Harry Styles, The Legend, and Love on Tour comprise15 sold out shows at Madison Square Garden. Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” boasts 52 sold out shows on a stadium tour.

These are names of musical artists that everyone knows. There have been countless discussions in school about these shows, how people got tickets, etc.

But what about Zach Bryan? Have you heard of him?

My guess is you probably have never heard of him before, or, if you have, you don’t know much about him. And here’s my guess of why you don’t know him – he is a country music artist.

Many students often forget about country music, or decide that they don’t like it, with no reason beyond …“its country.” The issue with this attitude is that when people listen to a country song, they don’t actually listen to it due to preconceived notions of the genre.

They need to listen.

Country music is so much more than what we typically hear are on a country radio station. Although these songs are usually very catchy, a lot of the time true, diehard fans of the artists prefer their songs that are not played on the radio.

As a huge country music fan myself, it has a much deeper meaning then just a song. Some of my favorite popular artists include Bryan, Jordan Davis, Thomas Rhet, and Luke Combs. Some smaller artists who are growing that I enjoy listening to include Corey Kent and Conner Smith.

So why do I like country music so much? And why should you?

Country music is so relatable for every person during any stage of life. Country artists have some of the most meaningful lyrics that are so overlooked and influential.

One song that I think many high school students can relate to is “Center Point Road” by Thomas Rhett. This song is all about high school, and growing up, and Rhett looking back on his life as a child. When I hear this song, it gets me thinking about how little time I have left in high school, and why it’s important to embrace that.

As previously mentioned, Bryan is another artist whose lyrics are astonishing and very well written. Some of my favorite Zach Bryan lyrics are from the song “Burn and Burn”.

“We get dressed up just to go downtown/In some ego- filled late night crowd/It seems to be where I feel most alone.”

These lyrics can be broken down into so much more than just words in a song. And I believe that almost everyone can relate to these lyrics in some kind of way. I also think that more people need to appreciate this, and appreciate these songs that are so well written.

Luckily, more are appreciating this music than in the past.

Country music has been on the rise.

According to Variety, country music streaming has increased since 2020. In just three years country audio has grown by over a million streams. Country music is more appealing to younger generations as well, such as Gen Z and Millennials as opposed to other generations who highly oppose country music, such as Gen X.

Country music has more meaning than just how people in the south live. It’s much more than that.

Go and listen to something that is relatable, that comes from artists with a true and honest heart. While it may not be for you, don’t be so quick to judge. Try it out, and maybe you’ll discover something that is perfect for you.