'Southern Pop' Is Emerging From Nashville

Nashville's emerging "Southern Pop" genre dominated the global music landscape in 2025, with the city's songwriters claiming over half of Billboard Hot 100 spots at peak times and reshaping mainstream pop through fearless, boundary-blurring sounds.

In a Dec. 29 article for The Tennessean, country music reporter Marcus K. Dowling declared 2025 the year Nashville disrupted pop music, driven by a hybrid style fusing authentic Southern storytelling, hip-hop rhythms, catchy pop hooks, and raw bluesy/soulful roots. 

This "unprecedented" mix, amplified by TikTok virality and post-COVID creative freedom, prioritized visceral, poetry-like lyrics and emotional vulnerability to capture mainstream appeal.

At the forefront stands 21-year-old Alabama-raised artist Jessie Murph, whose sophomore album Sex Hysteria (released July 2025 via Columbia Records) embodies the trend. The raw, vulnerable project—featuring hits like the revenge anthem "Blue Strips" and "Touch Me Like A Gangster"—draws '60s soul influences (echoing Adele and Amy Winehouse) while selling out large venues, such as Nashville's 7,000-seat Ascend Amphitheater. 

Murph credits the music with helping fans embrace vulnerability.

Grammy-nominated Nashville songwriter Laura Veltz plays a pivotal role, co-writing much of Sex Hysteria (including "Blue Strips") and past crossovers like Maren Morris' "The Bones." She champions "risk-driven poetry" without boundaries, particularly empowering female artists.

Other contributors include songwriter Ben Johnson, behind hits blending genres for acts like BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman.

Dowling predicts continued growth for Southern Pop as audiences crave heartfelt, genre-defying songs born from therapy-like collaborations and social media momentum.