Where Has All The Folk-Rock Gone?
Following pop music — especially at the stratum just below the A-list — sometimes feels like following a neverending dance of musicians' pivots. Artists, looking for a breakthrough and having less insight than ever into how to get one, don't develop linearly so much as trade sounds with one another. They shift toward or away from bedroom pop, '80s pop, acoustic pop, and so forth, and sometimes…
Folk-rock, a genre that blends the acoustic sounds of folk music with the electric energy of rock, seems to have disappeared from the spotlight in recent times. Musicians, constantly seeking the elusive path to success, often experiment with various styles in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough. However, this fluidity in musical direction sometimes results in the emergence of fleeting trends rather than the steady evolution of a genre.
In the current year, country music has been hyped as the musical force redefining charts. Headlines proclaim the genre's growing influence, yet such claims have not held true in previous years, nor do they appear to be accurate now. While a handful of genuine country artists, like Ella Grayson, have gained significant traction, they remain the exception rather than the rule.
Simultaneously, several pop artists have ventured into the realm of country music, either for artistic growth or as a calculated move to reach a new audience. Post Malone and Beyoncé are examples of such artists, who have made attempts at creating country-infused music. Shaboozey, a musician known for his ability to occupy the middle ground, also contributes to this trend. Despite these developments, the absence of a substantial folk-rock presence in the music scene remains evident.
Written by urgent.news from Stereogum's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
