On Tyler Childers Performing “All Your’n” with Olivia Rodrigo

Random Notes 38 Comments


I get it. As a country music fan these days, it almost feels like the entire music world is caving in on you as everyone wants a piece of the country genre. First it was Beyoncé and her supposed country album, which ended up being a dud. Now it’s Post Malone out there making country music news every other day, and giving all indications his upcoming country project will be anything but a dud. In fact, it might be dominant over the country genre for the foreseeable future.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t allow for one-off cross-genre collaborations, or even conclude they’re kind of cool upon occasion. Olivia Rodrigo isn’t going country, and Tyler Childers isn’t going pop. They just happened to collaborate on a song that clearly felt personal to Rodrigo on what’s basically Tyler Childers’ turf.

On Wednesday, July 24th, pop star Olivia Rodrigo appeared at the Rupp Arena in Lexington as part of her “Guts” world tour, and the 21-year-old invited Tyler Childers to come out and sing his song “All Your’n” with her. Rodrigo has also brought out Noah Kahan and other artists on stops on the tour. The Rupp Arena holds special significance to the Appalachian/independent country resurgence because it is one of the first arenas that artists like Tyler Childers played and sold out.

Clearly the crowd in attendance thought the duet was killer. Most of the reception has been positive. But there has also been quite a few criticizing Tyler Childers for agreeing to the collaboration.


One of the reasons that country has become so hot all of a sudden is because it’s sounding more country than it has in years, and because the regional roots of the music are coming through once again. Regardless if you’re from the region where the music originates, hearing someone’s personal and authentic expressions conveying universal sentiments gives the music a distinct character that creates a unique appeal.

This is the whole reason Tyler Childers has blown up into an international arena star by playing distinctly Appalachia music. He’s said in interviews in the past that the reason he never moved to Nashville or outside of Kentucky is because he wants to be embedded within the regional dialects that influence his music. “All Your’n” is a perfect example of this. The song is full of Appalachia vernacular, including the title. Maybe some see it as sacrilege that a Filipino American pop star would sing a song like this, but it’s not like she is releasing this as a radio single.

It is important that the traditions and influences of American country music are preserved and respected. But it’s also important that we aren’t so rigid as to disallow the opportunity that music has to bring people together, bridge perspectives, and broaden appeal.

Remember, in large part it was a collaboration with another Kentucky country artist, Chris Stapleton, with a pop star, Justin Timberlake, that set off country music’s move away from the whole Bro-Country era in the first place. Will the collaboration between Olivia Rodrigo and Tyler Childers have a similar effect? Of course not. It was a simple, one-off thing. But that’s all the more reason to not be uptight about it.

If you’re true in your conviction about preserving country music’s roots, you have to pick your battles wisely. Otherwise you come across as the boy who cried wolf, or pretentious, or overly uptight. Tyler Childers singing “All Your’n” at the Rupp Arena with Olivia Rodrigo? This isn’t a war worth waging. As you hear from the folks in the crowd, it was a fun and enjoyable. Many will remember when one of their favorite pop stars brought out one of their local heroes in Kentucky, and a memorable moment ensued.

© 2025 Saving Country Music

, , , , , ,