Kip Moore has a bit of warning for all those copycat country music artists out there.
I personally think that the country music star has some credibility when he throws out this warning, because you’d be hard pressed to find someone as unique and true to themself as Kip Moore. And I always have to mention that he just might be the most interesting man in the country music world. He loves to ride a wave surfing out on the ocean just as much as he likes to ride a hit onto the country charts, and he appreciates keeping life exciting… like when he ran into the cartel during a motorcycle trip through Mexico.
The “Damn Love” singer loves to live life differently than everybody, which probably plays a part in him disliking the fact that a lot of young artists are just copying some of the biggest artists out there.
Moore sat down with The Stephan Hogan Podcast and spoke about everything that’s currently happening in his career. He’s seen a surge in fans overseas, and that can at least partially be attributed to his own authenticity. Kip Moore has always been himself, and he’s never fallen in line with what record labels wanted him to be.
That’s why when he was asked if he had anything to say to younger artists trying to make it big, he decided to take a stand and warn those up-and-comers of copying success that they are seeing at the top – particularly Morgan Wallen:
“I have no advice, but I will say this. We see a lot of people chasing the biggest seller in our format right now. And by the time you catch him, yeah you might have a couple of little things happen because that sound is still going, but Morgan is always going to be able to sell tickets because he started that thing. So he could walk away for 10 years. You’re not going to do it as well as him. It’s gonna be a knock off version, and it’s gonna be fleeting.”
He’s got a point.
And Kip Moore backed that up by saying that he saw the exact thing happen in real time with the bro-country-birthing country music duo Florida Georgia Line. They sparked a (horrible) movement that had everyone trying to do the same thing, and fans eventually grew tired of that sound and wished for something else:
“From my history watching this thing happen, I watched it with Florida Georgia Line. Everyone was trying to be Florida Georgia Line for a a minute. By the time you catch it, that train is leaving the track, and there’s gonna be a new thing coming through soon. The guy that started it, he’ll still get to do that.
You’re getting to pick up a couple nibbles here and there, but it’s gonna fizzle out. So I’d say listen to records that inspire you, and it has to be honest for you. Because I feel like, ‘Yes you can fool fans, but eventually they sniff you out.'”
While Moore was in the middle of making his argument, he went on to praise Tyler Childers for being unique and authentic, and said that he’s endlessly fascinated by Childers because no one else sounds like him. That’s part of what makes Tyler Childers successful.
On the flip side, Kip Moore has become frustrated by another country music star who has accidentally created some copycats:
“You see it with the whole Zach Bryan movement (too). Man, if I hear another song start with a minor chord… but he does what he does great. You see this trend happening where everyone is trying to be Zach Bryan. It’s great to be inspired by somebody, but you have to find your own voice.”
Pretty good advice, if you ask me.
You can hear Kip Moore talk more about country music’s copycat problem in the interview below:
