For my money, Cody Johnson puts on one of the best live shows in country music.
A multi-week #1, a couple of CMT Music Awards, a killer double album… it’s about damn time CoJo starts getting the love he deserves.
During the 2022 CMT Music Awards, the Male Video of the Year winner treated fans to a performance of the title track from his critically-acclaimed double album, Human, live from Broadway in downtown Nashville.
The Texas native recently became the third performer to ever sell out opening night of RodeoHouston, joining the likes of Garth Brooks (2018) and George Strait (2017) as the only other artists who share that accomplishment… not too shabby, CoJo.
Can I get an amen for real country music?
Cody Johnson: “Country Music Doesn’t Sound Like Country Music Anymore”
Cody Johnson’s never been one to mince words.
He’s called out Hollywood for trying to force their opinions on the rest of us just because of the blue check mark next to their name on Twitter.
And during an appearance on our podcast last year, Cody called out executives in the country music industry for not even knowing Merle Haggard songs.
Well at a recent show, Cody had some more choice words on the state of mainstream country music while introducing his latest single, “Til You Can’t.”
“I saw somebody with a sign back there that said ‘Save Country Music.’
Can we all agree on something? Country music doesn’t sound like country music anymore.
It is my life’s mission to change that.”
Amen.
Of course Cody knows more than others what it’s like to feel like country radio is leaving the traditional sound behind, after being told that his song “Dear Rodeo” was “too rodeo for radio.”
“We were discussing what songs off my new record we would consider singles… any producer Trent Wilmon says ‘If they’re already not gonna play it, why not release what we want?’
I just got told a couple weeks ago that my song ‘Dear Rodeo’ was and I quote: ‘too rodeo for radio,’ because apparently the word ‘rodeo’ reminds people of cruelty to animals.”
But despite signing with Warner Brothers Records back in 2019, Cody’s one who’s always done things his own way and refused to cater to the “mainstream” country sound – which makes it all the more impressive that “Til You Can’t” is currently rocketing up the charts and looks destined to become his first #1 single at some point this year.
Combine that with the fact that he still remains the only unsigned (at the time) artist to sell out the Houston Rodeo, and the way he’s currently selling out venues on his current tour, and I think maybe mainstream country could learn a lesson or two from the way CoJo’s doing it.
Because like he said: Country music doesn’t sound like country music anymore.
Luckily for us, Cody Johnson’s trying to change that.
