Just because an artist starts out one way in country music, doesn't mean they have to stay that way. As the genre evolves and changes, so have several of the most successful country music stars. We picked four of our favorite country music artists who chose to reinvent themselves, and came out even stronger as a result.
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1. Trisha Yearwood
For Trisha Yearwood, it's never too late to make a change. The Georgia native will release her new album, The Mirror, on July 18, marking the first time Yearwood wrote the songs on the record.
"Somebody had told me in college that I was not a songwriter, some guy. And bless his heart ... he probably wouldn't even remember saying it," Yearwood shares on the Today Show. But as Yearwood turned 60, she realized she was finally brave enough to write her own songs.
"I let it be the truth for 40 years," Yearwood shares. "I just thought, 'That doesn't have to be the truth about me, just because somebody says it.' I started writing for me."
2. Chase Rice
Chase Rice has gone on record saying he is reinventing himself. The singer-songwriter came to prominence after penning Florida Georgia Line's record-breaking "Cruise." He followed that with several country musichits of his own, hits that brought him success, even if he no longer wants to be part of that chapter.
"You look at 'Ready, Set, Roll' and 'Drinkin' Beer. Talkin' God. Amen.' and all those songs that were hits for me back the day," Rice reflects to People. "And it keeps me wondering why that is what people want to hear, as opposed to the more quality, better music that I'm making now?"
"I don't have an answer for that," he adds, "but I'm not going to go back to what I was doing. This is who I am."
3. Darius Rucker
For the first part of Darius Rucker's career, he was well known as the lead singer of the rock band, Hootie & the Blowfish. In 2008, Rucker released his first solo album, a country music record called Back to Then. For Rucker, it was the music he always wanted to make.
"I'd say that to the guys [in Hootie]. Like, 'Let's try to play some country,'" Rucker recounts on Circle Country (via American Songwriter). "And they didn't want to. We put a couple of songs on the record, but nobody wanted to really [sing country music]. "So, we went and did the rock and roll thing. But I always said I was going to do a country record if I ever got a chance. And one day, I got a chance."
4. Taylor Swift
Few artists have done a 180 like Taylor Swift and come out as strong as she has. Granted, her massive shift did take her from country music into pop, but it's hard to argue her massive success. Ever since Swift's debut "Tim McGraw" single came out in 2006, Swift was an immediate success story, becoming a mainstay on the charts for almost a decade.
In 2014, Swift shocked fans by releasing "Shake It Off," the debut single from her first pop album, 1989. Since then, Swift has broken global records, not only for sales of her music, but for selling out massive stadiums all over the world.
Swift's 2023 Eras Tour reportedly made Swift a billionaire.
