It's no secret that the country music genre has been dominating this year. Artists like Lana Del Rey are announcing country albums, and Post Malone is still enjoying his country debut. People were getting used to country being more mainstream when Cowboy Carter received Grammy recognition last year. But now, other award shows are hopping on the trend.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Artists like Post Malone, Jelly Roll, and Morgan Wallen were nominated this year at the 2025 VMAs. This shouldn't appear to be that unusual, except for now, they have their own category. In early August, the award show announced they would be adding a new category, for "Best Country" video.
Although Megan Moroney took home the award, even being nominated for a brand-new prize like that is a historical accomplishment. Last night, there were also several performances by those who didn't win. One of the most touching, in my opinion, was the duet with Jelly Roll and Post Malone of "Losers".
Megan Moroney, the VMA winner, also performed her song, "6 Months Later", which she released in June of 2025. Bailey Zimmerman put on a show as well, accompanied by the Kid LAROI to sing their song, "Lost".
What Artists Have To Say About Country Being Mainstream
When it comes to country being mainstream, artists like Zimmerman have done a great job of collaborating outside the genre. Besides LAROI, he's also collaborated with BigXthaPlug, Jessie Murph, and Diplo, all artists who have been known to dabble in country too.
There are also artists like Morgan Wallen who have achieved commercial success on many levels, but are criticized for not being "country enough." The singer has admitted that he "doesn't listen to country," and has been called out for using trap beats. Lots of country fans don't approve, even though Wallen is dominating both the pop and country charts.
Jason Aldean, a country music veteran, has spoken highly of artists like Zimmerman and Wallen for stepping outside the box. He says artists like that "bring in a lot of different listeners into our format, because [they're] getting people listening to [their] stuff that wouldn't typically listen to country. I mean, it's all good for all of us." Morgan Wallen was also nominated for "Best Artist" at the VMAs, while Bailey Zimmerman was nominated for "Best Collaboration" for his song with Luke Combs.
It seems like, whether you're a fan of the genre bending or not, country music is here to stay, as long as the Wallens and Zimmermans of the genre keep cranking out hits. Regardless of opinions, the numbers don't lie, and it looks like country music might be the next genre to watch out for. I mean, the VMAs certainly think so, and we'd have to (unbiasedly of course) agree.
Photo by: Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock
