When you ask high school students who their favorite  artist is, you might be expecting them to list popular rappers such as Travis Scott and SZA. Here on the Hill, however, artists such as Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Zach Bryan are some of Tologs top played artists.

“I definitely noticed that country music has become more popular recently. I feel like everyone I talk to likes it now, and a few years ago everyone I talked to didn’t like it,” Jadyn Walsh ‘25 said.

More and more Tologs have been attending concerts featuring their favorite country artists.

“This summer me and Grace Garrity went to the Morgan Wallen concert at Sofi Stadium. It was sold out because it was his One Night At A Time tour, so he only played one night at each stadium,” Paige Perkins ‘25 said.

Perkins is not alone in her enthusiasm.

“My whole friend group likes country music. We’re all going to Zach Bryan,” Walsh said.

Tologs enjoy country music because of the positive feelings associated with the genre.

“I think a lot of people like country music because it reminds them of summer and relaxing and just bliss,” Perkins said. “When I think of country music and listening to it, I just imagine myself sitting around a campfire with no care in the world.”

This upsurge in popularity is due in great part to social media. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have helped spread the popularity of country music by making it easier for people to discover new country artists and showcasing different styles including cowgirl boots and hats.

“I think social media like TikTok has really influenced it because a lot of popular TikTok sounds are country music,” Emma Dolan ‘27 said.

Along with country music’s recent increase in popularity, trends like wearing cowgirl boots and cowgirl hats have emerged.

“Denim overalls are probably my most worn piece of clothing in my wardrobe because you can wear them with everything,” Perkins said. “Cowgirl boots and hats make any outfit look better.”

In my personal experience, the rising popularity of country music among teenagers has also made family car rides less acrimonious than they may have been in the past. Now, at least in my family, drivers and passengers agree on what music should be played in the car: country music,  of course. Take it from my mother, Lucy Krappman: “I really like that more young people are getting into country music. I’ve always enjoyed country music and I love that it’s something different generations have in common now.”