Jamey Johnson Gives Honest Opinion On The Current State Of Country Music + His Favorite New Artists

Published Jul 16, 2025 By Megan Grisham

Jamey Johnson shares his opinion on the current state of country music. (Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images)

Jamey Johnson Shares Opinion On The Current State Of Country Music

Jamey Johnson is opening up about his thoughts on the current state of country music.

Country music has gone through a lot of changes over the past few years. As new artists join the genre, many have started to infuse other styles like pop, rock, and even hip-hop.

Because of this, people have had mixed reactions. Some fans enjoy the fresh takes, while others miss the classic, more traditional sound that country music was known for.

This shift has also led many country stars to speak out and share their own thoughts on how the genre has changed. Needless to say, opinions are split.

Some see the change as a good thing, while others aren’t too happy with where country music is today.

One of the latest superstars to give their opinion on the current state of the genre is Jamey Johnson.

Johnson, who sticks to a more traditional sound and often covers songs by country legends, says you have to look at the country music world from a different perspective.

“You can’t go and confuse two things, because there’s country music, which is the music. Then there’s country music, which is the industry,” Johnson told Saving Country Music.

“And you have to learn to separate the two, and know the difference,” he continued. “Fans are having to do that more on their own, but they’re also having to do that just by exposing themselves to other brands of country music. People weren’t really thinking about ’90s country, and now Zach Top’s come along and everyone’s so dead focused on trying to find all the greatest songs from this era and that.”

Johnson also shared which artists he thinks are a strong example of keeping the traditional country sound alive.

“Certainly Zach Top, Ernest, Luke Combs…though I know he’s not exactly new. There’s just a ton of them out there right now that are doing great. I could sit here and toss names, and I’ll miss 15 or 20 of them. I like Gavin Adcock. I think he’s a brilliant songwriter.”

So, it seems that Johnson believes that no matter how much the genre changes, there will always be artists who stick to the roots and keep the classic sound going.