By: Sadie Christine
Heartbreak is nothing new in the country music genre, but Gen Z is coining the term “Male Regret” to describe a *certain* type of heartbreak Country.
For decades, male artists have reflected on their actions both in and out of relationships in their songs, but country music expresses this in a way other genres don’t.
With specific lyrics and titles that lay out the details of the regret they are facing, country artists are expressing a level of remorse that makes the genre feel uniquely vulnerable and relatable.Think of songs like “I Let a Damn Good Woman Leave” by Riley Green or “She Wouldn’t Be Gone” by Blake Shelton. Each track is a reflective ballad about letting someone go or watching someone walk away and wanting them back.
Recently, there has been a rise in popularity on TikTok of this genre, especially among Gen Z women. Male regret offers a kind of therapeutic comfort, listening to these songs and imagining the words coming from an ex-partner.
It’s the fantasy that the ex is feeling the same emotions expressed in these songs. It’s hearing the apology, the sorrow, and the longing they wish had come in real life. For those who have been wronged, these tracks offer a sense of validation. They make it easier to believe that, somewhere deep down, he might actually regret his choices. Just like these artists.
As one TikTok user wrote, “One thing about me is I love a song about a man realizing he messed up.” Another said, “Me using [male regret] to gaslight myself into believing he regrets his choices.”
Male regret in country music takes accountability and turns it into a form of emotional yearning, and Gen Z TikTok users can’t get enough.
Stay wild. Stay yearning. Stay country
