The country superstar finally speaks out on what he believes is real country music and how country music should be defined.
One of the top selling music acts in the world, Garth Brooks certainly knows what it takes to make good music – he’s been doing it with incredible success for nearly three decades. While he’s had success that’s nearly unmatched by every artist out there, there was one point in his career that many people claimed he “wasn’t country enough”. He’s since far surpassed that notion and the world of country music will always be a Garth Brooks fan, but the current state of country music is something that folks have begun to question.
In a new interview before a concert at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Brooks opens up to Taste of Country about what he believes the landscape of country music is like and addresses the critics of today’s performers – the ones that claim the newer artists aren’t producing “real country music”.
So, what does Garth Brooks believe country music is?
“I can tell you exactly what it is – It’s sincerity,” Brooks explained. “That’s all it is. It’s sincerity and it’s real.”
The raw, gritty, and un-processed sound of older country music was often the hallmark of what defined the genre in years past because that’s what added to the sincerity, but country music has continued to evolve over the years and it continues to ring true to that unique identifier – sincerity.
“People today are saying, ‘Hey, is today’s country music real because it has hip-hop and dance in it?’”, He continued. “When we came out, we were the guys who weren’t considered real country at all because we had Boston, Queen, Styx in our stuff along with [Merle] Haggard and [George] Jones. Well, they’ve got Brooks, [Tim] McGraw, [Kenny] Chesney along with hip-hop and dance. It only makes sense. Country music is what is sincere, that’s the main thing.”
And through that sincerity, Brooks reveals that he is a fan of many of today’s modern artists – and he has a deep appreciation for the sincerity and passion with which they sing and write new music.
“You’ve got guys like Dierks Bentley — one of the most sincere guys on the planet — as long as these guys are singing country music, it’s in good hands.”
Brooks makes a great argument for the appreciation of modern country music and connects both traditional and classic country with the modern era through one word: sincerity.
Watch his full interview in the video below and let us know what you think about his opinion!