Report: Country Music's Women Poised For "Explosion'

Brandy Clark

When Grammy nominations for the 59th Grammy Awards were revealed Tuesday morning, country singer Brandy Clark knew what they meant for her and other women in her position.

“It says, to me, country females are kicking ass,” Clark told The Tennessean, whose “Big Day in a Small Town” is nominated for best country album.

Female country singers were included or were the sole recipients of 15 out of 20 nominations in four country categories. New country hit-makers Kelsea Ballerini and Maren Morris were also recognized in the all-genre best new artist category — a feat that Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said brought a smile to his face.

For female country artists, the recognition from the Recording Academy signals progress toward and end to the male dominance that has persisted in the genre for years. But there's still a long way to go.

Just three of the Top 30 most played acts on country radio this year are solo females — Carrie Underwood, Kelsea Ballerini and Miranda Lambert, according to Mediabase. Maren Morris sits at 31. For comparison, in 2015 Billboard ranked “Fly” by Maddie & Tae as the only song by a female artist(s) among its Top 30 most heard songs of the year.  In 2014, women had three songs in country radio’s most heard 60 songs of the year and in 2013, there were six.

“I would love to say in 2016 the needle at country radio moved, but it only moved by a hair,” said Senior Vice President of Music Strategy for CMT Leslie Fram. “I feel like the industry voted and moved the needle with Grammy nominations. But I’m hopeful that will open the door for more slots for female artists and female songs on country radio. Obviously, it’s always let the best song win.”

Grammy nominations and inclusion on terrestrial country radio’s ever shrinking playlists can be mutually exclusive. Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Nashville Randy Goodman explained Grammy voters might not be from Nashville, thus lacking complete knowledge of the genre's mainstream and sometimes make critical selections based on personal perceptions of country music.

Country radio programmers, meanwhile, are catering to the genre’s rabid fans. When an artist manages to capture both audiences —a tightrope Lambert and Underwood walk regularly — it’s rare.

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