The Great Music Makeover: Pop and Rock Artists Who Went Country

There are pop stars who traded their glitter for a grit, and rock stars who swapped their leather jackets for cowboy boots and released country albums. These pop and rock artists who went country have proven that genre lines are meant to be broken. Music, after all, is a shapeshifter.

When these crossover artists stepped into country territory, they didn’t just blend in; they shook things up. With the energy of rock, the bop of pop, and the genuine storytelling of country, these genre-jumping musicians came with sounds that felt both fresh and familiar.   

In 1962, Ray Charles released Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, a compilation of famous country music covers. The album spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and is responsible for introducing country music to a broader audience. Charles was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2021, making him the only artist who is known for non-country music to receive this honor.  

Chris Stapleton is the poster boy for alt-country rock and roll. Stapleton had his start in the music industry as a prolific songwriter for pop artists, including Adele and Ed Sheeran, and was also the lead singer and guitarist for the bluegrass band The SteelDrivers from 2006 to 2010. The band achieved success with two hit records that peaked at No. 2 on the bluegrass chart.  

Aside from The SteelDrivers, Stapleton was also a member of the blues-influenced Southern rock band The Jompson Brothers.  

When he started his solo career, his debut solo album, Traveller, peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 and achieved 7x platinum certification by the RIAA. He also received numerous accolades, including 11 Grammy Awards, 15 Country Music Association Awards, and 11 Academy of Country Music Awards, helping him reach a mainstream audience.  

Known as the lead vocalist for the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, Darius Rucker is also known to be one of those artists who transitioned to country music successfully. He has achieved nine Country Airplay hits since Learn to Live, his second solo album and debut country album. He’s released six country albums since then, with his latest, Carolyn’s Boy, released in 2023.   

Of course, a list about musicians who transitioned to country would not be complete without mentioning Beyoncé. Her song “Texas Hold ‘Em” from her album Cowboy Carter made her the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and marked her ninth No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It also won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2024, a first for her after being nominated five times (finally, right?).

Her latest album also achieved other significant milestones. It debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums chart, making her the first Black woman to top the latter since its inception in 1964.  

Another mainstream artist popular from a non-country genre (pop, hip-hop, and R&B) who transitioned to country is Post Malone. His collaboration with Joe Diffie on “Pickup Man” marked his first Country Airplay entry, debuting at No. 54. Malone also worked with other country music stars, including a feature on HARDY’s Hixtape Vol.3: Difftape.   

Even before releasing his own country music album, F-1 Trillion, Malone had shown his love for the genre. His transition to country included guest appearances from the likes of Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Dolly Parton, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, and Lainey Wilson, among others.   

Elle King who debuted as a rock and alternative artist, successfully moved to country by collaborating with Miranda Lambert for the duet “Drunk (And I Don’t Want to Go Home.” The track is the lead single from her third studio album, Come Get Your Wife. Aside from reaching No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart, King and Lambert became the first female duet to reach the top of the charts, after Reba McEntire and Linda Davis’s “Does He Love You” in 1993.  

Formerly the lead vocalist of the pop-rock band Hey Monday, The Voice season 3 winner released a successful country album, Frame by Frame, in 2013. The album debuted at No. 9 on the US Billboard 200.  

Despite the success these crossover artists accomplished, they still experienced challenges and criticisms from traditional country music fans. When Beyoncé performed “Daddy Lessons” with the Chicks at the 2016 CMA Awards. She was dismissed, with fans arguing she didn’t belong on the stage, and the performance was removed from the recording. Country music has been marred by accusations of being strict with its boundaries and not welcoming artists from other genres.   

Wesley Rose, a music industry executive and record producer, said, “You can't be country and be on the pop charts at the same time.” Dolly Parton, who was once accused of forgetting her roots, said, “I'm taking it with me to new places.”  

However, it seems the issue of who can be considered an “authentic” country music artist is no longer a problem if the charts are to be the basis. Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter charted No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and won Grammys in two country categories, despite claims of "gatekeeping" within the genre. The same with BigXthaPlug’s I Hope You’re Happy, which reached No. 2 on the charts.  

There is a counterargument that it's the traditional and independent country artists who are the ones being gatekept and struggle for recognition within the music industry, compared to crossover artists who had already achieved mainstream popularity before switching to country.  

Country music is evolving, and it's becoming more open to artists from diverse musical backgrounds. Fans are looking for more country-pop hybrid songs because of their enduring appeal, and we’re likely to see more artists blending genres and taking risks with new sounds in the coming years.