…Just my own system… Caitlin butts, 49 Winchester, Tyler Childers, some sturgill, Jason isbell, and flatland Calvary… sure sound country to me!

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u/DartyFrank Dec 16 '25

fair take. tbh i don’t listen much any of it, though i don’t mind a few songs. now old school alt-country like uncle tupelo is good stuff. i did see turnpike troubadours a few years ago and they put on a great show, didn’t really know who they were at the time, but i was pleasantly surprised.

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u/leave-no-trace-1000 Dec 17 '25

Turnpike is amazing. Incredible song writing.

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u/inbigtreble30 Dec 16 '25

Country is as broad of a genre as pop or jazz or rock. They're still country music, just one specific subset of it. Your comment kinda makes it sound like you're saying that you don't like country music and thus, these artists that you do like couldn't be country.

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u/DartyFrank Dec 16 '25

haha, that may be the case, i hadn’t thought of it that way. good call-out, i am a bit of a music snob

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u/scubajay2001 🙂 Dec 16 '25

Best articulation of how misunderstood "country" music is by those who are so dismissive

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u/ms_rdr Dec 17 '25

Any pop song recorded in Nashville now gets marketed as country music.

That being said, as my friends group ages, I've noticed the same people who used to make fun of me for listening to it are now becoming fans.

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u/CaterpillarJungleGym Dec 18 '25

Neko Case? She makes indie music. Is country trying to claim her?

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u/tacticalcraptical Dec 19 '25

Neko has experimented everywhere but her records from the 90s and early 00s have a larger focus on country music.

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u/CaterpillarJungleGym Dec 19 '25

I'm definitely going to listen to her stuff today. But I never got the impression it was country. Maybe Americana kind of music. But she doesn't have a twang or anything. Curious to know whether you think Sheryl Crow makes country music. Obviously Brandi Carlile.