In my house, country music was not well-liked. We never turned the stations on because my parents didn’t like the genre. My mom liked 80s music and my dad liked classical, so we got an odd mix of The Indigo Girls and Beethoven as the soundtracks to our childhood.
However, I never really liked either of those genres, and when I got my iPod shuffle at 9-years-old my musical world was opened. My dad got me songs by my favorite artists at the time such as Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry.
Then I discovered Carrie Underwood on YouTube, and thus began a journey that turned me into a cowgirl. I fell in love with Carrie from that moment on and never looked back.
Over the years, I realized that my taste for country music was not celebrated on the upper East Coast of the U.S. We had a lot more rap, rock and pop fans in Pennsylvania.
When I went to school and mentioned I liked country music, I got the usual “country music is so bad!” I never understood why people thought that. To me the twang of a guitar was soothing, and the faster songs made me want to get up and dance.
When I got older and started to drive, I forged my own path. I always listened to country music to and from school and purposely left it on so my parents and siblings could try and enjoy it too. I succeeded somewhat — my sister enjoys it now too.
I wanted to go to a country music concert so bad, but my dad didn’t want me to go to a concert because he was afraid I would get crushed down on the floor. So, I only went to one concert before college, viewing it from the safety of upper seating.
When I saw the Carrie Underwood in the Bryce Jordan Center in February, I finally got my wish fulfilled. I had waited over a decade for the moment to see her in concert. I called my parents afterwards and told them it was the best thing I had ever seen. I even cried a little.
I think in that moment, I felt truly seen. There was no one in the BJC that said to me “country music is bad.” Everyone around me was having the time of their lives, screaming the lyrics of Underwood’s songs toward the stage. We were all united in our love for country music and it was a beautiful thing.
This sense of community can be applied to a lot more than just a love for country music. It can be applied to anyone who feels like people look down on their interests. There is no need to be ashamed of what you like.
Now when people tell me “country music is bad,” I just think back to the night of that concert, and I smile. I remember all the people who don’t think country music is bad and know that I am not alone.