Sammy Kershaw on Country Music: ‘It’s the Only Genre That Hates Itself’
With pop-country, bro-country and hick-hop becoming more prominent in country music -- and artists like Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean and Big Smo at the forefront -- a more traditional country sound seems to be taking a backseat. Sammy Kershaw laments, giving his thoughts on the matter, and he isn't holding back.
"Look, I’ve always said country music is the only genre that hates itself. It wants to be everything else, but country music," Kershaw says to Country Weekly. "I’ve been in it for a long, long time and I’ve seen the changes, but it always comes back. But now, I don’t see it coming back. It finally found a route to go."
Even though he predicts traditional country is out, he's staying true to the type of country he loves, letting the other guys bro and rap it out on the radio, topping the charts. "They’re having a lot of success with what they’re doing these days," Kershaw tells the Boot. "It’s not really something that’s for me, but evidently it’s something that’s for a lot of other people, so man, more power to ‘em. I’ll just keep doing what I do, and that’s country music, and I try to make some things happen for myself and don’t worry about anybody else. I think I’ll have three albums coming out this year."
Kershaw was a huge hit in the '90s -- songs like 'Meant to Be,' 'Vidalia' and 'Fit to Be Tied Down' were hits, and the singer put ten studio albums, three RIAA Platinum certifications and two Gold certifications under his belt. The 56-year-old just released a new album in honor of George Jones called 'Do You Know Me? A Tribute to George Jones.' His previous album, 'Better Than I Used to Be,' was released nearly four years ago in 2010.
Quit Complaining About Modern Country Music