Somewhere along the way, country music got loud. For the better part of the 2010s, Nashville chased the stadium. Arena drums, hip-hop hi-hats, and glossy production defined what critics dubbed “bro-country.” But over the past few years, the genre has quietly shifted back toward something older and quieter: acoustic guitars, handwritten lyrics, and songs that feel like they were recorded on a porch rather than in a million-dollar studio.
At the centre of that shift sits artists like Zach Bryan, Dylan Gossett and Sam Barber—songwriters whose success has helped usher in a new wave of country that leans heavily toward folk and Americana. In their wake, a generation of younger artists is rediscovering country’s roots: the lonely highway ballad, the confessional lyric, the voice and guitar with nothing to hide behind. Sam Barber released his new song, ‘Borrowed Time’ yesterday (March 6th) – listen to it below.
It’s less Nashville polish. More campfire.
And increasingly, it’s defining the sound of country music in the 2020s.
The New Folk-Country Class
The new wave is less a scene than a loose constellation of artists connected by sound and sensibility. Some are Red Dirt traditionalists, others indie-folk outsiders—but they share an emphasis on storytelling, emotional vulnerability, and stripped-back production.
Wyatt Flores
An Oklahoma singer-songwriter who blends Red Dirt country with folk-rock storytelling, Flores emerged in the early 2020s with deeply personal songs about mental health, family, and life on the road. His 2024 debut album Welcome to the Plains explores themes of home and identity, echoing the kind of autobiographical songwriting that has become central to the genre’s revival.
Dylan Gossett
Gossett represents the DIY side of the movement. His breakout song ‘Coal’ went viral after he recorded a simple version in his bedroom, launching him into the spotlight almost overnight. His music mixes Texas country and indie folk, often focusing on family history, faith, and small-town life.
Tyler Childers
While not new, Childers is one of the genre’s spiritual architects. His music blends bluegrass, folk, and honky-tonk traditions, and his 2017 breakthrough album helped redefine what modern country storytelling could look like.
Charles Wesley Godwin
Godwin’s cinematic storytelling—songs about coal towns, lost love, and Appalachian landscapes—connects modern country directly to folk traditions of place and memory.
Sierra Ferrell
Perhaps the most distinctive voice of the movement, Ferrell blends Appalachian folk, bluegrass, and vintage jazz influences into something entirely her own. Her songs feel both timeless and eccentric, echoing early American folk traditions while pushing them somewhere new.
Kassi Valazza
Valazza’s dreamy, Laurel Canyon-inspired folk-country evokes artists like Joni Mitchell while maintaining a modern indie sensibility. Her songwriting leans toward poetic introspection rather than country’s traditional narrative style.
Noeline Hofmann
Hailing from Alberta, Hofmann has built early momentum with a style that blends traditional country storytelling with a rugged, Western-influenced Americana sound. Her breakthrough moment came when Zach Bryan championed her song ‘Purple Gas,’ even joining her on a re-recorded duet that introduced her to a wider audience. With a growing reputation for raw, emotionally grounded songs that capture the landscapes and working-class spirit of the Canadian prairies, Hofmann is emerging as a compelling new voice.
Margo Price
Although she emerged earlier in the 2010s, Price helped pave the way for the current roots revival. Her outlaw-influenced songwriting and resistance to Nashville polish signalled that a different version of country could succeed.
Why It’s Happening Now
1. Gen Z Wants Something Real
One of the clearest explanations is generational.
Younger listeners—particularly Gen Z—have grown up in an era defined by social media performance and hyper-produced pop. The appeal of artists like Bryan or Gossett is their imperfection. Cracked voices, live recordings, and rough-edged production feel authentic in a digital world full of filters.
Many of these artists first built audiences through TikTok or YouTube by posting raw acoustic performances. The result is music that sounds closer to a demo than a radio single.
But that’s exactly the point.
2. The Folk Revival Happened First
Country’s shift also mirrors a broader folk revival already underway.
Artists like Noah Kahan and bands such as The Lumineers helped bring folk storytelling back into the mainstream in the late 2010s and early 2020s. When those sounds crossed into country—often through collaborations or overlapping audiences—the transition felt natural.
Bryan himself frequently collaborates with folk-leaning artists; one example is the country-folk track ‘Sarah’s Place,’ recorded with Kahan.
3. The Ed Sheeran Effect
Pop music also played a role.
The acoustic singer-songwriter template popularized by artists like Ed Sheeran proved that simple guitar-driven songs could dominate streaming charts worldwide. For a generation of young country artists, Sheeran demonstrated that intimacy could be just as commercially powerful as spectacle.
Many of today’s rising country-folk acts grew up as much on indie and pop songwriting as they did on classic country.
4. Streaming Broke Nashville’s Gatekeeping
Perhaps the biggest shift is structural.For decades, Nashville radio largely determined what country music sounded like. Streaming changed that.
Artists like Bryan, Gossett, and Barber built massive audiences online before mainstream country radio had a chance to define them. Their success proved there was a huge appetite for quieter, more introspective country music that the industry had largely overlooked.
Once streaming numbers started rivaling those of radio stars, the industry had no choice but to follow.
Back to the Roots
Ironically, what sounds like a revolution is actually a return.The folk-leaning country now dominating playlists resembles the genre’s earliest forms: Appalachian ballads, cowboy songs, and Woody Guthrie-style storytelling. Less party anthems. More personal confession. In other words, the music has come back to where it started—just with millions of listeners discovering it through their phones instead of around a fire. And if the current wave of singer-songwriters is any indication, the campfire might be country music’s biggest stage again.