Luke Bryan Wants to ‘Make Good on All the Talk’ Surrounding Females in Country Music
Luke Bryan is a household name for country music and American Idol fans alike. After his headlining Nissan Stadium performance at CMA Fest 2019 in Nashville, he spoke about the systemic lack of opportunities for women that's plaguing country music.
It's a topic that's been hotly debated back and forth for several years, but it doesn't seem to be getting any better — and in fact, it's gotten worse in terms of overall airplay, which also leads to women being under-represented in the biggest awards show categories.
"It's obviously being talked about. I think that's rule No. 1: Get people talking about it," Bryan says (quote via the Boot). "So with me, it's something that we've talked about, when we go to book Crash My Playas and Farm Tours and stuff."
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Bryan's current 2019 Sunset Repeat Tour features Cole Swindell and Jon Langston, making the tour an all-male lineup.
"I know I'm kind of an offender this year, because I have Cole and Jon Langston [out on the road]. I don't have any girls this year," the superstar acknowledges.
His latest Crash My Playa festival only had one female, Lauren Alaina, on the lineup. Bryan's 2016-2018 Farm Tours have also featured entirely male lineups, though in 2015 Bryan had a female artist named Chancie Neal perform.
A number of female artists have taken action to showcase up-and-coming and seasoned female talent. Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris, and Kelly Clarkson have created their own all-female tours, with Brandi Carlile even holding her annual Girls Just Wanna festival with an all-female lineup.
Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley and Eric Church are among the top male country artists who have taken pains to specifically feature women in their tour lineups, on duets and in spotlight roles.
Bryan says he does pay attention to inequality when it comes to females in the genre, especially at radio.
"It's definitely a conversation that we do always [have], and even going forward. We're always making sure that we're doing our, I guess, due diligence ... and not missing out on a talented woman out there, a talented young lady that's up and coming," Bryan explains. "Obviously, a lot of people are talking about it, and it's up for talks. But you gotta make good on all the talk, too."
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