This spring, ambition Singer Sarah Gross performed a cover of Patsy Cline’s “Red Wine Supernova” at a concert in Long Island. “Rest in peace Hank Williams, would have loved Chappelle Rowan,” she wrote when she uploaded the video to TikTok in April, with what quickly became a prophetic caption: “It’s time to turn Chappelle Rowan into honkytonk.”
If you go to a country show in 2024, there’s a good chance you’ll hear some of Rowan’s songs. The “Hot to Go” singer is quickly becoming the latest pop hit artist the Nashville star is likely to cover. Kacey Musgraves, who spent time with the Midwestern princess earlier this summer, is covering “Pink Pony Club” every night of her new tour.
Earlier this week, songwriter Kaylee Hammack released her solo rendition of “Good Luck, Baby!”, Rowan’s biggest hit and her most popular country song at the time. Country artists including Kaitlyn Potts, Silverada, and Josiah & the Bonnevilles have covered the song in recent performances.
Country acts covering pop acts is nothing new. The age-old practice, especially in live concerts, serves a number of purposes: It can appeal to audience members who are skeptical of country, it helps position country singers who are themselves looking to move beyond the realm and expand their sound, and it offers a musical perspective on the arbitrariness of genres. Swap the synthesizer for the violin, and a pop song is more likely to become a country tune. (Country isn’t the only genre to sing over Chappelle Rowan’s songs: Blink-182, Decembrist Plan, and Tom Morello have all sung or played along.) There’s also a viral incentive for an artist to associate themselves with the hottest country acts. Josiah & the Bonnevilles, a fast-rising folk band that has found fame by releasing acoustic covers, was an early adopter of Rowan’s acoustic trend, releasing their cover of “Good Luck, Baby!” in June.
It helps that Rowan's songs are particularly well-suited to country arrangements. This genre is less obvious, but it's nonetheless a big part of her musical DNA—listen to her singing “Guilty Pleasure.” In fact, on “Guilty Pleasure,” Rolling Stone In her essay, the singer talks about writing a country song for her upcoming album, after growing up listening to Christian rock and country music as a teenager in Missouri. “I didn’t really identify with it at the time,” she said earlier this year. “Now I identify with country music in a completely different way. I think it’s a lot of fun.”
