"There's So Much Light Getting Shined On Texas": Koe Wetzel Says Texas Country Stars Are Receiving Proper Appreciation

In an interview at this year's Lasso Montreal Music Festival, Koe Wetzel told Holler that he believes Texas-styled country is receiving its fair share of flowers across the country music scene today.

The Texas native himself talks about his experiences growing up on the lone star state inspired country subgenre, and how those experiences have welcomed Koe to a tightknit relationship with the subgenre's community - a community that, according to the 'High Road' songster himself, felt more like a cool secret for a while.

However, the popularity that has grown within country music has opened the door for a multitude of different sounds and styles to be introduced, both growing the genre as a whole, and opening the door for Texas artists to be appreciated more in a modern listening age.

"I feel like, for the longest time, we kind of sheltered our Texas artists, just so we could have our own thing," said Wetzel. "There's something very special about that, and now, just the way with country and how the genre has grown to such a broad spectrum, there's so much light getting shined on Texas."

The 'Hurts Like You' songster states a fair point to his argument of how Texas's impact is becoming well-known to country listeners of various sides of the genre. Along with this, we'd like to point out something of the obvious, which is that some of the most legendary country stars of all time came straight from the lone star state.

Stars such as George Strait, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and George Jones all came directly from Texas, these artists laying some of the groundwork that today's country stars mostly never hesitate to commend. This being said, with so much fresh love and ideas going towards the genre, listeners immerse themselves in a scene that existed long before the genre was this broad - that scene taking them directly back to Texas roots.

In a modern country music age, many Texas-born country artists are making various accomplishments in the 21st century, as Koe noted to Holler, with Conroe native Parker McCollum winning the 2026 ACM 'Album of the Year' award for his self-titled record, and the Sebastopol-born Cody Johnson winning 'Entertainer of the Year' at the same show.

Similarly, stars such as Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves thrive in the genre, with no intention of slowing down, either. These two bring about a Texas-infused pride within their respective catalogs, putting more feats under the state's buckle.

Moreover, the 'Sweet Dreams' crooner himself was also given immense opportunity to genre-bend across the country scene with so many subgenres being welcomed with open arms in recent years. Koe, being a Texas-born artist himself, holds a strong appreciation for Texas roots, all while being able to experiment with different rock-esque sounds.