Main Street News

Some people were surprised to hear that Post Malone is making a foray into country music, but once you learn a bit about his background, you’ll realize that it was a fated genre switch all along. (And that’s also besides the fact that everyone seems to be making the switch to country music right now.) 

Posty was born in Syracuse, NY, and raised by his father and his stepmother. His family relocated to Dallas, TX, when he was nine years old and as a child, he was exposed to different genres of music including hip hop, country, and rock. His musical style has been described as a “melting pot of the country, grunge, and hip hop” genres by Clash Magazine and Malone has proved himself to be a versatile musical artist. 

Early days 

In 2015, Post Malone released his debut single, “White Iverson” on SoundCloud, an audio streaming service used by individuals to upload, share, and promote their music. The single quickly went viral and in August of the same year, he signed a record deal with Republic Records. 

His career quickly took off and he started collaborating with some of the biggest names in music. He collaborated with Kanye West on West’s single “Fade” from his The Life of Pablo album and served as the opening act on Justin Beiber’s Purpose World Tour from 2016 to 2017. 

In May of 2016, Malone released his first full-length project, August 26th, and followed with his debut album Stoney in December of the same year. Stoney was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in October of 2017.

He would go on to release four more full-length albums, as well as feature on a wide variety of other artists’ work – including Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan, Fleet Foxes, Tommy Lee, and Beyonce. 

Country roots 

Though he may have reached fame as a hip-hop artist, Posty has always had country roots. While at the height of his hip hop career in 2015, he shared a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) that said, “When I turn 30 I’m becoming a country/folk singer.” Turns out he’s making the switch a couple of years early. 

While last year his affinity for country music really came forward, it was always visible to us all along – we just had to look in the right places. 

He’s paid tribute to a handful of influential country icons on more than one occasion throughout the years. In 2018, he covered Hank Williams Jr.’s classic, “There’s a Tear In My Beer,” and in 2022, he joined country artist Billy Strings on stage at his concert at The Observatory in Los Angeles to pay tribute to Johnny Cash. 

In 2019, he joined an assortment of artists for the “Elvis All-Star Tribute Special,” and performed “Baby, What You Want Me to Do,” with Keith Urban. During the same special, he also performed “Blue Suede Shoes,” with Blake Shelton, Little Big Town, and Mac Davis. 

Last fall, he performed at the 2023 CMA Awards with Morgan Wallen and HARDY to cover Joe Diffie’s “Pickup Man” and “John Deere Green.” This was Malone’s first performance at the CMAs, but he fit right in on stage like he had been there all along. Following the performance, he was asked in an interview with Access Hollywood if a country album would be in the works, he gave the affirmative. 

Furthering his foray in country music prior to the album release, Malone took the stage at the Super Bowl in February, performing an acoustic rendition of “America the Beautiful.” According to the Grammy Awards, his “performance followed in the footsteps of a long line of country artists who have kicked off the national sporting event, which started with Charley Pride in 1974 and has included Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and Garth Brooks.”

In March, Malone paid tribute to the late Toby Keith during his performance at the American Rodeo in Texas. He performed Keith’s classic, “As Good As I Once Was,” after pouring one out in a red solo cup, also an homage to Keith. 

Finally, in May, we got the first country collaboration that Malone had been teasing for months. “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen was released on May 10 and immediately debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and broke the record for most streams in a single week. 

On June 21, he released another single and collaboration from his forthcoming album, “Pour Me a Drink,” featuring Blake Shelton. On June 18, he stopped teasing us all and announced that his sixth studio album and first country album, F-1 Trillion, will be released on August 16. 

Where do we go from here? 

While we are living in an age of the genre-bending artist, where it is perhaps easier than ever to cross lines between genres and make the switch from one to another quite easily, it’s still impressive that at the age of 28, Post Malone has been able to have influence across so many genres of music. 

I’m looking forward to listening to the new album and seeing how he blends his country roots with his experience in hip hop, pop, and rock music.