Streaming services like Spotify are excellent for new artists to find new listeners and music industry veterans to continue their careers with chart-topping hits on the universally popular platform. Country singers had a significant presence in 2023, and we’ll review a few of the singers and songwriters whose recent releases pushed their way to the top.
Oliver Anthony
Listeners around the United States took notice of Oliver Anthony when his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” took the top spot on Spotify and iTunes while climbing up the Billboard 100. Anthony’s lyrics lament the role of the government in creating problems for working-class people. The song has earned nearly 200,000,000 listens since being posted, which is his most popular song on Spotify. His next closest has around 30,000,000 listens, which is assuredly driven by people listening to his Richmond song.
Many music and journalism outlets found the song politically polarizing as it references what many consider Republican issues, including welfare recipients. Oliver’s intended reality seems to be a bit different from these opinions, as he says he is calling out both major political parties for their actions. The song certainly has its merits and message, and anyone who had placed a bet on its meteoric chart rise would have been as rich as the men north of Richmond. But if you want to start placing bets on something easier, check here.
Morgan Wallen
Morgan Wallen is far less obscure than Oliver Anthony and showed that by getting the third most overall streams of any artist on Spotify, only settling in behind the universally popular Taylor Swift and Drake. Wallen’s most recent single, “Last Night,” led the way with over 850 million streams, and another recent release of the same new album earned nearly 600 million in “Whiskey Glasses.”
“Last Night” is a simple song about a couple’s breakup over drinking, likely whiskey, fitting with the theme of Wallen’s other hits. The lyrics are reasonably optimistic, though, as the chorus repeats, “No way it was our last night.” This isn’t Wallen’s first rodeo, of course, as he released a double album in 2021 and two smaller albums in 2018 and 2016.
Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan has been busy over the last couple of years, having released several albums and songs since his debut in 2019. In 2023, Bryan did well on Spotify, with nearly 850 million listeners streaming his recent “Something in the Orange” and “I Remember Everything.” He also did well on the Billboard charts, debuting at number one, helping him earn the 2023 New Artist of the Year Award.
Bryan says the inspiration behind “Something in the Orange” came from spending the night at a cabin in Wisconsin and witnessing a particularly stunning sunset as a symbol of hope for a relationship gone bad. Many listeners think the song sounds like a blend of country and alternative, which is represented well in its chart-topping placement on the Billboard alternative songs list.
Bailey Zimmerman
Like Zach Bryan, Bailey Zimmerman arrived on the country music scene fairly recently. Zimmerman’s hit “Rock and a Hard Place” examines the strong start to a relationship that quickly falters after optimistically talking about a wedding ring. Zimmerman’s voice and song are slow and brooding, with an underlying ominous tone that received nearly 400 million streams. The singer had two other songs that weren’t quite as strong, but “Fall in Love” and “Religiously” still received serious patronage with over 200 million listens each.
Zimmerman’s trajectory is rather impressive since his first full album just came out in 2023. The singer himself is still awestruck by his success so far.
Cole Swindell
Cole Swindell’s upbeat song “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” is a bar anthem about meeting the right girl on karaoke night who is bold enough to go on stage and sing her heart out to the song “Heads Carolina, Tails California” in reference to traveling based on the results of a coin flip. Spotify users felt the energy and listened to the song over 250 million times.
Swindell has been on the music scene for a while, having released albums since 2014. Two of his other high performers on Spotify come from different albums, including “Middle of a Memory,” which shows that Swindell has staying power, with over 160 million tuning in last year.
Ingrid Andress
Ingrid Andress‘ leading song on Spotify, “More Hearts Than Mine,” wasn’t released in 2023 but remained high on Spotify’s lists with 146 million streams. The singer weaves a fun story about her partner meeting her protective parents and friends who keep their distance somewhat so they aren’t heartbroken when they separate. Her recent song, “Feel Like This,” addresses ending a relationship with a manipulative boyfriend and finding love in simple things with someone she connects with better. While “Feel Like This” hasn’t earned as much traffic on Spotify, 38 million listens remains a healthy number.
Conclusion
Spotify’s top country music stars of 2023 provided a great blend of new voices and some singer-songwriters who have been around for a while. As always, the streaming platform offers new musicians a chance to become known, with 2023 being an especially strong year for country music overall. We look forward to seeing what 2024 brings for Spotify country music fans!
