For generations, country music fans from the previous era have voiced their concerns that country music isn't what it used to be. Going all the way back to the outlaw era, and likely before that, new artists face backlash that they aren't supporting the genre enough.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Well, country music fans need not worry. We found four songs by Gen Z artists that prove that country music isn't dying anytime soon.
1. "Tennessee Orange" by Megan Moroney
Part of what people love about country music is the storytelling, which Moroney does brilliantly in "Tennessee Orange." Moroney's debut single, written by Moroney, Ben Williams, David Fanning and Paul Jenkins, is about a love stronger than any college football ties.
"He ain't from where we're from, but he feels like home / Yeah, he's got me doing things I've never done / In Georgia, they'd call it a sin / I'm wearing Tennessee orange for him," Moroney sings.
"I thought it was a clever take on being from the South and the SEC rivalry," Moroney tells Songwriter Universe. "And I'm not great at writing love songs, but I thought it would be a good way to squeeze one in there."
2. "Heavens To Betsy" by Jackson Dean
Jackson Dean not only tells quite a story in "Heavens to Betsy," but he sounds like an artist twice his age in the song. The 24-year-old has a Top 20 single with "Heavens to Betsy." Even more surprising, Dean wrote the song with Benjy Davis and Driver Williams when he was just 19 years old.
"Heavens to Besty" is about a man who leaves his family, later looking down on them from Heaven.
"I bet you're just as surprised as I am / They'd ever let a sinner like me in," Dean sings. "And I know I didn't do / Enough watching over you / But I will until I see you again / But if you'll let me / Now heavens to Betsy."
"Both of my best friends growing up slept on my couch for probably two years, on and off," Dean tells Billboard. "I remember Dylan's dad never being in the picture until we were 16, 17 years old, so I had that little bit of connection with it. And I've seen so many situations like that."
3. "You Look Like You Love Me" by Ella Langley
Not only is Ella Langley's "You Look Like You Love Me" duet with Riley Green very country, but the video also is from a different era. Even more convincing, the song is about a no-attachment relationship, a frequent topic in songs from decades ago.
"Excuse me / You look like you love me," Langley says in the song. "You look like you want me to want you to come on home / And baby, I don't blame you / For looking me up and down across this room / I'm drunk and I'm ready to leave And you look like you love me."
Langley and Green wrote the song with Aaron Raitiere. The song was inspired by something Langley said to Raitiere.
"His ideas are nuts and I love writing with him," Langley tells Billboard. "We were in a write and he was like, "So how's your relationship life going?" and I said, "Honestly, I'm at the point where if they look like they love me, I just got to get out of there." And he was like, 'That's a great song title.'"
4. "Your Place" by Ashley Cooke
Ashley Cooke might not have been born until 1997, but she has a good grip on relationships. Cooke released "Your Place" in 2023 from her sophomore Shot in the Dark record.
Cooke penned "Your Place" with Jordan Minton and Mark Trussell. The song says in part, "If I met someone or if I didn't / Honestly, it's none of your business anyway / 'Cause at the end of the day / It ain't your place to walk up, say, 'Hey' / Ask how I've been at some party / It ain't your place to ask my friends / When you see 'em out, if I'm seeing somebody / You don't get to call me up 'cause you're drunk / 2 A.M., say you miss us / Nah, you don't get to care where I'm waking up these days / It ain't your place."
Sadly, as with most good country songs, "Your Place" is inspired by a true story, one that Cooke lived.
"The whole inspiration behind the song revolves around this ex-boyfriend that I have, who I dated for a minute, and he cheated on me," Cooke tells Country Now. "I was trying to figure out how I wanted to write about it, what I wanted to write about, and I had this idea in my phone for so long called 'Ain't Your Place.' I brought it in the room with Jordan Minton and Mark Trussell. And it literally was such an easy song to write, which I think sometimes that's a really good indication of just a great song."
