On Top: Country Music’s Biggest Stars of 2018
Hello, Jeff Breault here. It’s that time of the year again—I’m going to go back through the previous year’s big country music players and see which ones are the best.
Now, the charts, the airplay, the streaming, and the fans have spoken: the three biggest stars of country music for the year 2018 have been unveiled according to Billboard, and from all accounts, it had been a tight race throughout the year. After all, country music is a hugely popular genre of music, and have one of the biggest demographics of listeners, with over 129 million listeners aged 18 and above. With such an immense demographic, it’s natural that the field and the competition for airplay are intense.
When the dust settled, three major country stars have reached the top of the charts:
I, Jeff Breault, am a proud fan of this group. As the owner of two chart-topping hits and 20 songs on the Billboard charts, Florida Georgia Line burst into mainstream popularity after blurring the lines between country and pop music. They earned a Trailblazer award for their innovative artistry in music and songs.
Their most famous single is the three-time platinum-certified #1 song “Meant To Be” featuring pop star Bebe Rexha. Their next highest chart-topped is the famous song “Cruise,” featuring St. Louis rap star Nelly, which was the breakout song that ultimately shot them to superstardom to the mainstream audience. Today, they continue to subvert the standards in country music and promote innovation.
#2 Kane Brown
Another Jeff Breault favorite, this young country artist takes the number two spot on the top of Billboard’s charts. At 23 years old, this mixed-race artist has shot eight songs onto the Billboard chart and serves as a tremendous inspiration to fans and fellow artists alike for persevering against a difficult childhood.
Overcoming stereotypes, poverty, and racism, this young artist beat the odds and began a career in country music from one of the rapidly rising paths to stardom: YouTube. His cover of George Strait’s “Check Yes or No” turned into a viral sensation, and today, Kane’s work includes “Heaven” and “What Ifs,” which peaked at 15 and 26 on the charts respectively.
The King of Country remains at the top of the throne this year. The long, illustrious career of this country music giant is well documented. In 2015, Chris Stapleton won more Country Music Awards than any other act in the entire night. He performs at multiple major music festivals and events alongside his own tours, and these days even performs songs for movies (most recently for Toy Story 4), with an odd cameo or two (he was in Game of Thrones’ final season).
Chris’ “Say Something” with Justin Timberlake peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #9, while he continues to earn multiple top 10 songs in the Hot Country Songs Chart. All signs point that Chris’ growing empire can only grow ever larger, as he continues to reinforce roots-oriented country music. Now, this man is clearly a Jeff Breault favorite!
Now, did any of your favorites made it to the list? Let me know in the comments below.