Country music at its root is largely about telling stories and sharing experiences that audiences can connect with (Cowling). Melton A. McLaurin and Richard A. Peterson explain that “Country music has often been called a storytellers’ medium… country music is unique among the major kinds of contemporary music in telling stories” (McLaurin and Peterson 2-3). Rather than a focus on the musical elements, country music’s foremost focus has always been on the lyrics (Bjorke). In this way, Matt Bjorke states that “the songs truly mean something. They’re not just the latest trendy, catchy tune. They matter” (Bjorke). While country music lyrics have always been key in the genre, it was not until the rise of honky-tonk music in the 1940s when songwriting became more personalized, connecting to real-life experiences of the artists/songwriters (Wolff 119).
This personalized approach largely continues to this day amongst modern country artists. In fact,
“At this point, a number of rising country acts have at least a track or two in their repertoires that come off as particularized storytelling, detailed autobiography, or conversational confession… Newer artists, women especially, are leaving clear fingerprints on their songs and emphasizing the individualized perspectives in what they’re singing” (Hight).
Today, rather than songs’ stories being generalized, country musicians often use their songs to share real-life experiences with their fans. For example, Ashley McBryde, a new country artist, did not begin to break through to country music artists until she started including this “confessional storytelling” into her music (Hight). The positive audience response only when she began utilizing this approach is likely due to the fact that it allowed audiences to gain the exclusive content they often desire from country music.
Dayton Duncan also explains that ‘“as it [country music] evolved, from the bottom up, it created a special bond between the artists and fans that is unique among all other musical genres”’ (Casatelli). With country music emphasizing personalized storytelling, a stronger connection between fans and artists becomes inevitable (Huver). Through the songs’ lyrics and artists’ shared relationships with their songs, audiences can gain exclusive insight into artists’ personal lives/experiences that make them feel closer to the artists. While country music has always been about storytelling in some manner, enhanced forms of technology have allowed artists to have new spaces to further this concept of personalization and exclusivity.