Post Malone embraces artistic growth in Nashville's country music industry amid world tour

• Post Malone, known for hip-hop and pop, is embracing country music, influenced by his upbringing and personal tastes.
• His foray into country includes a platinum album, hit collaborations, and a world tour featuring prominent country musicians.
• Malone's country music is described as authentic and inspired by classic country artists, with a focus on live performance and instrumentation.
• His embrace of country has boosted Nashville's music scene and broadened the genre's reach.

As the evening wore on into the desert night on the last weekend of Coachella in April, Sunday night headliner Post Malone and his band, Nashville A-list session players "Fools For You," prepared for their headlining set in front of nearly 100,000 people.

Post Malone was at the center of a quintessential country scene, kicking back, drinking a few beers and blasting George Strait's "Ocean Front Property" in his traveling tailgate area.

Now in the second year of his sojourn into country music, the moment illustrated how much Post Malone has embraced country music culture. He has allowed his love of the genre to bleed into moments before taking the stage at one of the world's biggest pop festivals as a "(country music) fan who just wants to have fun and make music," he said.

This year, the superstar is doubling down, becoming more comfortable with Nashville's industry, which offers a streamlined process for adapting to and creating within country music and Western culture.

His first year pairing his superstar-level brand impact with his country success brought the platinum-selling album "F-1 Trillion" and its trio of hit collaborations "I Had Some Help" (feat. Morgan Wallen), "Pour Me A Drink" (feat. Blake Shelton) and "Guy For That" (feat. Luke Combs).

Most recently, he partnered with Sony as the latest artist featured in its "For The Music" campaign. This, alongside work with brands including Bud Light, with whom he partnered for a concert leading into the release of his "F-1 Trillion" album.

Streaming's boom keys 'authentic connection through creativity'

It's both unlikely and unprecedented that an artist who has sold 200 million singles in a decade would decide to change course seemingly mid-stream to unparalleled hip-hop, pop and rock acclaim and embrace neotraditional country music.

However, Malone, unlike any pop megastar of recent vintage, is a Dallas-area native raised by a mother who loved Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton and a father who was an open-format wedding DJ. A dozen years ago, his own musical curiosities started his musical journey as a high school student, cutting his teeth covering Bob Dylan songs on guitar.

By the time his 2017 album "Beerbongs & Bentleys," featuring the hit "Rockstar" with 21 Savage, topped the Billboard charts, acts like Justin Bieber, Drake, Imagine Dragons, Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd had leveraged streaming platforms like Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify. This democratization of music access helped them create a sound and style that dominated Spotify's most-streamed charts.

In the five years that followed, genres like country, EDM, female-led pop, K-pop, hip-hop and Latin styles raced to the top, competing fiercely against each other. This competition created a wide-open marketplace, allowing a more diverse group of artists than ever to dominate the global reach of American pop music.

Sony's For The Music campaign celebrates artists like Malone, Peso Pluma and Olivia Rodrigo, who have harnessed the power of streaming to create sounds that emphasize an "authentic connection through creativity." This approach has opened "innovative pathways," contributing to a 150% growth in recorded music revenue over the past decade, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

"I’ve always just tried to make music that’s true to who I am — no matter," Malone said. "I make what makes me happy, So to be part of something that celebrates artists for doing their own thing and pushing boundaries, that feels really special."

Post Malone's country-inspired 2025 world tour and next steps

Malone's 2025 world tour will see the country-influenced Southern pop artist routinely playing venues three times larger than ever before. The task seems daunting but he's prepared. He's backed by a band that includes players like 22-year-old pedal steel guitarist Chandler Walters, 100-plus No. 1 Nashville hit-playing guitarist Derek Wells and seasoned veteran bass player Craig Young.

"Working with these players has been so unbelievable, they’re just absolute legends, It’s incredible enough when we’re in the studio, but taking the show out on the road and performing with some of them makes every show that much more epic," Malone said.

When onstage, their experience in playing hits that both predate and dominate the streaming era highlights the breadth of their creative reach.

"Post's love of country was already huge, but doubling down by getting to perform it with the band behind him is making it grow," said Wells. "The Fools For You aren't just players playing for Post, he's digging in, stepped up and taken to being one of us."

Dig deeper and note that alongside Malone, artists including his 2025 tour mate Jelly Roll, plus pop crossover mega-star Morgan Wallen, up-and-coming rappers like BigXThaPlug and That Mexican OT and acts returning to Nashville's creative community of late like Ed Sheeran all share a commonality.

Among many things, they're keenly aware that retaining a country-influenced, multigenerational, multi-genre and uniquely Southern pop-defined view of mainstream success is vital at the present moment.

"Post offers Nashville's country industry incredible visibility that raises the stakes for what we can accomplish," Wells said. "Post's writing and recording songs the same way, like, ("King of the Road" singer) Roger Miller would in the '60s and '70s. These songs are high quality in creation, but they reflect his gut feelings more on what he's into, more than being overthought. Then, almost immediately, we're cutting them in the studio. It's not like we're laboring with these songs any more than necessary."

The 11 months of hazy, booze-soaked overnight sessions that Malone engaged in to create "F-1 Trillion" are now the stuff of folklore.

However, returning to lean into Nashville's creative community so deeply and at a point where country music has achieved incredible mainstream reach is noteworthy for a more profound, historical revival it has kindled beneath the surface.

"Nashville is just such a legendary place. The people, the countless number of amazing artists, the venues, the studios — it's all such a perfect storm of musical history and inspiration that’s perfect for songwriting. I absolutely love it," said Malone, regarding his absorption into Music City's creative process.

Post Malone's new album, growth as a country frontman

And yes, as Malone has previously stated, there's another album coming. Given that he's working on evolving his craft as a frontman, it shouldn't be surprising that he's diving past where "F-1 Trillion" left off with 2000s and 2020s-era country favorites like Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Chris Stapleton featured as core influences.

For album number two, he's dialing back the clock for two more decades to more deeply embrace country music kings George Jones and George Strait's '80s-era crooning and swagger as influences.

"Performing country music is an entirely different discipline and requires an entirely different vocal delivery from working in pop," Wells said. "Moving away from having his voice saturated with vocal effects and treatments has him really working, especially onstage, to deliver a quality show every night.

"There's also more fiddle, pedal steel, guitar solos. Where we started as two feet over the line into traditional country on 'F-1 Trillion' has turned into head, chest, shoulders and feet across the line on where we're headed with the next batch of songs."

When asked what he appreciates most about bringing country music to the forefront of his creative interests, Malone shared an empathetic reflection:

"I want to make sure I do things with respect. I feel honored that everyone has been accepting and patient with me."