Kenny Chesney Punks Out Bro-Country in Billboard Cover Story
Once again Kenny Chesney is putting Bro-Country in his crosshairs, and specifically its objectification of women. In a new cover story in the upcoming issue of Billboard, the four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year includes some bellicose language about how country is portraying the gentler sex these days.

The cover of the Billboard issue announces, “Tired of Bor-Country songs that objectify the hell out of women, Nashville’s all-time, good-time guy is retooling his message (but keeping that tiki bar).”
Chesney’s actual quotes are a bit more reflective. “Over the last several years, it seems like anytime anybody sings about a woman, she’s in cutoff jeans, drinking and on a tailgate — they objectify the hell out of them,” Chesney says to the magazine. “Twenty years ago, I might have written a song like that — I probably did. But I’m at a point where I want to say something different about women.”
This sentiment isn’t anything new from Chesney. As he’s been making the media rounds promoting his new album The Big Revival, he’s spoken specifically about how country treats women in the context of his song “Wild Child”—a duet with Grace Potter.
In September, Chesney told radio.com, “In the last several years, a lot of the songs about women have been written in kind of an objectifying way. If you didn’t wear cut-off jeans or a bikini top, or sit on a tailgate and drink, then you really weren’t worthy, you didn’t really add up. But ‘Wild Child’ is telling some girl out there that’s got dreams, that’s a free spirit, who’s smart and interesting, that she has a chance, that she is worthy…All the women that have been in my life…they all had this idea of the ‘wild child’ in them…I think it’s an important song, because it’s saying that they don’t have to be this one thing that’s been sung about over and over again recently. And I’m proud of that, that we wrote a song that lifts up a woman in that way.”
In both instances, Chesney is careful not to call out “Bro-Country” specifically. It’s more implied by the authors. But is this all marketing, and the same effort to exploit the growing anti Bro-Country backlash we’re seeing with songs like Maddie & Tae’s “Girl In A Country Song”? Many times artists will craft talking points around the release of a song or album, and this objectification point seems to be one Kenny has created for “Wild Child” and The Big Revival. It’s part and parcel with him saying that he scrapped an entire album of material that went in a more Bro-Country direction before deciding on his new approach.
Even if Cheseny’s words are more marketing than meaningful, that doesn’t mean these aren’t important points to make, or that Kenny doesn’t believe them. However when you listen to “Wild Child,” it’s hard to see where it casts the female identity in a “worthy” light.
Lyrics like “She’s Penny Lane in a Chevy van. She loves to love” seems to portray a groupie, not some great example of a proud, accomplished woman. It may be a stretch to say “Wild Child” objectifies women itself, but Chesney seems to oversell the idea that it is the antithesis of Bro-Country. Meanwhile he’s also booked a lot of Bro-Country’s worst offenders like Chase Rice and Cole Swindell on upcoming tour dates.
Nonetheless, Chesney remains one of the largest draws in country music today, and his words about the way women are portrayed in country music can’t hurt. If nothing else, Kenny’s quotes will continue the dialog surrounding country music’s female problem both in their portrayal in country songs and their absence on the charts.
November 16, 2014 @ 6:53 pm
And he invited Jason Aldean on his next tour. Well done, Kenny. Well done.
November 17, 2014 @ 7:05 am
well said. I love Kenny’s music and I actually think ‘Wild Child’ is an amazing song. but I felt really bad when I saw he was touring with that horrid aldean and that other idiot, gilbert. I was so disappointed! he could’ve been touring with a talented mainstream artist (Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley or even Tim McGraw and Keith Urban) instead of these bro country assholes.
November 17, 2014 @ 7:22 am
Yep. Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of Kenny’s music and I like some of Aldean’s music, but if Kenny is going to make bold statements like these, he could atleast have the balls to refrain from supporting the acts that frequently objectify women.
Kenny usually picks pretty good touring acts from the mainstream realm ”“ Zac Brown Band, Kacey Musgraves, Eric Church, Grace Potter, Miranda Lambert, Eli Young Band. These latest announcements are disheartening.
November 17, 2014 @ 7:32 am
yeah sure, it totally made no sense to me. I don’t know, maybe the fact he invited them means he’s just trying to stay relevant in today’s country contest. but really, it’s like saying ‘I hate pizza’ and then taking a selfie while happily eating it!
November 20, 2014 @ 7:57 pm
Eli Young’s new album is poppy as hell. I was very disappointed because of how good all their other albums are.
I completely agree about his annoying choice of tour buddies. I like Chase Rice before his latest album. His first releases are great for what they are. But so were many of the artist’s first releases. Luke Bryan even had some good songsbat first as did Jason Aldean. What I have come to believe is artists start off enjoying traditional sounds and even respect it. But they see how easy the majority of the youth sucks up the garbage that has been spewed the past few years and sell-out. One act I will admit is a guilty please is Colt Ford. He’s original and while he does rap, he seems to still respect country and if you listen to some of his songs they aren’t even as bad as what I hear on the radio. The danger is many people aren’t like us and can’t see the line between truly moving and memorable music (in any genre for that matter) and the commercial crap for sale. Wade Bowen’s new album is fantastic. Proof you can have a rocking album but have feeling and not treat women like sacks of meat. I love hot girls, but what’s hot as hell is someone as attractive as Kacey Musgrave’s singing good music and not grinding or whatever some of those pop girls do. This behavior has rolled into all mediums: crap for movies, TV, and music. I say this all the time: when is the last time you saw a movie that will be a classic? Or someone singing like Sinatra ? All good Christmas songs or soundtracks that everyone knows are songs that are many decades old. Absolutely blows my mind. Sorry this is long winded but it all relates. I am so grateful for this site and modern technology so we can experience genunine artists who make good music.
November 16, 2014 @ 6:54 pm
I don’t buy it. He has Chase Rice and Cole Swindell booked on tour with him. Chase Rice is as guilty of producing the crap you are discussing as anyone else. Although not as bad as Rice, Swindell is definitely in the same awful genre.
November 17, 2014 @ 2:29 pm
What is wrong with Chase Rice? “Ready Set Roll” was bro country I know, but have you listened to his other songs and albums? He’s actually an excellent artist. Cole Swindell…..wouldn’t put him with bro country….hes just bland like a box of vanilla wafers..
November 17, 2014 @ 8:34 pm
I remember that Chase Rice had a few good cuts from his Dirt Road Communion album. I liked Room 205, Happy Hour (Worktape) and Jack Daniel’s & Jesus. Nothing incredibly profound but light years better than that Ready, Set, Roll tomfoolery.
I haven’t brought myself to even preview his latest album.
November 18, 2014 @ 3:17 pm
He’s an excellent artist. Also check out his other songs, “Country As Me”, “The Pole Song”, and “That’s How She Rolls”. More country sounding than 90% of whats on the radio today.
November 18, 2014 @ 9:58 pm
Okay you got me with the first response, but now I have detected the sarcasm.
November 19, 2014 @ 2:06 am
@bassmanmatt, I’m not being sarcastic in the slightest bit
November 16, 2014 @ 6:56 pm
Meanwhile he’s making another “Margarittaville” record and making mainstream Country music more and more stupid.
November 16, 2014 @ 7:02 pm
Well, it could be worse. At least Kenny and even Jake Owen are somewhat self-aware. Sure, their comments smack of hypocrisy but they understand their own music. Conversely, Kenny and Jake could be like the Jason Aldean’s and Blake Shelton’s of the world and start bitching anytime anyone questions their musical direction.
November 17, 2014 @ 7:28 am
Yeah, I’m always amused at how offended these bro-country guys get when someone says they don’t like their music. Jason Aldean’s response to Zac Brown about Luke was classic.
Can’t agree on Jake Owen though… 8 Second Ride is high on my most hated list. Gotta give cred on getting “spit cups” into a song tho… 🙂
November 16, 2014 @ 7:23 pm
I am a huge Kenny fan, have been forever, and I think that he is being sincere. I feel like he looks at how hard he had to work to get where he is today and then looks at the premanufactured garbage that it’s outselling him now and is disgusted at the state is country music. I remember watching a special about him once and Sara Evans was talking about how many years he had to fight to get his songs added to radio playlists, even after he had charted several hits. Love him or hate him, he puts on a tremendous show and genuinely seems to care about his fans. I can’t think of one of his songs, off the top of my head, that objectifies women. I do think that it sends out a mixed message that he condemns the concept, yet adds one of the most recent offenders to his tour, but at the end of the day, Aldean is a big draw and his older stuff isn’t too bad.
November 17, 2014 @ 7:14 am
I couldn’t agree more about Kenny, I know he’s not country but I always thought his music is very good. his hits you and Tequila, don’t blink, down the road, there goes my life and Woman with you are among my favourite songs ever. but really, how can he ask that fucking aldean to join him? I hate the way aldean insults country music in every possible way. He (and gilbert) introduced bro country, rap and fucking hard rock metal oriented crap in country music. Aldean’s old stuff wasn’t bad but wasn’t that great. now his music is total garbage.
November 16, 2014 @ 7:54 pm
Having just read the lyrics to “Wild Child”, I think that a clear distinction exists between that song and the bro-country tropes. Chesney is primarily focusing on the woman’s free-spirited nature, and the “Penny Lane” is part of that rather than a comment on her looks. The subject of the song is portrayed as a three-dimensional human being rather than a caricature of a country female.
November 17, 2014 @ 7:27 am
I say it’s opportunistic. It would have been enough for him to talk about his song, what it is and how he feels about it. But once he started the comparison to recent songs, he lost me – he absolutely jumped on the bro-country is out wagon.
Remember when he bragged to Playboy in 2009 that he was “over 100”, referring to the number of women he’d slept with?
November 17, 2014 @ 7:37 am
First off, he’ll never top “That’s Why I’m Here” that’s when he was country.
Once before I said I place the blame for the current state of country music at his and Paisley’s doorstep. Both started out well, but at some point dumbed thing down so far it become ridiculous. Yet their popularity endured, so newcomers joined in and took things further down to where we now have nothing but mindless, immature songs by frauds in blue jeans.
Thank for nothing Kenny.
November 17, 2014 @ 9:02 am
you really said you blame Brad Paisley for the current state of country music??
November 17, 2014 @ 10:06 am
I actually think Kenny has a much deeper catalog than Paisley does. Sure Kenny has released a number of songs about having a good time and a lot of them deal with the beach in sort of a Buffett type lifestyle, but it’s not like Buffett is the only one who has the right to sing those type of songs. The main thing is when Kenny sing those songs they don’t seem fake and are rarely offensive. I agree more on Paisley with songs like “Tick” and “Camouflage”, those types of songs are just stupid. Even in the later years Kenny has still released singles that were solid songs. I’m not calling him Sturgill,but they are solid written songs. Below is a list of some of the singles he has released and there are a number of solid ones in my opinion.
All I Need to Know
Grandpa Told Me So
Me and You
When I Close My Eyes
She’s Got It All
That’s Why I’m Here
Don’t Happen Twice
The Good Stuff
There Goes My Life
Anything but Mine
I Go Back
Old Blue Chair
Who You’d Be Today
You Save Me
Never Wanted Nothing More
Don’t Blink
Shiftwork
Better as a Memory
Down the Road
You and Tequila
El Cerrito Place
November 17, 2014 @ 11:00 am
I love both Brad and Kenny, I think they’re both great writers and musician. but undeniably Brad’s sound is more traditional than Kenny’s. I’m not trying to say Brad’s better than Kenny, I’m just explaining my first comment.
but you can’t say Brad’s music is stupid because you think two of his songs are. I don’t see how songs such as ‘she thinks my tractor’s sexy’ or ‘keg in the closet’ are more intelligent than ticks or camouflage: I see these four songs as funny and nothing more. but if I have to tell you some amazing songs Brad recorded, here’s my list:
one of those lives
time well wasted
letter to me
ain’t nothing like
waitin on a woman
shattered glass
I can’t change the world
two people Fell in love
whiskey lullaby
a man don’t have to die
southern comfort zone
no
best thing that I had going
everybody’s here
little Moments
welcome to the future
some mistakes
when I get Where I’m going
he didn’t have to be
me and Jesus
more than just this song
it did
oh yeah, you’re gone
love her like she’s living
we danced
November 17, 2014 @ 11:08 am
Brad does have a lot of quality songs, but a lot of those on the list you provided are album cuts and not released as singles. That is what bothers me about him, is they are there, but he is not pushing them. My list of Kenny songs was mainly to point out that he has released a lot of quality songs as singles, which is a bit more rare today. I agree “Tractors Sexy” is pretty horrible.
November 17, 2014 @ 12:31 pm
well sadly country radio doesn’t help quality music. Brad released some great songs since 2010: anything like me, this is country music, remind me, southern comfort zone and I can’t change the world. even though most of them hit the top 5, the only one still regularly played at radio is ‘anything like me’ (I’m not considering ‘Remind Me’ which was heavily commercial). This is Country Music and southern comfort zone were successful but it’s hard to hear them on the radio these days. I can’t change the world is such a beautiful song! Yet it stalled and quickly disappeared from country radio, right now it’s a totally forgotten song. right now I think he’s playing it safe and trying to release songs that fit more with today’s radio.
kenny has had problems with his songs too. After ‘come over’ things became harder. If I don’t go wrong El cerrito place landed low on charts too and so did when I see this bar. so I’m sure he’ll play it safe as well (in fact he released American Kids and Till it’s Gone). However I’m sure Wild Child will be a single as well 🙂
November 17, 2014 @ 11:57 am
I disagree. Sure, neither artist is what he was a few years ago. Kenny has gone off in his “Beach Party” direction, while Brad just seems burned out. And while it’s a little disappointing that neither is now in a position to be traditional country’s mainstream elder statesman with the semi-retirement of George Strait, I don’t think either is to blame for the state of things as they are today. Other than FGL, the biggest names in Bro Country all made names for themselves performing much more traditional music. They made the leap all by themselves.
November 17, 2014 @ 9:41 am
I do consider myself a Chesney fan. I don’t think he’s great, but I do think he’s solid and he almost always releases at least one good single from each album. His worst songs are still better than a lot of current country.
I’ve noticed that he’s had plenty of songs that feature strong female characters. The best example is probably “The Woman With You.” Nobody today would write a song about a busy, professional, intelligent woman. I know it was appealing to the soccer mom demo but it still at least featured an intelligent, confident female character.
Songs like “You Save Me,” “If I Lost It,” “The Good Stuff,” “You and Tequila,” “You Had Me From Hello,” “El Cerrito Place,” “There Goes My Life,” “Big Star,” “Down the Road,” “That’s Why I’m Here” and “Better As a Memory” all avoid objectifying women and actual paint interesting female characters.
If you look back at all of his singles, there are plenty of throwaways, but there are also a ton of good and even great songs.
November 17, 2014 @ 9:48 am
Sounds like a puppet trying to pull his own string.
Except in this case the puppet is bigger.
At some point an artist can become big enough to overcome his label handlers. KC is big enough (at least in that sense–and only that sense), but he doesn’t actually walk his talk, now–does he. This is just spin spun (or is it spun spin?).
His little tail ain’t wagging nobody’s dog.
November 17, 2014 @ 12:46 pm
It fascinates me how the traditional press rolled over and pretended “The Big Revival” was an artistic reinvention of sorts for Chesney………….when, in reality, “The Big Revival” is smack-dab in Chesney’s wheelhouse.
It’s not a particularly bad album, per se. But there are only two rather faint features that differentiate this remotely from the rest of his catalog beginning with “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems”:
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1) The production steers clear from the Parrothead/island country soundscape and, though very much rooted in the arena rock wheelhouse Chesney is equally as well-known for aping, it is a bit grittier form of arena rock compared to previous efforts (most notably on the title track, “Drink It Up” and “Rock Bottom”.) Then a few other tracks, instead of an adult-contemporary kind of acoustic reflection, co-opt a MOR-friendly variant of Mumford & Sons approach.
2) Chesney, who is as much a reputation for selling schmaltzy nostalgic fare as he is ditties about being lazy on the beach, restrains himself from the syrupy this time around. Nostalgia unquestionably informs a number of tracks, but never gets particularly sentimental.
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Really, that’s it.
His current single, “Til It’s Gone”, is an ultimate Chesney wheelhouse single. Seriously, if you listen to that, “Don’t Happen Twice” and “I Go Back” back-to-back-to-back, you could easily mistake the chronological order of when they were released and assume “Til It’s Gone” came straight off of “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” if you weren’t a die-hard Chesney fan.
“Beer Can Chicken”, “Save It for a Rainy Day” and “Flora-Bama” also squarely adhere to his formula in that they pander to the Spring Break crowd thematically as well as are driven by a paint-by-numbers arena rock-lite production scheme.
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Again, you can do far worse than Chesney. I just take issue with the hyperbole surrounding Chesney’s statements and the promotional effort of “The Big Revival”.
November 17, 2014 @ 2:34 pm
WHY IS EVERYONE STILL BRINGING UP BRO COUNTRY?!???
I’m beyond sick of hearing about bro country. It’s gone and overwith (except for FGL). Why would Chesney even bother bringing up bro country in an interview? It makes little to no sense to me. Sounds to me like self gratification. I grew up listening to him and he remains one of my favorite artists, but he really is turning into an idiot.
November 17, 2014 @ 3:39 pm
So far, I have not seen Kenny Chesney bring up Bro-Country specifically, only the writers of the stories make that connection. We still have to see the full Billboard cover story, but at this point I have yet to see Kenny Chesney bring it up. He’s kept his criticisms more specific to objectification of women.
November 17, 2014 @ 5:34 pm
I find Kenny’s music bland, yet he makes valid points. Bro-country objectifies women but booking bro-country undermines the message he is trying to convey. Hypocritical…
November 18, 2014 @ 11:09 pm
Find it funny that he is touring with the King of “BroCountry” Aldean and Gilbert another singer and writer of brocountry songs. If he really felt strongly chesney would be touring w/ a different bill. Also where are the females? Many new gals who would that opportunity.
November 18, 2014 @ 11:58 pm
Kenny did take Kacey Musgraves on tour last year, and so at least he is doing something to help new female artists.
November 19, 2014 @ 6:43 am
This is what Cobra had to say about bro-country and its fanboys and fangirls. Personally, I don’t care for bro-country because they cater to the lowest denominator: the young, foolish, idiotic, illiterate closed minded folks who believe that country music should evolve when in all reality, the artists making this crap are far removed from country music and show no respect for its roots or keeping the legacy of our genre intact. Go on YouTube and speak your mind on a Luke Bryan video. The fans of his will crawl out of the woodwork like starving roaches searching for its last meal. Standard responses in defense of their hero will include “country music has to evolve”, “stop hating”, or “if you don’t like it, don’t listen.” Its expected, coming from folks who are tricked into believing the majority of this crap that you encounter on mainstream radio is actual country radio.
If you make songs like “Country Girl”, “Burnin’ It Down”, “Cruise” and “Redneck Crazy”, you not only make yourself look like a absolute moron but you also forgot that you are representing country music (or so they think) and you are painting us Southern folks in the worst light possible by implying through song and video that we are nothing but partying drunks who sleep with questionable women, love trucks & tailgates and get ourselves into stupid situation without thinking things through. All of us not drunken asshats with no respect for the roots of country music or its legacy. My dream is that this excrement they attempt to pass off as country music will die a quick death, but being the realist that I am, I know it’ll take time for it to truly go away for good.
November 19, 2014 @ 6:45 am
Oops. This is Cobra’s thoughts on this bro-country crap:
http://hopeforcountrymusic.weebly.com/
June 3, 2015 @ 2:09 pm
Come on, everyone knows Toby Keith is the Al Sharpton of Bro-Country. And Carrie Underwood’s garbage “Before He Cheats” is not exactly the same but is definitely helping promote the shallow, irresponsible garbage that people are trying to pass off as country music today. I guess the days of Randy Travis, Doug Stone and bands like Alabama and even Diamond Rio are gone and here to stay is a hollow shell that can be quickly canned and sold to easily influenced youth (and those who are still stuck in it). I’m glad to hear that young kids like Maddie and Tae get it and want to revive a greater appreciation for not only traditional country but also the culture it used to represent.