If you know me, you know that I love a lot of country artists before they’re cool, before they go mainstream (corporate, as my cousin calls it). But, do these artists not realize that most people are a fan of them because they don’t sound like anything else out there?
I love up and coming country artists. Always have, always will. My main reason for loving them? They don’t sound like anything that’s on the radio. They have their own sound.
Usually when they hit their third (or sometimes second) album, they start to sound corporate, I’m assuming because they think that’s what sells. However, that’s not the case, at least not for me. If a new country artist that I like starts to sound like everything else I hear on the radio, I typically stop listening to them or am not as big of a fan as I once was. It’s unoriginal and most definitely not the move.
For my people who are just fans of ‘corporate’ country music, there are many reasons to be fans of artists who are upcoming, or who aren’t corporate. My main example? Dan + Shay sent me flowers for Valentine’s Day before they were ‘cool’ in 2015.
A lot of people are shocked when they hear my story about Dan + Shay sending me flowers in 2015, and honestly, I still am too. But, I’d been a fan of them since 2013. I used to tweet them all the time, I requested their single to every country radio station I could find on Twitter, and I think that’s why they sent me the flowers. It was truly an amazing experience, and I will never forget it.
Another cool story I have from supporting an upcoming artist is in 2015, singer/songwriter Steven Lee Olsen literally sent me a pizza from Domino’s. For those of you who don’t know who this is, he wrote Keith Urban’s single, “Blue Ain’t Your Color.”
Another benefit of liking country artists before they go ‘corporate’ is that it is super easy to meet them. For the most part, you can see and meet upcoming artists for little to nothing. A lot of my meet and greets are with artists before they were super popular. A lot of times you can meet them at radio events. You pretty much get the bragging right of saying “I met them before they were cool!”
As a fan, there’s no better feeling of seeing the artist you’ve supported for a long, long time work their butts off, and finally get the recognition they deserve. In a way, it’s also rewarding for the fans. It’s a proud moment, for sure.
Basically, what I’m trying to get at is if you are an upcoming artist and you have a sound that works and is unique to YOU, don’t feel like you have to go and change it to sound like everyone else after your first album, or after your first few successful songs. Keep doing you! If you are a fan of mostly ‘corporate’ country music, my challenge for you is to find a new artist that not many people know about. You never know what you are missing out on.
Megan's Country Music Adventures 