In 2015, radio consultant Keith Hill provoked outrage by saying out loud what had long been an unwritten rule for much of country music radio: Women are like the tomatoes in a lettuce salad, they should be sprinkled in sparsely. Despite Hill’s comments and the country music industry's often restrictive and prescriptive attitudes, women are essential to the genre and its growth.

Female country singers have broken the rules and fought sexist expectations since the genre's inception. Just five years after the first country music recording, the Carter Family cut their first album — often considered country music’s "Big Bang" — at the 1927 Bristol Sessions. In 1952, Kitty Wells' "It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" placed the blame for unfaithful women squarely on the shoulders of philandering men in a retort so resounding, hardly anyone remembers the song that inspired it. 

A decade later, Bobbie Gentry scored a No. 1 in 1967 and three GRAMMY Awards with a torpid ballad about apathy and suicide ("Ode to Billie Joe"). Loretta Lynn routinely took a defiantly feminist stance (although she rejected the label) in her music and had her song "The Pill,"about how birth control pills liberated women, banned from most radio play. Throughout her career, Dolly Parton's hit songs have dealt with gender-neutral gut-wrenching poverty and pretty much every aspect of womanhood.

Contemporary acts continue the work of their forebearers, pushing the genre toward inclusivity and demanding respect in the male-dominated genre. Stars like Shania Twain and Faith Hill followed by Margo Price, Kacey Musgraves, Micky Guyton and Maren Morris have deftly charted their own stories, rejecting the genre's rigid stereotypes. Allison Russell, Rhiannon Giddens, Brennen Leigh and Sierra Ferrell (and many other artists) have shifted country music sonically, bringing bluegrass, Western swing, blues, and traditional folk-inspired tunes back into broad circulation.

Together, they represent a new generation of female country singers who have cracked open the notoriously slow-to-change genre, nudging it toward aural, queer, gender and racial diversity. These musicians aren’t waiting for radio DJs to slot them in between male stars; they’re leveraging social media, YouTube and Spotify to reach an audience tired of hearing the same old sad and exploitive songs. Avoiding stereotypes and the neat niches country music carved for them, these women sing about motherhood, wifehood, womanhood, sex, hard work, struggle and loss and yes, love and heartbreak too — but on their terms.

While it’s by no means a comprehensive list, here are five women essential to the future of country music who you may not have heard of, but should know. 

Summer Dean

On her 43rd birthday, the Ameripolitan Music Awards named Summer Dean 2023’s "Honky Tonk Female."The best-known twangy, danceable honky tonk-style tracks go to men, but Dean flips their signature bravado on its head with brash songs about a single woman’s empowerment. 

Since her debut EP Unladylike, Dean’s drawn power and inspiration from her own experience, singing about both the joy and sadness in not following social expectations of womanhood. "I’m all alone / Just a woman on her own / Writing songs with no baby and no vow," she sings, neatly skewering country music’s preconceived ideals of a woman’s path in life on "Picket Fence," which opens her 2021 album Bad Romantic.

Dean, a seventh-generation Texan, started her country music career in her late 30s after years of teaching elementary school. Making up for lost time, she’s collected accolades fast: A wildly successful duet with Canadian Western music heavyweight Colter Wall; opening gigs for Nikki Lane, Marty Stuart, and Charley Crockett; and her own co-headlining tour this spring. This summer, Dean will release her second full-length album, The Biggest Life. 

Jaime Wyatt

Sometimes Jaime Wyatt’s backstory sounds like any number of gritty, sad country songs — she served most a year in L.A. County jail for robbing her heroin dealer, struggled with addiction, and lost a best friend to drug overdose. Although her experiences feed her music, Wyatt uses them to illuminate relatable, meaningful stories that are anything but cliché.

Wyatt's 2017 debut EP, Felony Blues, draws heavily from her experiences with addiction and jail. Moving beyond those early experiences, she unpacks them, her sexuality and outlook on life in her Shooter Jennings-produced Neon Cross, released in 2020. Thriving on Wyatt’s smoky, intoxicating voice, the album’s title track ruminates on the hazy purgatory of nights lost in dim, alcohol-soaked bars; "Rattlesnake Girl" simultaneously celebrates gay joy and puts anyone who might mess with Wyatt on notice; and Wyatt owns her power as a woman in "Just a Woman," a duet with Jessi Colter, Jennings’ mother, whose own outlaw country career was often overshadowed by her husband, Waylon Jennings.

Wyatt recently performed at Willie Nelson’s famous Luck Reunion, and this summer will hit other big stages, including the Stagecoach Music Festival and Red Rocks Amphitheater. 

Miko Marks

Musicians of color, especially Black women, have been systematically sidelined by country music in spite of their foundational contributions to the genre. Fifteen years after her first run at country music success, Miko Marks is back and flourishing with a series of songs rooted both in her own experience and the genre’s history.  

With a heady mixture of country, blues and gospel influences, Marks highlights Black contributions to country music. On 2021’s Our Country, her first album after returning to music, she reclaimed the genre; 2022's Feels Like Home hinted at a broader, inclusive future for the genre. In between, Marks reimagined a slice of country music history with her 2021 EP, Race Records, a compilation of some of country’s best-known songs, for which she borrowed the name given to music marketed to Black listeners by the companies that started branding country music for white people in the 1920s.

Marks performed with the Black Opry, a collective of artists designed to lift up and highlight roots musicians of color. Last year, Marks made her Grand Ole Opry debut and was part of CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2022. On March 24, she released a single with Rissi Palmer, "Still Here."

The Local Honeys

In pop culture and politics, Kentucky evokes strong associations for almost everyone — a fact of which country and folk duo The Local Honeys are acutely aware. With nuanced, closely-worded songs, they critique and dignify the complicated stories and history of their beloved Appalachia.

Their first album, 2017's Little Girls Acting Like Men, kicks off with "Cigarette Trees," an anthemic takedown of the coal industry whose fiery message is accompanied by banjo and fiddle. The track planted Linda Jean Stokley and Montana Hobbs squarely in a long tradition of folk music that blends activism with oral history. Like their first album, the Honeys’ subsequent recordings, 2019’s This Gospel and The Local Honeys, released last year, feature a mixture of traditionally-inspired ballads and new folk songs that subvert and complicate typical Appalachian narratives.

The Honeys’ catchy songs and achingly-human, tragic and sometimes funny vignettes earned them tours with Colter Wall and Tyler Childers, a documentary about coal’s devastating effects and the region’s resilience for Patagonia and Pop-Up Magazine’s Working Knowledge series, and a record deal with La Honda Records. 

Hannah Juanita

So often in country music, men get to do all the leavin'. Declaring themselves unable to resist the siren call of adventure, they’re gone in a cloud of dust and three chords and the truth. Women in country music rarely hit the road and when they do, they often aren’t the ones who get to tell the story. But Hannah Juanita wrote a whole album about leaving — and then did.

Feeling stuck in a life that didn’t turn out the way she hoped, Juanita penned the songs for her debut album Hardliner as solace from a failing relationship and then moved to Nashville to sell it. Snappy and straightforward, with traditional country steel guitars, western swing and bluegrass’ sway, and a dash of conjunto, the album’s catchy sing-along lyrics sound like miles flying by on the road with one hand tapping a beat on the steering wheel.

Now a mainstay of the local Nashville scene, Juanita released her new single "Memory of You," on March 31.

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Now that the Coachella dust has settled at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., it's time for country music to take over.

Since 2007, the Stagecoach Festival has been bringing some of the biggest names in country music to the desert. This year is no different, with the festival featuring headliners Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton, along with some of country's newer hitmakers, including Bailey Zimmerman, Parker McCollum, Gabby Barrett, Lainey Wilson and Tyler Childers. 

In addition to the always exciting headliners and stars, Stagecoach continues to be a showcase for up-and-coming talent. Several budding country and folk artists are on this year's roster, from a genre-bending New Jersey native to a bluegrass songstress with a powerful voice.

For fans who can't make the trip to catch the action in person, Stagecoach will be live streaming all weekend on Amazon Prime. No matter how you're enjoying the festival, get to know 12 acts to catch at Stagecoach 2023. 

Nate Smith

The weekend will be a big one for Nate Smith all around: Not only will the California-born singer make his Stagecoach debut, but he will be releasing his self-titled debut album on the same day, Friday April 28.

It's been a long road to success for Smith, who first moved to Nashville in his early 20s. After things didn't take off, he returned home to Paradise, Calif.; in 2018, he lost everything he owned in the massive wildfire that ripped through his hometown.  

But through it all, he found hope through music, and returned to Nashville to try again. Now, he has a No. 1 song — the gritty breakup romp "Whiskey On You" peaked in January — and a rejuvenated soul that is clearly resonating.

Tiera Kennedy

Tiera Kennedy's smooth voice and southern charm first caught the attention of Nashville in 2019, when she was signed as the flagship artist on Songs & Daughters, a publishing company founded by songwriter Nicolle Galyon. In 2020, she released her first single "Found It In You" to critical acclaim.

Since then, Kennedy has independently released a self titled EP, giving fans a more full sense of who she is as an artist and songwriter. The release also led to a record deal with Big Machine Records in 2021.  

Kennedy's bright personality has resonated just as much as her music, as the singer hosts her own show on Apple Music Country. Titled The Tiera Show, the program sees Kennedy sharing her take on what's on the rise in country music with a very personal touch.

Jackson Dean

Another artist making his Stagecoach debut this year, Jackson Dean has been winning over country music fans with his outlaw style and unique, gritty voice. He's already scored a top 5 hit with his debut single, "Don't Come Lookin,'" which reached No. 3 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.

Dean's success has not been limited to just the charts, either: "Don't Come Lookin'" was featured on the TV show 'Yellowstone,' and he's been included on a number of artists to watch lists including Spotify's Hot Country Artists to Watch in 2023, Amazon Music's 2023 Breakthrough Artists to Watch: Country Class, and CMT's Listen Up class of 2023.

After selling out his headlining debut in Nashville in January, Dean will spend the majority of the year headlining sold-out shows and supporting the likes of Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Parker McCullum, Lainey Wilson, and Jon Pardi.

Mackenzie Carpenter

After first seeing success as a co-writer on Lily Rose's breakthrough song, "Villain," Mackenzie Carpenter has since made a name for herself as an artist in her own right. The Georgia-born singer's down-home personality shines through in her fun country-pop tunes including the catchy cautionary tale "Don't Mess With Exes" and the heartbreaking ballad "Jesus, I'm Jealous" — all of which ultimately prove that she isn't afraid to be herself.

In less than a year since signing with Big Machine imprint Valory Music Co., Carpenter has enjoyed many career milestones, including a Grand Ole Opry debut and an invitation to CMT's Next Women of Country class of 2023. And just weeks before taking the Stagecoach stage, Carpenter released her debut self-titled EP. 

Breland

Since the release of his debut single "My Truck" in 2019, Breland has been making waves in the industry by stretching the boundaries of country music. The New Jersey native's sound is derived from a mix of hip-hop, R&B and gospel, while still remaining recognizably country — he even titled his debut album Cross Country.

Breland's feel-good, diverse sound has already helped him land collaborations with country superstars, including Sam Hunt, Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley. His single with the latter, "Beers On Me" (also featuring HARDY), scored Breland his first No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart, but he's proving to make an impact in his own right with more than 1 billion streams to date.

This year marks Breland's second year in a row on the Stagecoach stage, as he performed at the Late Night at Palomino after-party in 2022.

Bella White

Bella White brings a fresh perspective to an old-time sound. The Canadian artist serves audiences traditional bluegrass sounds with a clear, powerful voice.

White's voice, however, is not her only strength. She's also a skilled instrumentalist, as she was raised in a musical household and was drawn to the mandolin and banjo early on in her life. 

Following the success of her debut album Just Like Leaving, White signed to Rounder Records in 2021. Just ahead of her Stagecoach performance, White released her second album, Among Other Things, on which she explores heartbreak and a wider breadth of sounds, weaving drums and electric guitars into her traditional-sounding strings.

Kameron Marlowe

After a short stint on 'The Voice' in 2018, Kameron Marlowe began paving his own way in Nashville. The singer has made a name for himself with his signature smoky voice, while making sure his music is a true reflection of who he is.

Marlowe gained traction with his first independent release, 2019's "Giving You Up," which helped him land a record deal with Sony Music Nashville in 2020. He's since released his debut album, 2022's We Were Cowboys, and has sold out shows across the country — including his hometown of Charlotte, N.C.

Marlowe nods to his home state in his latest release, "Take Me Home," in which he grapples with the changes that come along with success: "I hate feeling like I'm someone / That I've never been before / Take me home to Carolina / I don't wanna be here anymore," he sings.

Morgan Wade

A trailblazing country singer with an edge, Morgan Wade has captivated audiences with the striking vulnerability of her music. Wade takes her experiences with heartbreak, mental health and addiction and crafts them into songs that stick with listeners.

Wade's voice borders on the edge of country and rock, which makes her moving lyrics all the more affecting. That is particularly true on her breakout track, "Wilder Days," which takes listeners through the raw emotion of finding the right person at the wrong time.

Since the 2021 release of Wade's album Reckless, she has been touring nonstop, both in the U.S. and overseas. Wade's Stagecoach performance is one of over 65 tour dates for 2023, giving fans across the country and around the world a chance to experience her powerful music live. 

Tre Burt

Folk artist Tre Burt uses his storytelling prowess to tell the stories of the moment, amplified by his rootsy sound. Burt engages audiences with tracks like "Under the Devil's Knee," a protest song written during the upheaval of 2020, a year during which he found musical inspiration in the chaos surrounding him.

Since hitting the scene, Burt has performed with artists including Nathanial Ratecliff and Margo Price, and has become a staple at folk festivals around the country. Burt expanded on his deeply affecting sound with his second album, You, Yeah, You, which arrived in 2021; with his powerful delivery on stage and on record, he's been labeled a "storyteller and musical philosopher," and a "troubadour" blazing his own path.

Jaime Wyatt

Jaime Wyatt's success has been long and hard-earned. The singer/songwriter entered the music business when she was just a teen, and the now 37-year-old has kept her nose to the grindstone ever since. Her years have been colored with late nights in honky tonks, addiction, and recovery, and she details it all in her traditional country music.

Wyatt's 2020 release, Neon Cross, challenged the genre, as the singer examined her identity as a queer woman, and positioned herself as a true outlaw in the landscape of the industry. In 2021, she released a merch line with a portion of the proceeds benefiting G.L.I.T.S, an organization that addresses systematic discrimination of LGBTQIA+ individuals. In being true to herself, Wyatt has provided a beacon of hope for queer artists and fans alike.

Kaitlin Butts

Kaitlin Butts has made a habit out of being a good listener, crafting the stories she hears into fun, innovative country songs. Like many of her Stagecoach cohorts, Butts has a versatile sound, drawing in influences from rock and 90's emo music — but the baseline is always undeniably country.

While Butts has been releasing music since 2015's Same Hell, Different Devil, this past year has been a whirlwind for the budding star. Her second album, What Else Can She Do, landed in the top 10 of Billboard's Americana Albums chart; the title track earned a spot on Rolling Stone's "100 Best Songs of 2022" list.

Within a span of six months, Butts played the Ryman Auditorium and made her Grand Ole Opry debut, and has opened for fellow Stagecoacher Morgan Wade as well as playing several other festivals.

American Aquarium

American Aquarium, led by BJ Barham, incorporates elements of country, folk and rock music into their thought-provoking music.The group's lyrics wrestle with some of life's biggest problems and tell delicate, personal stories.

The band's latest record, Chicamacomico, is a journey through the lead singer's personal losses. The album is a departure from the band's previously harder, rock-leaning sound, presenting more stripped-down tracks that lean more on Barnham's stirring vocals. Even so, Chicamacomico has been hailed as their best album yet. 

Over the span of a 20-year career, American Aquarium has cycled through many members; Barnham being a mainstay on lead vocals. The band has proven their staying power in the industry, and their presence at Stagecoach proves that the festival is a celebration of country music in all its forms.

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The archenemy of great heavy metal might not be the censors, the brass, or your clergyman, but something way more mundane: getting older.

On Deicide's early work — like their classic 1990 self-titled debut and its 1992 follow-up, Legion  —  the Florida quartet sounded deranged, filterless. And their twisted-taut songwriting made it all connect straight to your jaw.

Their leader, bassist and vocalist Glen Benton, has always been utterly unconvincing as a scary consort of Lucifer. Rather, he drew Deicide's viciously anti-organized-religion themes straight from his life experience. Specifically, "terrifying moments" growing up with a "so-called Catholic" father and Lutheran mother, sitting through creepy Latin intonations with eternal damnation hanging over his head.

This uniquely grounded perspective gave Deicide emotional resonance, and a rage that seemed earned and realistic. When metal's legion of cookie-cutter, crucifix-inverting provocateurs try to wig you out, the only reasonable response is to roll your eyes and keep it moving. Deicide, on the other hand, might prompt a sleepless night researching the crimes of the Vatican.

"I identify myself as a free thinker and a kid that was tormented just like everybody else growing up," Benton once said, in an article that also featured him on his bike, cooing at a group of passing turkeys.

As with almost any legacy act in metal, Deicide's path hasn't always been easy. The lineup has shifted. Benton's had struggles, including with substances. Now, he takes lengthy bike rides every morning, eats a plant-based diet, and stays away from toxic people and situations.

Grinning ear to ear at home in Florida, in front of hockey masks on a bare wall, Benton's pleased as punch to have a new Deicide album, Banished by Sin, out April 26. Divorces, a custody battle, and empty-nester syndrome put him in a "dark corner," as he put it in press materials.

But songs like "Sever the Tongue" and "The Light Defeated" sound like he alchemized that pain into the hair-raising fun of metal. In conversation, Benton proudly states that Deicide avoided compression, Pro Tools, and plugins whenever possible — a heel turn from their last few records.

Make no mistake, Banished by Sin still sounds like modern metal; if you're clamoring for a return to mid-fi, analog sound, your mileage may vary.  But by minding these issues, and taking care of the songwriting, Benton, original drummer Steve Asheim, and guitarists Kevin Quirion and Taylor Nordberg have managed to reignite that decades-old flame.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

You've mentioned retreating into a "dark corner," beleaguered by "other people's hangups." What was going on there?

I mean the personnel changes and stuff like that. And just the last decade, man, I lost my parents, lost all the family, lost everything in that. The kids all grew up, moved out. I just found myself all by myself there for a while. Things happened and bing, bam, boom, the universe threw some things at me and snapped me out of it.

I had a good time putting this together. I was out of my contract with Sony and Sensory Media, so I was able to really just put something together that was more out of just fun. Just, let's create something that when we do take it to somebody, they're going to jump all over it.

What snapped you out of this dark period?

I just kind of came to some realizations. I think you do when you get older, you know?

I guess, all the time I spent standing in the corner in the dark there, I just kind of discovered some of the deeper meanings of life. I just spent my whole life trying to make everybody else happy and kind of just forgot about my happiness. I put my s— to the back burner for a lot of things and a lot of people. Now I'm selfish and I just think about me and myself.

Seems like a healthier route.

I warn everybody: I'm guilty of just thinking about me sometimes, after all these years worrying about everybody else's happiness.

That goes for everybody. I mean, from my kids, to the exes, to everybody, you know what I mean? Obviously, I keep conducting business as usual, but I just... The guilty pleasures of, "Hey, you guys drive there and I'll fly there and meet you there," that kind of stuff. Not putting myself through the agony of a 20-hour drive anymore.

I'm sure in the early days of Deicide, there was no people-pleasing. Just making honest, provocative art.

It's still the same way, man. I don't put too much thought into what anybody else is thinking or doing. I just approach everything from my own perspective.

But as the band wore on through the years, I'm sure other voices entered your headspace, and made you self-question.

Nah, self-question? Man, I really don't. I can say that one of the things that I discovered recently that probably enlightened me the most is that I truly don't give too much of a s— about much.

You kind of rediscover that person that you were before a family, and kids, and your career, and all that stuff. What happened is I rediscovered and reconnected with who I really am and where I came from.

It's really liberating, man, at my age, and that's how I approached the record. It's like, You know what? I'm not doing this for anybody else's pleasure or enjoyment but my own.

There's no deadlines. There's no extensive record contract involved. I ain't got people breathing down my neck. I can just do whatever I do and enjoy, create something for myself. That's what we did, just like we did in the old days. No pressure. We just wrote songs that we thought were heavy, and put them together.

When family and industry stuff began to cloud your world, was it ever a drag to make music?

Willie Nelson would tell you if he didn't have sad stuff to write about, he wouldn't have any songs at all. It's just how it is. You write from your heart, and your life, and your experiences and you let that just kind of spill into your art. The poetry of my lyrics hold a lot of that stuff in there.

The title of Banished by Sin struck me. Unfairly treating someone as an outcast is more evil than any "evil" music in the world.

Right? Well, that's how I've always felt, because of who I am, and what I do, and everything. I've been banished by most. So that's where the title came up. I've been banished and I embrace it.

Yet there's this pervasive sense of cathartic fun. What was the vibe like, getting in the studio with the band at the outset?

We recorded right down the street from my house. We were rehearsing down in New Port Richey, but we moved everything here to my home, which is right directly up the street from Jeramie Kling's house, where the studio is. We're 60 seconds away from the studio now.

Jeramie and I would ride bikes in the morning and we'd talk about it, about trying to work with [Kling]. I told Steve, "Hey, listen, let's try it. We'll record a couple songs and see where it goes, see what it sounds like."

We did that and immediately it was just like, Yeah, this is magic. So we kept recording, and getting all the rhythm tracks done, and getting ready to start shopping it.

It was incredible. We went for more of a live sound. We used all amps and cabs and mics. We used Pro Tools a little bit; a lot of bands overuse it, and I wanted more of a live sound on this record, like a demo kind of sound. That's what we were shooting at, and that's why it's got that intent.

I'm sure there were barely even any overdubs on early Deicide material.

Well, you're talking about the age of two-inch tape. So doing overdubs, you're splicing tape, and cutting this, and cutting that. You had to go in there, and three guys stand there with the guitars, Steve in an isolation booth, and go for it.

I miss that approach, doing it like the old school. You go to the studio, you set your rigs up in that, you mic everybody, and you record, and that's how you distinguish your sound. It gets lost with the digital age.

The last couple of records, I played through plugins. I don't want to play through plugins, I want to play through a rig. I want my sound. When I sound like live, I want it on a record. That's what we were able to achieve with this.

Jeramie's our sound man, too, so he knows our sound inside and out. He was able to engineer and track us. So we captured that old school '90s sound vibe with the way we recorded it and that. I found out that less is best.

Did you write in the studio, or have all the tunes written?

Oh, we had all the songs written, man. We wrote all that stuff during COVID and we put it all together while we were putting the Legion [30th anniversary] stuff together. Then we were writing the songs in between all that.

Where are you at with your bass thinking? I'm sure you retrieved some technical and creative elements from when you were a younger, hungrier man.

I found out that the older you get, that stuff that you thought was really technical back then is not as technical today as you did. As a player, you improve.

When I was first approached about doing the Legion stuff, I was really hesitant. But I pulled it together. Once I started learning the stuff, I was like, Wow, man, I can't believe how easy that stuff is, compared to what we've been playing over the last decade.

Have certain incarnations of Deicide been less-than-functional? It seems like you're enjoying a healthy and productive dynamic with these guys.

With Taylor in the band, it's like we're at a place where it's never been better. I mean, everybody just gets along great. Nobody has any kind of hangups, personally. We just get down to business immediately.

He's an experienced engineer, as well as a phenomenal guitar player. Everybody clicks, and I got a great team of people working for me now. Finally, after all these years, we finally, we're at that place where me and Steve are really happy with the way things are working out.

We did a one record deal with RPM, and now that record deal has been handed in. It's a good feeling, man, because having those long, extensive recording contracts can be a little oppressive.

In the early days, the band was on fire. But I imagine you and Steve were less adult in dealing with each other.

Well, yeah, me and Steve have pretty much grown up together. I remember the day he quit high school, man. We spent a lot of time together.

Like I say, people changed over the years and that. But I just consider myself the coach of the team, and it's my job to try to keep making this thing better, and get the team stronger. Now I have us at a place where we've never been stronger.

I'm pretty content now, man. I don't have to stress and worry about the people that are in the band doing something stupid or embarrassing us in any way and ruining the brand. Yeah, everybody's totally 100 percent into this.

*Glen Benton of Deicide. Photo: Gene Smirnov*

You're clearly creatively energized. How do you keep your vitality up?

I ride my bike between 15 and 20 miles every morning. That's what keeps me moving. man. It keeps my cardio up, and keeps my health up. I eat healthy. That's about it.

Take the readers through the moment when you realized you had a great album in the can.

I think it was when I started laying vocals to it. Instead of coming in and blowing my voice out, doing four songs in a day's time. I was able to come in and do one song a day. So, I was able to come in there with the intensity.

I'd do one song, and then I'd listen to that over the course of the evening, which brought me in the next day with even more determination to make it even sicker. So for me, when I started hearing the vocals, the way I was laying the patterns down and everything was coming together.

When we had all the songs done, and you listened to it in its entirety, I was like, Wow, this is something special.

In the early days, what was the atmosphere like between Deicide and your peers? Was it super competitive? Were you all friends?

Some of us were friends, some of us weren't friends. Competitive? I didn't even know anybody else existed by me for the longest time.

I grew up here in Florida and I grew up going to concerts and shows by local bands, Nasty Savage, Savatage. With some of us, it was a competition. We all kind of fell in on the scene at the same time. So there was a lot of puffing of chests about who was here first, and all that stuff. "We're the best, this is the best, this is the greatest, we're the best." Everybody was just trying to sell themselves like that.

I just really tried to avoid all that. I do what I do, and I appreciate everybody that does the same thing that's keeping this alive.

Alive, and thriving. How's the early response to Banished by Sin been?

You have your people that have nothing better to say. But then, you know what? Then you got the real fans, man, that have been chiming in with kind words in regards to the new stuff.

For the first time ever in my career, it's really, it's warming to know that people still dig what we're doing. We really appreciate it, man. There's a lot of cool comments, It's really been entertaining.

I can't wait to drop the next video, man, that's going to come out when we release the record. That's going to cause a lot of controversy, so we're looking forward to dropping that one on everybody.

Some pearl-clutching, as usual?

There's going to be a lot of disclaimers before the video drops.

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Since Post Malone burst onto the mainstream nearly a decade ago, he has continued to flaunt his genre-defying brand of musical brilliance. For his latest venture, it’s time for gold grills and cowboy hats: Posty’s going country.

Though his musical origins are in rap, Malone has seamlessly traversed pop, R&B, and blues, always hinting at his deep-seated country roots along the way. In the last year, his long-standing affinity for country music has moved to the forefront, with appearances at the CMA Awards, a country-tinged Super Bowl LVIII performance, and a feature on Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER. Next up, he’ll make his debut at California's Stagecoach Festival alongside some of country music’s biggest names — and pay tribute to some of the genre greats.

While it’s unclear exactly what the Texas-raised hitmaker will be singing, his 45-minute set on Saturday, April 27 is labeled “Post Malone: Performs a special set of country covers.” After years of performing covers for and alongside country stars, the performance is arguably one of the most full-circle moments of his career thus far.

Ahead of his Stagecoach premiere, read on for some of Posty's biggest nods and contributions to the country music scene over the years — that could culminate in his own country album soon enough. 

A Slew Of Classic Country Music Covers

Malone has a history of channeling his musical heroes, often pulling on his boots to deliver heartfelt covers. He's paid tribute to country icons many times, including covers of Hank Williams Jr.'s classic, "There's A Tear In My Beer” in a 2018 fan-favorite video. 

During a 2022 Billy Strings tour stop at The Observatory in Los Angeles, Malone made a surprise appearance and used the moment to honor Johnny Cash alongside Strings. The pair delivered an acoustic duet of Cash's infamous murder ballad, "Cocaine Blues."

And just this year, Malone covered Hank Williams Sr. during a surprise performance at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. On April 3, he closed out the annual Bobby Bones' Million Dollar Show with a rendition of Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues." 

A Longtime Kinship With Dwight Yoakam

Malone has long collaborated with Dwight Yoakam, marking a friendship and professional partnership that spans his career. Yoakam is a GRAMMY-winning trailblazer known for his pioneering blend of honky tonk, rock and punk that shook up the country scene in the 80's with his blend of "cowpunk." 

The pair frequently joined forces on Yoakam's SiriusXM Radio spot "Greater Bakersfield," where one standout 2018 appearance features Malone covering Yoakam's own “Thousand Miles From Nowhere” as the two laugh, strum and belt out the lyrics together in perfect harmony. 

On April Fool's Day in 2021, they playfully teased fans with the prospect of a double country album release — which may not seem so far-fetched three years later.

It's fitting that Malone would find such deep inspiration in folks like Yoakam, a man who first rode onto the country scene with a new take on a traditional sound. Much like Yoakam bridged generations with his music, Malone brings a new yet familiar energy to the country scene, embodying the spirit of a modern cowboy in both style and sound.

A Country Tribute To Elvis

Malone teamed up with Keith Urban for a duet rendition of "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" during the "Elvis All-Star Tribute Special," which aired on NBC in 2019. Originally written and performed by blues musician and songwriter Jimmy Reed, "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" was famously covered by Presley and commemorated through Urban and Malone's unique blend of modern guitar-slapping country-rock charisma. 

That wasn't Malone's only country collab that night, either. He also covered Presley's "Blue Suede Shoes" alongside Blake Shelton, Little Big Town and Mac Davis.

A Celebration Of Texas With Country Legends

In March 2021, Matthew McConaughey and his wife, Camila, hosted the "We’re Texas" virtual benefit concert, to help Texans coping with that year's disastrous winter storms during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Following performances by George Strait, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, and Miranda Lambert, Malone — who moved to Dallas when he was 10 — served as the night's final entertainer. He performed Brad Paisley's "I'm Gonna Miss Her" followed by Sturgill Simpson's "You Can Have The Crown" backed by Dwight Yoakam.

A Rousing Tribute At The 2023 CMA Awards

At the 2023 CMA Awards, Malone joined country stars Morgan Wallen and HARDY on stage to cover late icon Joe Diffie‘s “Pickup Man” and "John Deere Green." Malone's first-ever performance at the CMAs felt more like a reunion than a debut, with Malone right at home among his collaborators.

“I’ve manifested this for years," HARDY told Audacy's Katie Neal. "Slight flex here, but I started following [Post Malone] when he had like, 300k Instagram followers. I was on the 'White Iverson' terrain, like the first thing that he ever put out and I was like, ‘this is dope,’ and I've been with him ever since.” 

After the performance, Malone hinted to Access Hollywood that it might be the start of a new chapter. When asked if a forthcoming country album would be in the works, he answered, “I think so. Yes, ma'am.” (More on that later.)

A Countrified Appearance At Super Bowl LVIII

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Before Beyoncé announced COWBOY CARTER in a Verizon Super Bowl ad, Malone offered Super Bowl Sunday's first country-themed clue at the top of the night with his tender rendition of "America The Beautiful." Sporting a bolo tie and brown suede, Malone delivered his patriotic performance with a characteristically country drawl while strumming along on acoustic guitar before Reba McIntire's star-spangled rendition of the national anthem. 

Malone's performance followed in the footsteps of a long line of country artists who have kicked off the national sporting event, which started with Charley Pride in 1974 and has included Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Garth Brooks. 

A Tip Of The Hat To Toby Keith

During a performance at the American Rodeo in Arlington, Texas, on March 9, Malone paid tribute to the late Toby Keith, who passed away in February. After pouring one out and taking a sip from a red solo cup (an homage to Keith's playful hit of the same name), Malone performed a cover of "As Good As I Once Was" for the Texas rodeo crowd.

His TikTok video of the performance quickly garnered over 4 million views, sparking enthusiasm among fans for more country music from him. "Sir. I'm now begging for a country album," wrote one user in a comment that has received over 11,000 hearts.

A (Potential) Full-On Country Album

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His much-teased country album may not be too yonder. After confirming that a country album was in the works during a live Twitch stream on his channel, Malone has spent much of this year teasing forthcoming new work. There is no scheduled album release date as of press time, but Malone has shared snippets of new songs including “Missin’ You Like This” and dropped sneak peeks of collaborations with Morgan Wallen, HARDY, Ernest, and Luke Combs. 

In February, Malone posted a sample of a collaboration with Combs, "I Ain't Got A Guy For That," the first in a series of song snippets shared across his social channels. 

On March 20, Malone posted a reel to Instagram featuring a video of himself seated on a stool, smoking a cigarette and singing along to a track that opens with Wallen singing, “It takes two to break a heart in two,” as Malone comes in to deliver a blow with the line, “Baby you blame me, and baby I’ll blame you." The track, shared with the caption (and supposed song title) "I had some help," was first announced in a now-deleted social media post by Wallen at the end of 2023. 

No matter when the album may come, Post Malone’s Stagecoach set will only up the anticipation for some original country music from the star — and from the looks of it, fans and genre stars alike are more than ready for it.

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On her debut solo EP, (G)-IDLE's YUQI has one wish: for all the "freaks" around the world to confidently sing along with her.

YUQ1 boasted a whopping 500,000 pre-order sales prior to its April 23 release, demonstrating the Chinese singer/songwriter's tremendous popularity. YUQI's creative flair permeates everything from the music itself to its accompanying visuals, as does her desire to stand alone. "I’m a certified freak," she sings, celebrating the liberation she feels when embracing her uniqueness.

YUQI is the third member of (G)I-DLE to make her solo debut, and the quintet's second member to release a solo EP. While YUQI has released her own music before — including the digital album A Page and singles "Bad Liar" and "Fire!" with Alan Walker and JVKE — YUQ1 marks her first lengthier release. 

YUQI added an additional level of authenticity to her EP by contributing compositions and lyrics to most of the tracks, meticulously working on crafting her unique artist identity as she dabbles in different genres. From the red rabbit mascot on the concept photos to the lyric in "FREAK" that mentions her Zodiac sign Libra, YUQ1 is a reflection of the singer's free-spirited yet delicate artistic qualities. 

**This isn’t the first time YUQI has preached about being proud of yourself and your life. Her trendy 2021 house-inspired single "Bonnie & Clyde" (from A Page) similarly depicts a high level of confidence, as well as a fearlessness when it comes to facing whatever life throws at you. And YUQI has truly lived this bravery as an artist who moved from her home country to Korea, learned a new language, and experienced the strenuous K-Pop training system.**

While YUQI has grown exponentially over the past six years as a member of (G)-IDLE and as a solo act, she still feels the need to be perfect. And while (G)I-DLE is the only K-Pop girl group to achieve a "perfect all-kill" on major domestic charts with four consecutive releases, YUQI believes she hasn't succeeded yet.  

As her understanding of creating her crafts deepens, YUQI’s self-awareness also grows. "The depth of my understanding of the songs I create has significantly changed and improved," YUQI tells GRAMMY.com. "I, personally [and] as an artist, have matured a lot!"

Perhaps she picked up some of these facets from her father. "Honestly, even without joking, my father taught me everything when I was 3 years old," she says with a laugh.

While in Seoul, YUQI sat down with GRAMMY.com to share why she thinks everyone is a "freak," and how this era marks the beginning for her as a solo artist.

The interview has been edited for clarity.

This is just your first mini-album, but do you already have a vision for your solo career?

I tried to capture the YUQI that’s real and confident in this album. No matter what other people say about me, I’m not the weird one. But, in fact, I think everyone is a "freak," too. 

This album expresses my confidence and emotional life through music. I wanted to convey that you just have to live confidently too, just as I do. When preparing for my solo album, I also tried different hairstyles that I’ve never tried as a (G)I-DLE member!

You've previously shared that moving to Korea alone to pursue this career was difficult, and your parents were strongly against it at first. Do you think those uncertainties and challenges played a huge role in making who you are?

Definitely! That situation did play a huge role in my career. I just kept on believing in myself and moving forward for my dream and what I wanted to achieve. And through the journey, I discovered that believing in yourself is the best way and that mindset helped me a lot.

I was insecure about my voice when I first came to Korea. But then, everyone told me how precious my voice was. Just like my unique voice, I believe there were many aspects of myself that I wasn't initially aware of, which contributed to my growth as an artist. 

I’m always open and working hard to listen to many people’s opinions so I’ll be able to have a broad perspective. It helps me and makes me develop myself in many ways!

Your music often tackles common worries about growing up, and some of the songs on YUQ1 are inspired by your personal experience such as "My Way" and "Everytime." How do you feel about sharing this side of yourself with the public?

When I talk about my worries and tell a story about them, I feel that everyone actually shares similar experiences regardless of the circumstances they’ve been through or will go through.

In a previous interview with GRAMMY.com, you said that your biggest takeaway since debuting in (G)I-DLE is to always be proud of yourself. Do you feel that way now, or is there a gap that you think you need to fill in order to achieve that pride?

Honestly, my thoughts have not changed over the years. I still feel proud of myself, always! Something that would not change, is that I would still [like to] challenge myself and try to do anything I want to go after. 

Also, I always think that I’m not perfect and always try to make up for what is lacking.

You believe you haven’t succeeded yet. However, you’ve already come so far in people’s eyes. At what point in time do you believe you can proudly say "I made it"? 

When people only see me in the media, they would think that I have succeeded a lot. But for me, personally, I don't think so… I still have many things to do in order to succeed in my career. And I always try to keep moving forward with my goals.

My biggest dream, both now and in the past, has always been to live a happy life. It changes from time to time often, but I guess living a happy life is my ultimate goal.

You never forget to mention how you want to always keep improving in interviews. How would you describe YUQI who works really hard to showcase her growth right now?

While preparing for this album, I have experienced so many things that I haven't experienced fully before. For instance, there are so many genres I explored while preparing for this album. Also, it was the first time where I designed my own album, came up with the concept, and had a full album with all the songs that I composed! 

This album definitely allowed me to grow as an artist. Even though there were a lot of difficulties, I believe that those are part of the journey and made YUQI even more mature, have more responsibilities, and be aware of them.

Could you share some insights and walk us through your involvement in the songwriting process?

I have participated in composing and lyrics for (G)I-DLE’s songs in our previous albums. However, this was my first time composing an album on my own. 

It makes me think I can actually do more diverse things, and I believe I was able to do what I wanted to do for myself in this album. It was a great opportunity to include many songs in my own way and style and was able to show new aspects that I have never shown before with my group.

You worked with MINNIE, pH-1, and Lexie Liu on the album’s "Everytime," "Drink It Up," and "On Clap," respectively. What made you choose to feature them on those particular songs, and what was the experience like?

I think and feel that [MINNIE’s] unique voice always suits every song! I’ve always wanted to work with her and I’m glad that she was able to be part of my album. 

And pH-1 was an artist that I’ve always wanted to work with. There was a rap part in "Drink It Up" and I was trying to look for a rapper that would perfectly fit into that part, and pH-1 came into my mind. I had so much fun working with him and he perfectly matched the style that I thought of. Even though it was our first time working together, he was very friendly! 

Lexie and I have been close friends for a long time. We always promised to work together, and I thought this time was the perfect opportunity to do so. I’m thankful that we worked on a song together.

The main character on the track list photo is a red rabbit. It’s also in the music video and some of your concept photos. Could you tell us the backstory of who that is and what that represents?

I was born in the year of a Rabbit and my favorite color is red! So, I decided to have a red rabbit as my main character. And that represents YUQI itself. When you look at the track list, you can see that the rabbit’s facial expressions and comments change depending on the song. In that sense, I think it is a character that shows YUQI’s day in various aspects!

When most people think of a red rabbit, I think that what comes to their mind is that it could be mysterious and scary. And so, I wanted to add some fun elements to the music video and give that feel of a horror movie. 

What’s one line from a song on YUQ1 that hit you the most? And what's something you want the listeners to resonate with the songs?

[A line] from my title track "FREAK"! I think it’s going to be the chorus part, "I’m a certified FREAK." I often talk about my strength as an artist and I saw a lot of comments asking, "Why is she like that?" and "Why is she talking about her own strength?" 

These comments actually gave me a lot of inspiration while writing this song. People who judge me… that way, they are also "FREAK" like everyone else. This is the reason I chose this part. The song contains a message that since you only live once, live yourself whatever you want to do without worrying about what others think.

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