Thompson Square shared their thoughts on Beyoncé and Post Malone entering country music from their pop and hip-hop-inspired careers, stating that “everyone’s not welcome” to country.
The duo appeared in a recent interview with Taste Of Country, in which Keifer Thompson, along with his wife and collaborator, Shawna Thompson, said that country is turning its back on itself as a genre.
Adding that they disapproved of country stars looking to Hollywood for attention, Keifer Thompson commented, “I think country’s cool enough, and I wish that we could look at ourselves and go, ‘We’re cool enough.’”
Elsewhere, Keifer called out Beyoncé’s country turn and said others agree with him (without naming names), TikTok sensations entering the country scene, and shared his admiration for Post Malone.
“It’s not supposed to be, ‘Everyone’s welcome.’ Everyone’s not welcome. And if you think about it now, that sounds harsh, but everyone’s not,” he said.
Thompson added, “If you don’t put any time in, and you don’t love it, and you don’t work it, and you didn’t grow up like this, and you don’t have that passion for it, you’re just like, ‘I got this TikTok thing that popped off and I’m gonna go in there and get some money’... It should be hard to get in. If it’s just easy to get in, what’s the point then?”
Outlining his respect for Post Malone by comparing his F-1 Trillion LP to Darius Rucker’s turn to country, he continued, “I don’t know Post, but I highly respect what he’s doing.
“I love the music he’s putting out, and he’s doing what Darius did when he came over with [Hootie And The Blowfish]. He’s embracing the community. He loves country music. I’m not sure Beyoncé’s busting out some Haggard in her car, you know?”
You can watch the interview below.
Thompson Square are promoting their recently released single, You Were There.
“You Were There was a must-record for us,” Shawna Thompson said. “From the first listen, it drew us both in, and we knew it had to be a single. It’s the same feeling we had when we recorded ‘Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not’ and ‘If I Didn’t Have You.’ For the first 10 listens of the demo, I cried. And when music moves you that way, you need to pay attention.”
In addition to their new music, the duo have recently reclaimed their independence as artists, a move Keifer Thompson described as “refreshing.”
Countrytown brings you Australia’s best country music news, interviews, charts and more every week! This post was authored by Countrytown and originally published on the Countrytown website. It has been re-published with permission.
