Get ready to saddle up, because 2024 is shaping up to be the year of the country music renaissance in the UK. The Official Charts Company reports a remarkable 67% surge in the genre’s popularity year-on-year.
New research reveals that combined sales and streaming-equivalent sales of country singles in the UK for the first 21 weeks of 2024 have already reached 11.5 million, compared to 6.9 million during the same period in 2023.
Just two weeks ago, Post Malone's collaboration with US country singer Morgan Wallen, "I Had Some Help," debuted at Number 2 on the Official Singles Chart.
This track, part of Post Malone's upcoming country-influenced album, marks Wallen's first UK Top 10 single. The song is one of three country hits currently in the UK Top 10.
Viral TikTok hits like Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" (Number 3 peak) and Dasha's "Austin" (Number 7 peak), along with Beyoncé's chart-topping album "COWBOY CARTER," have significantly boosted the streaming numbers for country music, paving the way for new artists to gain international recognition.
"A lot of people I listen to are getting their flowers," Shaboozey, the rising artist known for "music for modern cowboys," told Official Charts before earning his first Top 10 hit.
"Vincent Neil Emerson, Leon Bridges, Sierra Ferrell—they've all been doing their thing for years, and the world’s finally come around to them. They're pioneers of this new resurgence of Western music."
So far in 2024, country songs have garnered 1.3 billion UK streams, a 63% increase from the 800.1 million streams during the same period in 2023.
Country albums have also seen a significant rise, with a 29% increase in sales so far this year, growing from 846,000 in 2023 to 1.1 million in 2024.
Beyoncé's "COWBOY CARTER" has made history as the first Number 1 country album in the UK by a Black artist.
This album thoughtfully examines country music's relationship with race, featuring contributions from often-overlooked Black country musicians and highlighting emerging Black artists like Shaboozey and Tanner Adell. The lead single, "TEXAS HOLD 'EM," is the biggest country song of 2024 in the UK, with 655,000 chart units and 71 million streams.
Earlier this year, "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" reached Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart, marking Beyoncé's sixth UK chart-topper and her longest-running Number 1 single with five non-consecutive weeks at the top.
In 2023, only five country tracks made it into the Top 40 of the Official Singles Chart. Zach Bryan's duet with Kacey Musgraves, "I Remember Everything," was the highest-charting at Number 19.
However, 2024 has already seen a significant increase, with seven country songs reaching the Top 40, all within the Top 20.
Beyoncé leads with "TEXAS HOLD 'EM," joined by "JOLENE" (a Dolly Parton cover) at Number 8 and "II MOST WANTED" (a duet with Miley Cyrus) at Number 9. Hits from Post Malone & Morgan Wallen, Shaboozey, and Dasha are also currently in the Top 10. Zach Bryan & Kacey Musgraves' "I Remember Everything" reached a new peak at Number 14 this year.
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