Country music icons King George Strait and Morgan Wallen are Texas’ favorite country music singers, according to an analysis published in mid-June.
Using data from Google Trends to uncover the most popular music between 2022 and 2023, the website BetTexas found that Wallen and Strait are the Lonestar States favorite, which will probably drive the mainstream music industry up a wall. Of Texas doesn’t care what mainstream music thinks.
Rounding out the top five were Luke Combs in third, Zach Bryan in fourth and Lainey Wilson and Cody Johnson tied for fifth place respectively.
What might be most surprising is how much Wallen outranked Strait in the overall scores. While fans of Wallen understand the cultural, social and emotional impact his music has had on the country over the past few years…the mainstream music industry still hates him.
Wallen is still the top selling artist in the country, having broken record after record since the release of his album “Dangerous: The Double Album.” The surprise release of his follow-up album “One Thing At A Time” only pushed him further into the stratosphere and cemented his place in the history books.
The boring media nobodies can’t get over that one time he used a racial slur while telling off one of his drunk best friends. Wallen was almost cancelled at the time, but all it did is drive his streaming and sales numbers up. Not to mention it made him a house hold name.
George and Morgan’s music speaks to the core of an American culture that city-dwelling coastal assholes won’t admit makes up a majority of the nation. You can argue that all you want. Facts are facts. They know their audience and their audience loves them.
Wallen’s music is designed to get right to the heart of the Millennial and Gen Z life. His number-one hit “Last Night” is one of the most relatable songs for anyone who has experienced heartbreak and the drinking that goes with it.
It really doesn’t surprise me that he’s a favorite in Texas. Sometimes I feel like southerners are the only people trying to keep the culture of this country alive. As a native Texan myself…it’s true. I’ll also take George Strait’s music over Morgan Wallen’s any day.