It’s not easy to experience every milestone of your life in the spotlight. Country juggernaut Maren Morris hasn’t had it easy; since the 2016 release of her major label debut, Hero, she's worn a target on her back for genre purists and hate-mongering trolls. She's not afraid to speak her mind, even when costs (and tempers) boil over. But she’s kept her held high, her sparkling crown a little bit crooked, and that hasn’t been more evident than on her second record, Girl, which exposes startling cracks and dents to her psyche.

The album pops open with this emotional confession: "Man, this sh*t's unflatterin', all up in my head again." The titular cut sees Morris writhing around in her insecurities, almost drawing them into herself to find peace, and she does, eventually, come to grips with reality and learns to accept every tattered edge of herself. It’s a long, winding journey, of course, and she digs her heels in on other such standouts as "A Song for Everything" and "Common," a pairing with Brandi Carlile in which the two powerhouses process and cope with the world and their place within the raging firestorm.

Husband and fellow musician Ryan Hurd emerges as a prominent muse for Morris, whose gaze locks with his for the second half of the record. The singer-songwriter has never been more evocative and honest as she has with songs like "Hell and Back," a smokey stunner detailing past traumas and finding each other in the aftermath, and "Good Woman," a handwritten promise to be better in the relationship. "I don’t scare you / And I guess that’s why you didn’t save me / You didn’t think I needed saving," she observes on the former, a weepy shower of strings giving her wings.

Front to back, Girl (co-produced by Morris, alongside Greg Kurstin and busbee on select tracks) is a confetti shower of ambition, tremendous heart and womanhood. Morris is firmly planted in the eye of lush productions that feel as much her usual self as a natural stylistic progression to her songcraft. She's not only entering the second year of marriage to Hurd, but she's riding high off a collection of GRAMMY nominations at the 2019 ceremony, including all-genre nods in Song and Record of the Year for her Zedd collaboration, "The Middle."

Girl is certainly a timely release, particularly in such a heated social and political climate when women continue to struggle to be heard at radio and on the festival circuit. "I think environmentally you just write what is around you or what you’re internalizing. When I started writing for this record, it was three and a half years ago. It was during the release of Hero that I was starting to write for this," says Morris. “So, I’ve gone through a lot of things as a new artist that has been really impactful on my psyche and my heart. There were a lot of things I didn’t think I would get to accomplish so soon in my career."

"While I’ve had success at country radio in a time when there’s been a pretty significant drought for women, it makes it all the more emphasized that there’s a lack of equality. I think as one of the few women who is getting played, I would like to stand up for me sisters and say, ‘Everyone deserves a seat at the table.’ In my own way, that’s where I was coming from when I made this album,” she says.

Maren Morris spoke with The Recording Academy during her recent press tour about finding a new way in the world, diving into vulnerability, trolls, lessons learned in her 20s and much more.

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With Billboard, you mentioned how you felt braver on this album in exploring what you called "frightening vulnerability." "Good Woman" is a great example of your grit and willingness to expose all parts of yourself. What provoked this song?

I've been falling in love with Ryan for the last several years, but our marriage the last year has been incredibly inspiring to this project. Writing "Good Woman," I just have never been in a love like this where I was OK to sit down and put words on paper that said, "Thank you for loving me, so in return, I’m going to love you the same way back." I feel so accepted by him. His love is so loud.  A lot of times, I don’t know if I've always been the person to give that same amount. With this song, it’s a promise that I will try each and every day to give that love back.

Love songs are so often cheesy or sticky sweet. But "Good Woman" feels very grounded and real to life.

I know what you mean. If a love song is real, you don’t have to worry about it being cheesy or cliche. You always want to avoid that as a songwriter, but sometimes, just saying it like you say it to the person in-person is the best way to go about it. With all the love songs on this record, because there is such a bigger amount of them than there was on my first record, I wanted to touch on all the different facets of being in a healthy relationship this time around and do it in my own way that wasn’t too sentimental where you get lost. But it’s a very real kind of love being depicted.

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At what point did such vulnerability start to show up in your songwriting?

I think just the exposure of being an artist in such a social media-driven world has made me feel very vulnerable in itself. Then, personally, my relationship with my husband has grown so much deeper in such a chaotic time in my life. So, really, you dive into the depths of my personal psyche (and his, as well) trying to deal with falling in love but feeling so exposed as artists in public. Really grappling with those terms has been a give and take over the years. Now, we’re in a sweet spot where we know how much of our relationship we want to share with the world and what is private just to us. I think we’ve hit a good balance.

"While I’ve had success at country radio in a time when there’s been a pretty significant drought for women, it makes it all the more emphasized that there’s a lack of equality. I think as one of the few women who is getting played, I would like to stand up for me sisters and say, ‘Everyone deserves a seat at the table.’"

"Good Woman" is perfectly paired with closing track "Shade,” ending the album with a 1-2 sucker punch of emotion. They feel very triumphant, especially when you juxtapose them against the opener, “Girl.” What is that emotional journey for you leading into “Shade”?

Staring the record with "Girl" is a really important move because it’s talking directly to myself and to the listener. It goes through the ebbs and flows of what it means to be a woman today and the insecurities of just being a person where we measure so much of our value on what other people are doing and how their lives are turning out. It felt like a really medicinal song to meet with that anxiety we currently all feel. Going through the journey of listening to the record, you get deeper into the elements that make me up.

Ending with "Shade," sonically, in the most simplest of terms, it just felt good. It’s so, almost Sgt. Pepper's-esque with how weird it goes with the instrumentation. It felt like such a “hell yeah!” moment to end the album on. To be so self-reflective in "Girl" and then in "Shade" to be so partner-reflective, I loved ending there. It almost felt like...not closing the chapter but leaving a little crack for the next record and whatever happens next in my life. I can end there, but it’s an ellipses, not a period.

You co-produced many of the standout songs on the record with busbee [Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum], including "Hell and Back" and "A Song for Everything." What was your creative headspace and starting point of how you wanted to approach the production?

Those two songs are the countrier songs of the album. When you have songs like that that are so lyric-driven, you don’t want to overproduce it. busbee is so great at finding the balance of making it sound like me, which is a little bit of everything, genre-wise, but also adding some air into the production, so you can actually hear the lyrics and be touched by them, hopefully. Production-wise, he has such a great ear when it comes to the L.A. and Nashville worlds. He’s always been able to blend the two so seamlessly and in a really edgy, cool way. That’s why I’ve always loved working with him.

Then, on the other production end, this was my first time working with Greg Kurstin [Adele, Foo Fighters, Sia]. He’s obviously very renowned. I knew that going into it, but I didn’t really know what sound was going to come out. I love what he brought to the table. It was really inspiring to watch him work and create something out of nothing. He plays all the instruments on it. He really created a new sound that I hadn’t really touched on before. He’s never really worked with a country artist, and I’m a little left-of-center in those terms. I think it was a great fit with Greg. I’m excited for whatever we write next. He really took the music in such an interesting way. [Kurstin co-produced "Girl," "Common" and "The Bones"]

Strings are woven into the backbone of this album, making the music have a dream-like quality. How did that become a part of the process?

We obviously had a little bit bigger of a budget for this record. [Laughs.] And I have always loved really orchestral elements to albums when the time calls for it. You don’t want to throw strings on everything. I thought we were really sparing with our use of strings. It was a really tasteful way of incorporating a heavenly sounding instrument. It was another shade of the sound evolving and really elevates it all, as well. I have a new guy [Matt Butler] in the band who plays cello. I love adding elements like that that aren’t expected in a country or pop setting. It’s a really beautiful, valuable element to add to a recording.

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The first half of the album digs into your journey to self-acceptance. Now that you’re nearing the end of your 20s, what things have been the hardest to accept of yourself?

I’m pretty stubborn. I don’t know if that is from being a Texan or having been an artist for so long. I’ve learned that I’m not always right. Even though I’m very strong in my convictions, it doesn’t mean I can’t allow someone else’s opinion to meet mine and change my mind. I’ve learned how to have a little more creativity-relinquishing when I’m around really talented people. [Laughs.]

I’ve also learned that it’s OK to have an opinion and not always share it. I feel like I’ve gotten a little bit of a rap, especially in Nashville, of being a really opinionated country artist. That is true. I have a lot of thoughts. I’ve learned you don’t need to share each and every single one. When it’s a big issue, you can just share it with your friends and family, and that’s OK. Then, when you’re really passionate about something and need to stand up for people or yourself, that is when you should speak up.

Speaking of standing up, "Flavor" reads as an anthem against detractors, particularly on the bridge: "Won't play the victim / Don’t fit that mold / I speak my peace / Don’t do what I’m told / Shut up and sing / Oh, hell no, I won’t." What drove you to write this song?

It was really being affected at the time by social media and trolls and people bashing an opinion I would have. People would threaten me with a career-end like the Dixie Chicks and that would happen to me if I kept opening my mouth. And I was so pissed off about that. It was such a cheap shot. The threat of being erased because you have an opinion just felt so unfair, so I wrote this song in the mindset of “shut up and sing / hell no, I won’t." I’m not going to be talked down to or fit into the mold of what you assume I should be. This is my life, first and foremost. In a very sassy way, I wanted to say, "F U!" [Laughs.]

Maren Morris: The Highway That Inspired "My Church"

Beneath the empty bottles, Tish Melton wants to know if her love is true; to her, drunken confessions of love mean nothing. It's what happens when the party's over and no one is watching — that's when she sees that person at their most authentic.

"You're standing close/ But you're so far away/ Your eyes are closed/ But you see me anyway," Melton sings on the bridge of her emotional track "Sober." "And I swear you told me you love me on the walk home/ If you meant it, I'll never know/ I think we should stay sober."

In this episode of Press Play, the indie pop newcomer premieres "Sober" with a raw and intimate acoustic performance.

"Sober" is an unreleased track from her upcoming first EP, When We're Older, which arrives on March 1. Melton previously released three singles in 2023, "Damage," "The Chase," and "Michelle."

As she prepares her debut project, Melton already has a major supporter in her corner: nine-time GRAMMY winner Brandi Carlile, who has been a mentor to Melton since recognizing her talent at her debut show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

"Tish is so young and so brilliant," Carlile, who produced When We're Older, revealed in a press statement. "Like most lessons in life, I learned this one while I thought I was teaching it. We should guide youth in music, but there is no question that it should lead."

Watch the video above to hear Tish Melton's honest performance of "Sober," and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of Press Play.

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Editor’s note: This story was updated on Monday, Jan. 8, to include mention of Luke Combs and his 2024 GRAMMY nomination.

Renowned for her stripped-back folky sound, social conscience and storytelling abilities, Tracy Chapman has never really fitted into the pop landscape. The singer/songwriter emerged in the late 1980s, a period when big-voiced power balladeers and exuberant teen princesses were all the rage. And throughout the following two decades, the Cleveland native continued to assemble an impressive body of work that remained utterly impervious to fleeting chart trends. 

Chapman's determination to carve out her own distinct path has undeniably reaped its rewards. Her self-titled debut album topped the Billboard 200 in 1988, sold 20 million copies and received six GRAMMY nominations; she won three (Best Contemporary Folk Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and the coveted Best New Artist). A mid-'90s career resurgence, meanwhile, helped to boost her awards tally, with biggest hit "Give Me A Reason" picking up Best Rock Song. 

And whether standing in for Stevie Wonder at Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute Concert or performing "Talkin’ Bout a Revolution" on the eve of the 2020 presidential election, Chapman has used her earthy voice to soundtrack several key historical moments.   And the very traditional kind of artist even unwittingly became a viral sensation thanks to a powerful rendition of Ben E. King classic "Stand By Me" in aid of David Letterman's late-night retirement.  

Although Chapman hasn't released a studio album since 2008's Our Bright Future, her music has remained an ever-present. From Sam Smith and Justin Bieber, to Passenger and Luke Combs, it's probably quicker to list which contemporary acts haven't covered her defining single "Fast Car" in recent years; dance producer Jonas Blue even took it back into the Hot 100 In 2015. Kelly Clarkson, Black Pumas and Jamila Woods have all paid tribute by tackling different songs from Chapman's remarkably consistent oeuvre, too.

Of course, Chapman's modern-day cachet extends beyond the odd song. Here's a look at five artists who have credited the star as a formative influence on their entire careers.

Luke Combs

By now, an ocean of ink has been spilled about Luke Combs making Tracy Chapman’s "Fast Car" a hit once more — from its racial, sexual, class, gender, and genre dynamics, to whether whitewashing was at play. But with all due respect to the talking heads, the truth is arguably much simpler: when it comes to great singer/songwriters, game recognizes game.

"There was this one song that really stuck out to me. It was called 'Fast Car,'" Combs said onstage last year. “That song meant a lot to me since then — for my whole life. I always think about my dad when it comes on and us spending time together.” It’s awfully telling, too, that Combs didn’t flip the gender of the song — a token of respect. He, too, is a "checkout girl."

Decades after its creation, Combs' take on "Fast Car" made a U-turn to the top of the Billboard country charts; at the 2024 GRAMMYs, his version is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.

"It has stayed with me since I have played it in my live show now for six-plus years and everyone — I mean everyone — across all these stadiums relates to this song and sings along," Combs later told Billboard. That’s the gift of a supernatural songwriter." Yes, “Fast Car" is deeply, incontrovertibly human, and earthbound. But Combs reminded us that it’s charged with magic, too. — Morgan Enos

Khalid 

Just like Chapman, Khalid racked up a glut of GRAMMY nominations with his debut album, American Teen. And while promoting the record on BBC Radio One's Live Lounge in 2018, the chart-topper doffed his cap to one of its major influences with an acoustic reworking of "Fast Car." An obvious choice, perhaps, but speaking to Forbes later that same year, Khalid insisted that he was far from just a fair-weather fan. 

"For me, Tracy Chapman was just someone who inspires me in terms of songwriting," the "Talk" hitmaker revealed. "When I think about songwriting just how she can make you feel like you're in that moment." Chapman was also the first name that came to mind when Khalid was asked about his biggest musical inspiration in our One Take series.  

Lisa Marie Presley 

The late Lisa Marie Presley took her time following in her father's footsteps, releasing her debut album, To Whom It May Concern, at the relatively late age of 35. But it was the music of singer/songwriters such as Linda Ronstadt, Shelby Lynne and, in particular, Tracy Chapman (rather than the rock and roll of Elvis) that informed her sound.  

In a 2012 chat to promote third LP Storm and Grace, Presley told Rolling Stone India, "I've never met Tracy, but she's always been a huge influence on me; I don't even know if she knows that. From her first album until everything, she's been such an influence on me as a singer-songwriter." 

Presley also referenced Chapman in an interview with the Huffington Post about her musical inspirations, adding, "I love women who sing, and they mean what they're saying, and they reach in and grab you. It moves you. You can feel the singer, and it's for real." And while appearing on BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years in 2013, the star selected "Smoke and Ashes" from Chapman's 1995 LP New Beginning as one of her all-time favorites.  

Valerie June 

"The missing link between Memphis Minnie and Tracy Chapman" is how singer/songwriter Valerie June was once described. No doubt that Chapman, whose sound combines folk-pop with everything from soul and bluegrass to traditional Appalachian music, would have been on board with such comparisons.   

June became a die-hard Chapman fan while growing up in Jackson, Tennessee, as she explained to the Washington Post in 2014: "I wanted to perform from probably the age of four or five, but I never believed I could. I saw Tracy Chapman and Whitney Houston and wanted to be like them. But I thought, 'Yeah, no way. They didn't come from a little old place like this.'" 

Of course, June did manage to carve a niche for herself in the wider world. She even picked up a Best American Roots Song nod at the 2022 GRAMMYs for "Call Me A Fool," a collaboration with Stax legend Carla Thomas. And one of her proudest career moments was following in Chapman's footsteps by appearing on "Austin City Limits."  

Brandi Carlile 

Brandi Carlile has achieved several GRAMMY milestones throughout her glittering career. The Americana favorite was the most-nominated artist at the 2019 ceremony in which she took home three gongs. Then in 2022, she became the first-ever female songwriter to pick up two Song Of The Year nods simultaneously. And the music of Tracy Chapman helped set Carlile on her 24-time nominated path. 

Carlile has frequently acknowledged the influence that the "Fast Car" hitmaker has had on her career. While hosting "Somewhere Over the Radio," a SiriusXM show designed to celebrate "queer excellence," the star played one of her most cherished Chapman songs. And during her 2023 A Special Solo Performance tour, she brought out wife Catherine to perform a duet of New Beginning cut "The Promise." 

Carlile is such a fan that while responding to a fan on Twitter in the pandemic-hit 2020, she argued that one of the few ways the year could redeem itself was if Chapman dropped a new album.  

Tori Amos 

Eight-time GRAMMY nominee Tori Amos and Tracy Chapman began their careers in tandem: David Kershenbaum executive produced the eponymous first albums from both the former's short-lived synth-pop outfit Y Kant Tori Read and the latter singer-songwriter around the same time. And the flame-haired pianist was one of the first to recognize that her counterpart was something special. 

In a Pitchfork interview about her musical tastes, Amos revealed that Tracy Chapman essentially changed her entire outlook. "It woke me up and took me back to my 5-year-old self, who was creating from a pure place of intention of music being magic, as a place where we could walk into and feel many different things." 

Amos subsequently ditched the crop top, leather pants and copious amounts of hairspray and, like Chapman, followed her artistic instincts. When asked by Glamour magazine in 2012 which female artists its younger readers should explore, the "Cornflake Girl" hitmaker didn't hesitate in mentioning her fellow 1988 debutant.  

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If 2023 wasn't the biggest year ever for mainstream success in country music, it came mighty close.

Across the three major fronts in the music industry — live concerts, music streams and sales, and chart performance — country music reminded audiences why it's a vital American music form and a conversation starter in our culture.

According to Billboard, 48 years have passed since more country artists racked up more No. 1 hits on its all-genre Hot 100 chart. This year saw chart-toppers from record-breaker Morgan Wallen ("Last Night"), established hitmaker Jason Aldean ("Try That in a Small Town"), viral newcomer Oliver Anthony ("Rich Men North of Richmond"), and 2022's big success story, Zach Bryan ("I Remember Everything" featuring Kacey Musgraves). Back in 1975, four country artists and five songs reached the Hot 100's summit: Glen Campbell, B.J. Thomas, Freddy Fender, and two cuts by John Denver.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen country artists landed on the Billboard Year-End Top Artists chart, with Wallen and Luke Combs landing in the top five. In addition, Apple Music named Wallen its top global music artist of 2023.

But enough prelude — let's get down to why the genre has been booming, by tracking the five biggest trends in country music in 2023.

There Was Massive Crossover

Morgan Wallen pulled country music's biggest crossover on the charts, ending the year with five of the top 50 most streamed songs of 2023 on Spotify, as well as 11 of the top 100 songs on Apple Music (all U.S. charts). He landed eight songs on the year-end Billboard Hot 100, including "Last Night," a tale of whisky-fueled love and regret driven by acoustic guitar and  clap-along percussion, which held the top spot for 16 weeks, the most for a non-collaboration song in the chart's 65-year history. It was also the most streamed song on Apple Music globally, contributing to the streaming service naming Wallen its top global music artist of 2023. 

Zach Bryan became the second artist to place at least 18 songs on the Hot 100 chart in the same week when he dropped his self-titled sophomore album in August — second only to Wallen's record of 36 songs, coinciding with the March release of his double-album One Thing at a Time. Zach Bryan is nominated for Best Country Album at the 2024 GRAMMYs, alongside Kelsea Ballerini's Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, Brothers Osborne's Brothers Osborne, Tyler Childers' Rustin' In The Rain, and Lainey Wilson's Bell Bottom Country. (More on Bryan later.)

The Hot 100 further indicated the genre's crossover success in early August, when the top three positions were occupied by country songs:  Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town," Morgan Wallen's "Last Night," and Luke Combs' cover of Tracy Chapman's 1988 classic. Not only was it the first time in history that country songs dominated the first three spots on the all-genre chart, but it also happened two more times on Aug. 26 and Sept. 2. "Last Night" and "Fast Car" also received nominations for the 2024 GRAMMYs; "Last Night" is nominated for Best Country Song at the 2024 GRAMMYs alongside with Brandy Clark's "Buried," Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves' "I Remember Everything," Tyler Childers' "In Your Love," and Chris Stapleton's "White Horse," while "Fast Car" is Best Country Solo Performance alongside "White Horse," "Buried," "In Your Love." and Dolly Parton's "The Last Thing on My Mind." 

What's more, two of the eight Best New Artist nominees at the 2024 GRAMMYs are country acts, "Son of a Sinner" star Jelly Roll and soulful husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty. They're nominated alongside Gracie Abrams, Fred again.., Ice Spice, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan and Victoria Monét.

Lainey Wilson celebrated a banner crossover year both in music and television. Along with parlaying the hit Paramount series "Yellowstone" into more exposure for her music, she became the first female artist in history to have four No. 1 hits on country radio in a calendar year thanks to "Heart Like A Truck," "Wait in the Truck" with HARDY, "Watermelon Moonshine" and "Save Me" with Jelly Roll — all of which cracked the top 30 of the all-genre Hot 100.

Several Musicians Court Controversy

Historically, popular country music tends to revolve around themes often imbued with imagery and anecdotes from small-town American life, from love won and lost to simply having a good time. But in 2023, politics infiltrated country music in a more mainstream way than perhaps ever before — even prompting Maren Morris to declare she was leaving country music. "I thought I'd like to burn it to the ground and start over," Morris told the Los Angeles Times in September. "But it's burning itself down without my help."

Jason Aldean's single "Try That in a Small Town" didn't cause much of a ruckus when it dropped in May, but the promotional video for the song, released in July, certainly kicked a hornet's nest of dissatisfaction. The lyrics begin with a carjacking and a robbery, then confront advocates of gun control and flex how "good ol' boys, raised up right" will step up to defend their own. The song "refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up," Aldean wrote on Twitter, "where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief."

But if he was only looking to reboot the s—-kickin' country-boy theme of Hank Williams Jr's 1981 song "A Country Boy Can Survive," he lost the plot with the video. The clip intersperses shots of Aldean and his band performing with footage of riots and destruction reminiscent of the 2020 racial protests sparked by the deaths of Elijah McClain, Breona Taylor, George Floyd and others by police force. And the filming location, the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee — site of the 1927 lynching of an 18-year-old Black man by a white mob — only stoked tensions. The controversy eventually dimmed, but not before the song hit No. 1 on the Hot 100.

Just three days after Aldean's song reached the top, a folk song by an unknown artist with no previous history in the music business hit YouTube and spread like wildfire. "Rich Men North of Richmond," written and performed by Oliver Anthony, sparked a controversy of its own for a handful of lyrics shaming "obese welfare" recipients amid righteous blue-collar anger directed at politicians who are out of touch with the working class. 

Conservative audiences latched onto the song, and it even made an appearance at the Republican presidential debate on August 23, three days before it claimed the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 that Aldean held just a few weeks earlier. In response, Anthony chastised the right-wingers who thought he was one of them, as well as critics on the left whom he felt mischaracterized his words. "That song is written about the people on that stage — and a lot more, too," he said in a 10-minute video posted to YouTube.

Country Icons Were Saluted

Country music has seen its share of memorable covers in more recent years, from Johnny Cash's iconic version of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" to Sturgill Simpson's take on the Nirvana classic "In Bloom." But the practice reached a new peak in 2023 thanks to performances and recordings from present-day and legacy stars alike.

Nashville hitmaker Luke Combs channeled his love for Tracy Chapman's 1988 hit "Fast Car" into a faithful cover on his 2023 album Gettin' Old. Combs's version reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (Chapman's original peaked at No. 6) and has been certified double Platinum by the RIAA, in addition to winning both Single of the Year and Song of the Year at the Country Music Association awards—making Chapman the first Black woman to ever win a CMA trophy.

After Dolly Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, she took her honor quite literally. Parton collaborated with artists ranging from Judas Priest shrieker Rob Halford to Pink and Elton John on 30 recordings, including massive hits like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me." The album's first single, the original composition "World On Fire," reached No. 1 on Billboard's Rock Digital Song Sales chart.

Parton also turned up on A Tribute to The Judds, another star-studded covers album, performing "Mama He's Crazy" with Lainey Wilson. Spearheaded by Wynonna Judd in tribute to her mother Naomi, her partner in the duo from 1983 until her death in April 2022, the album brings together some of country music's biggest names on 14 classics from the legendary group. Evergreen it-couple Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton take on "Love Is Alive," while Jelly Roll, K. Michelle and the Fisk Jubilee Singers perform "Love Can Build a Bridge." The album also features Reba McEntire, Carly Pearce, Jennifer Nettles and Gabby Barrett on a rendition of "Girls Night Out."

Even the Rolling Stones dabbled in the country world this year — well, sort of. The 14-song tribute album Stoned Cold Country features Eric Church on a properly sixties-sounding "Gimme Shelter," Elle King on a faithful version of "Tumbling Dice" embellished with pedal steel guitar flourishes, and guitar hero Marcus King performing the Sticky Fingers deep cut "Can't You Hear Me Knocking." Elsewhere, Brothers Osborne join The War and Treaty on a particularly soulful recording of "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)," and artists like Ashley McBryde, Brooks & Dunn and Maren Morris put their spin on their favorite Stones tunes.

Alt-Country Blew Up

Call it Americana, alt-country, singer/songwriter country — but the subgenre rooted in artists like Gram Parsons, John Prine and Lucinda Williams has evolved from its days as an influential side attraction to a force impacting charts, sales and box office receipts. In 2023, artists from what was once the fringes of mainstream country music showed how much they're really part of the fabric of the genre.

No artist exemplifies this surge more than Zach Bryan, who parlayed his successes in 2022 into an even bigger 2023, topping the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time, and headlining a sold-out arena tour. Folk-pop singer/songwriter Noah Kahan, who joined Bryan for the song "Sarah's Place" on Bryan's Boys of Faith EP, also found major success with songs originally performed for his 2022 album Stick Season, including a duet with Kacey Musgraves on "She Calls Me Back," released in October. 

The War and Treaty fuse gospel and soul influences with alt-country on "Blank Page" from the 2023 album Lover's Game, which picked up a nomination for the Best American Roots Song GRAMMY (competing against "California Sober" by Billy Strings Featuring Willie Nelson, "Cast Iron Skillet" by Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, "Dear Insecurity" by Brandy Clark Featuring Brandi Carlile, and "The Returner" by Allison Russell). The husband-and-wife duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter scored soulful hits with "That's How Love Is Made," as well as their own team-up with Zach Bryan on "Hey Driver," which peaked at No. 14 on the Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

The return of Oklahoma sextet Turnpike Troubadours generated excitement from Texas to Tennessee and beyond, as the band headlined arenas and amphitheaters like Red Rocks in Colorado and L.A.'s Greek Theatre, plus a three-night stand in Boston. Frontman Evan Felker split the fold in 2019 but returned two years later, culminating in the release of A Cat in the Rain, their sixth album for their independent imprint Bossier City Records, in August 2023.

Collaborations Were Abundant

Covers weren't the only way that collaborations flourished in country music this year. In fact, only one nominee in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category at the 66th GRAMMY Awards is an actual full-time group — that's Brothers Osborne, who is nominated alongside pairings of Dierks Bentley and Billy Strings ("High Note"), Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves ("I Remember Everything"), Vince Gill and Paul Franklin ("Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold)"), Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson ("Save Me"), and Carly Pearce and Chris Stapleton ("We Don't Fight Anymore"). That's just how popular artist features have become in country music.

But those are far from the only artist collaborations that made an impression. Jelly Roll also joined Dustin Lynch on "Chevrolet," while Miranda Lambert and Leon Bridges sang "If You Were Mine," a slow-rolling soul-country single. "Thank God," a duet recorded by Kane Brown and his wife, Katelyn, reached No. 13 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on Country Airplay, only the second time a duet by a married couple reached the top (after Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's "It's Your Love" in 1997). 

Super-producer Diplo leaned into his Mississippi and Florida roots on Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley, Chapter 2 — Swamp Savant, his second collaborations album with country and hip-hop artists; "Heartbroken," an acoustic guitar-driven country-pop song featuring Jessie Murph and Polo G, reached the top 20 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. Murph's own duet with Jelly Roll, "Wild Ones," made its mark on the same chart while notching No. 1 on the iTunes Top 200 Songs chart." 

Country music awards shows celebrated the art of the collaboration with viral crossover moments this year as well. Buzzing female country stars Ingrid Andress, Morgan Wade, Lainey Wilson and Madeline Edwards joined Alanis Morissette to perform her '90s alt-rock hit "You Oughta Know" at the CMT Awards; Ed Sheeran and Luke Combs dueted on "Life Goes On" at the ACMs; and Morgan Wallen, HARDY and Post Malone paid tribute to Joe Diffie at the CMAs by taking on his 1993 hit "John Deere Green."

Will country music continue to surge in 2024? If the chart stats, stadium tours and star-studded collaborations are any indication, it's certainly not slowing down.

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Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

Looking for more GRAMMYs news? The 2024 GRAMMY nominations are here!

He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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