Lindsay Ell praised artists like Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey for branching out into country music and “blurring the boundaries of the genre.”
The Canadian-born country pop musician and current touring guitarist for Shania Twain has lived in Nashville, the home of country music, for over 10 years and has witnessed the industry change and become more accepting of artists of all genres and backgrounds.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz about Beyoncé's LP, Cowboy Carter, she said: “I think it's incredible. I think the fact that Beyoncé is bringing more fans into country music and inviting more people into the format is amazing. I love that. The lines of genre are merging and becoming more blurred, and I think that should happen. Music should be more about what makes you feel good and what connects with you, and less about what the genre is. I grew up on country music, and when I moved to Nashville 15 years ago, music was more about where it fell on the genre lines. So I think it's a really exciting time for country music right now. It's great to see artists like Beyoncé and Post Malone and Lana Del Rey saying they want to make a country record, but really they just want to make music that's inspired by the country of the past. But it's just good music, you know?”
“Canada's Got Talent” host Casey believes the genre is “welcoming to everyone” and will “expand even further.”
She said, “I think it's an exciting time right now. I think there's always going to be a middle ground that pays homage to the traditional country music sound. You hear a lot of male country artists like Morgan Wallen, and you still get that traditional country vibe with people like Rainie Wilson. You also have artists like Zac Bryan and Kacey Musgraves who are still within the larger framework of country music. I think everyone is welcome. I don't think it's a question of who belongs and who doesn't. I think it's an exciting time for the genre, because if anything, I think it's going to become much more diverse.”