Country music

====== Bro country ======
{{Main|Bro-country}}
[[File:Florida Georgia Line Night Train Tour 2014.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Florida Georgia Line]] whose hit song "[[Cruise (song)|Cruise]]" drew attention to the [[bro-country]] genre]]
In the early 2010s, "[[bro-country]]", a genre noted primarily for its themes on drinking and partying, girls, and pickup trucks became particularly popular.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/clever-response-bro-country-songs |title=Taking Country Music back from the Bros |first=Ian |last=Crouch |magazine=The New Yorker |date=July 24, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/country-music-and-the-rise-of-the-binge_b_5697278 |title=Country Music and the Rise of the Binge-Drinking Bro |first=Patrick R. |last=Krill |work=HuffPost |date=August 21, 2014|access-date=February 15, 2022}}</ref><ref name="kanuch">{{cite web |last1=Kanuch |first1=Nathan |title=Re-visiting Bro-Country |url=https://medium.com/shore2shore-country/re-visiting-bro-country-dd85fe7fe93d |website=[[Medium (website)|Medium]] |access-date=June 12, 2022 |date=March 5, 2018}}</ref> Notable artists associated with this genre are [[Luke Bryan]], [[Jason Aldean]], [[Blake Shelton]], [[Jake Owen]] and [[Florida Georgia Line]] whose song "[[Cruise (song)|Cruise]]" became the best-selling country song of all time.<ref name="best-selling">{{cite news |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/florida-georgia-line-cruise-sets-all-time-country-sales-record/ |title=Florida Georgia Line's 'Cruise' Sets All-Time Country Sales Record |first= Wade |last= Jessen |date =January 6, 2014 |magazine=Billboard|access-date=February 15, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/6/country-times-bro-country-vs-traditional-bring-on-/?page=all |title=COUNTRY TIMES: 'Bro-country' vs. traditional: Bring on the fight|first = David |last = Eldridge |work=The Washington Times |date= January 6, 2014 }}</ref> Research in the mid-2010s suggested that about 45 percent of country's best-selling songs could be considered bro-country, with the top two artists being Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/1750831/bro-country-mashup-guy-confronts-radio-programmers/ |title=Bro Country Mashup Guy Confronts Radio Programmers: What Does the Future of Country Radio Hold?|first =Chris |last =Parton |date=February 26, 2015 |work=CMT}}</ref> Albums by bro-country singers also sold very well—in 2013, Luke Bryan's ''[[Crash My Party]]'' was the third best-selling of all albums in the United States, with Florida Georgia Line's ''[[Here's to the Good Times]]'' at sixth, and Blake Shelton's ''[[Based on a True Story...|Based on a True Story]]'' at ninth.<ref name="fox">{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/country-music-is-not-dead-give-bro-country-a-chance |title=Country music is not dead: Give bro' country a chance|first= Sasha |last= Bogursky |date= June 12, 2014 |work=Fox News|access-date=February 15, 2022}}</ref> It is also thought that the popularity of bro-country helped country music to surpass classic rock as the most popular genre in the American country in 2012.<ref name="fox"/> The genre however is controversial as it has been criticized by other country musicians and commentators over its themes and depiction of women,<ref name="smith">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2013/10/01/country-music-identity-crisis/|title=How country music went crazy: A comprehensive timeline of the genre's identity crisis|last=Smith|first=Grady|date=October 1, 2013|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=February 15, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McCarthy|first1=Amy|title=Bro Country's Sexism Is Ruining Country Music|url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/bro-countrys-sexism-is-ruining-country-music-7070740|website=Dallas Observer|access-date=February 15, 2022|date=June 18, 2014|archive-date=February 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214012201/http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2014/06/bro_country_sexism_ruining_country_music.php}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tasteofcountry.com/kenny-chesney-billboard-bro-country/ |title=Kenny Chesney Covers Billboard, Speaks Out on Country Songs That 'Objectify' Women|first= Sterling |last= Whitaker |work=Taste of Country|date=November 15, 2014 }}</ref> opening up a divide between the older generation of country singers and the younger bro country singers that was described as "civil war" by musicians, critics, and journalists."<ref name=time>{{cite news |url=https://time.com/3502546/florida-georgia-line-bro-country/ |title='Bro Country' Is Still Thriving, Even If Everyone Hates It |first=Adam|last=Carlson|date= October 14, 2014 |magazine=Time }}</ref> In 2014, [[Maddie & Tae]]'s "[[Girl in a Country Song]]", addressing many of the controversial bro-country themes, peaked at number one on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Country Airplay]] chart.