Experimenting with different genres is nothing new, but Hardy is one of the most prominent country artists who’s made a shift toward rock in recent years. Ahead of the release of his upcoming country-rock album The Mockingbird & The Crow, the artist has touched a bit upon why he thinks there’s a crossover between the two music styles.
Though Hardy does have several albums of his own, he started his career as a songwriter, and has written tracks for high-profile country artists including Morgan Wallen, Florida Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett. In March of last year, he released his first rock-infused song of his own titled “Sold Out,” and another in October called “Truck Bed.”
Fans can expect The Mockingbird & The Crow to have a little bit of country and a little bit of rock, and during an interview with Loudwire Nights host Toni Gonzalez, Hardy explained why he thinks rock and country fans tend to appreciate the other genre.
“I don’t know… I know a ton of rednecks from back home that listen to rock ‘n’ roll more than country. And for some reason, I think culturally, those two genres of music just culturally share a market,” he explained. “I would love to do a study or to dive in one day to really figure that out.”
“It could stem from southern rock, like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band, Allman Brothers — that kind of appeal to the working man, the good old boy, the redneck or whatever,” he continued.
Hardy still considers himself a country songwriter as well as a country singer, but he said if the rock ‘n’ roll community will accept him, he’d love to be considered a rock singer now too.
To hear more from Hardy, tune into Loudwire Nights tonight at 7PM ET.
Loudwire Nights with Toni Gonzalez airs nightly starting at 7PM ET. You can tune in anytime, from anywhere right here or by downloading the Loudwire app.
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