By: Sadie Christine
With the release of Thomas Rhett and Niall Horan’s highly anticipated duet “Old Tricks,” which just dropped, it’s the perfect time to revisit some of the best modern-day country crossovers that seamlessly blend country with pop, rock, hip-hop, and more!
This new song with Thomas Rhett isn’t the first country duet Niall has been part of. Back in 2017, for his debut solo album, Niall collaborated with Maren Morris on “Seeing Blind,” a pop-country crossover that beautifully complements both artists’ styles. Niall Horan also isn’t the only former One Direction member to dabble in country! In 2024, ZAYN released his fourth album, which carried a strong country influence throughout.
We’ve seen hip-hop and R&B blend effortlessly with country over the years, and most recently, BigXthaPlug showcased this on his album, I Hope You’re Happy, which features collaborations with some of country’s biggest stars like Bailey Zimmerman, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Ella Langley, and more!
Nelly has also been a long-time hip-hop and R&B artist who’s crossed into the country world through various projects, from his hit collabs with Tim McGraw and Florida Georgia Line to his 2021 country-rap album, Heartland, featuring Breland, Kane Brown, Darius Rucker, and others.
Did you know that pop star Kesha was raised in Nashville? Well, that makes her recent dive into dance-country feel like a natural evolution. Over the past year, she’s released “Yippie Ki Yay” as well as “Tennessee,” which is a collaboration with Orville Peck.
Joe Jonas has also been exploring a country-inspired sound, teaming up with both Sierra Ferrell and Ashley Cooke for recent collaborations.
The pop girlies love a good country crossover, too! We’ve seen it with Tate McRae’s #1 hit “What I Want” featuring Morgan Wallen, and with Halsey joining Kelsea Ballerini on “The Other Girl.”
Beyond pop and hip-hop, country music has also crossed into Latin and rock this year. Kacey Musgraves recently released a stunning bilingual love song, “Lost in Translation,” with Mexican artist Carin León, while Carrie Underwood teamed up with Papa Roach for a powerful rock ballad called “Leave a Light On.”
Country music is rooted in storytelling, which makes it a genre that naturally adapts to almost any style. We have been loving “Old Tricks” from Niall and Thomas, and can’t wait to see and hear what other exciting country-pop crossovers are still to come!
Stay Wild, Stay Creating, Stay Country
