Jason Aldean, Tracy Lawrence & Brantley Gilbert Reflect on the Changing Road to Country Music Stardom

The road to becoming a country star looks a lot different than it did when artists like Jason Aldean, Tracy Lawrence, and Brantley Gilbert were coming up. After years of grinding through small venues before reaching the biggest stages, the three artists have each shared their thoughts on the way this generation of country stars is rising to the top and why they believe there are steps along the way that are still an important part of building a lasting career.

Gilbert most recently joined this conversation during an appearance on Lawrence’s Road House podcast, where he reflected on the template of finding success that artists like Lawrence and Toby Keith created for those coming up behind them. He explained that he has always admired the way they built their momentum by grinding their way up, making mistakes, learning from each experience, and taking the time to understand what it takes to connect with an audience before reaching the biggest stages.

However, with this age of social media, they have watched new artists go from sharing songs in their bedrooms to performing in arenas almost overnight.

“When you see these kids kind of come from one song on TikTok and blow up and they’re here. I was like, man, that kind of sucks because coming up the old way, playing that bar with 10 people you don’t know in it that have never heard of you until you go to the next size bar and eventually, man, you get to a club in a town, you’ve really done something,” Gilbert said. “It kind of sucked at first. But then on the flip side of the coin is they’re at a major disadvantage.”

Gilbert went on to explain how there are plenty of pros and cons to coming up the way he did compared to the way many acts do in this current world. He notes that one of the best advantages to taking years to develop a name in the business is learning how to properly communicate and win over the very small amount of people in the bar by the end of the night. One of the greatest disadvantages that both him and Lawrence can agree on is the fact that being thrown into the spotlight so quickly inevitably leads to the artist facing a downward spiral.

“When you see them going through crisis and things like that, it makes a ton of sense… I couldn’t imagine not coming up the way we did and just being thrust into that. It’s not a poor pitiful me situation at all. It’s just like, man, looking at it from the inside, that’s a lot,” Gilbert said, sympathizing with artists who have gone through that.

Gilbert also recognizes that the playing field has shifted dramatically, with today’s artists facing a level of competition that didn’t exist when he was coming up. Watching so many rising stars navigate this new landscape has given him a different perspective on their journeys.

“The competition’s different. The process, again, being seen and discovered is different. We didn’t have umpteen million people putting songs out from their bedroom…The way of being found is different. So in a way through the years, I’ve gone from kind of being salty about it to finding respect for it and almost coming from a place of not sympathy, empathy. Man, I get it. From the inside looking out, it’s a good bit different. You get thrust into all this stuff you don’t understand. And nobody, you know this, when you’re on the way up, nobody’s telling you that there’s a plateau and a way down.”

Jason Aldean also spoke about this topic during a recent episode of his Try That In A Small Town Podcast, recognizing that many up-and-coming artists may not realize the value of slowing down, saying no to certain opportunities, and taking the time to build their careers before rushing into the next thing.

He used the example of turning down a chance to do his own headline shows in order to open for Brooks & Dunn back in the day.

“I even put it off a little longer just to be like, you know, give us time to get another song out and kind of let that heat that was starting to happen, just let it bubble a little,” he recalled.

The “How Far Does A Goodbye Go” singer also came to the same realization that Gilbert touched on as he explained that today’s artists haven’t had to experience building a strong catalog and developing their ability to connect with a crowd before taking on a headlining role.

“The problem is a lot of them only have one or two songs and think they can go out and carry an hour and a half or two hours of a show, and it’s like, dude, you got two songs people really care about that they want to hear; what are you going to do for the other 80 minutes?”’

This often leads to them having to give tickets away for free in an attempt to make the room look more full.

While the path to country music success continues to evolve, Jason Aldean, Tracy Lawrence, and Brantley Gilbert all seem to agree on one thing: building a lasting career takes more than one viral moment and that the most important lessons only come with time.