Country music a big hit in UK

Spotify's identified a huge rise in the popularity of country music in the UK. Since 2020, the number of people who are streaming country songs has jumped by 238 percent.

The UK also hosts Europe's largest country music festival. This year, it took place in London, Belfast and Glasgow.

Noah Rinker: "London, how're we feeling this afternoon?"

45,000 people attended the Country to Country (C2C) festival across the three cities simultaneously.

Country music's popularity has risen the most in the UK, reports John Finch of the UK Country Music Association.

John Finch: "In the last 12 months, the consumption of country music in the UK has grown by just under 11 percent, which is massive. It's the fastest growing music genre in the UK, and the UK has the fastest growth of anywhere in the world."

Country music crosses the generations, which is part of the reason for this rapid rise in interest. The genre has songs about so many different topics, say fans William and Cameron.

William Martin: "One minute, it's singing about a truck and a beer. One minute, it's singing about a girl that you fell out of love with. A different song for every occasion."

Cameron Fulton: "Country kind of covers all the genres, sometimes. You've got the sad songs - heartbreak songs - and then party in the summer."

Country music was born in the USA, where its traditional home of Nashville is located. However, pop stars and rappers have taken up country's sound and storytelling. They've introduced the genre to their fanbase.

Georgia Ku: "Hello everyone! How's everyone doing?"

The boost which social media has provided is also important, claims British country singer Georgia Ku.

"Honestly, it's probably TikTok. I think the way someone can put a chorus on there, and thousands and thousands of people can hear 30 seconds of a song and know every word and want to be invested in it."

Analysis of the UK record industry for last year showed that country music's popularity reached a 100-year high point. The fastest growth that it's seen this century is likely to continue. With this come predictions that next year's C2C could be even bigger. View Less