‘Samantha Bee’ Correspondents Visit Nashville to Tackle Sexism in Country Music [WATCH]
The problem of sexism in country music came under national attention in a recent episode of Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, with correspondents Sasheer Zamata and Amy Hoggart heading to Nashville to speak with some of the artists and industry members leading the charge toward equality at country radio.
Using the show's signature blend of comedy and investigative journalism, the segment delves into why female artists have to fight for equal radio airplay, with CMT executive and Next Women of Country founder Leslie Fram serving as a tour guide to the recent history of "TomatoGate" and the ever-diminishing presence of women's voices on country radio.
Zamata and Hoggart check in with artists like Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker and Margo Price (who also performed her new song, "Stone Me," on Full Frontal in another segment of the show).
"Ask yourself this question: 'What do you want your daughter to know about herself?'" said Carlile. "And if you can't get that from country music, if you can't get that from country radio, it's a problem."
As an artist who's been in country music for decades, Tucker reflected on the genre's past, and the difficult fight that has led female artists to where they are today. "When I first started out, they wouldn't have another woman on a show. There'd be one woman and three boys," she explained. "...The women in country music, they've had a hard row to hoe."
Meanwhile, the correspondents also spoke to Mickey Guyton about the additional hurdles that black artists, male and female, face in country music. "Black people love country music, and there's so many people that look like me that love country music. And that's what I'm here to do. We're really just paving our own way," Guyton commented.
While the slogans the correspondents and artists came up with might need some workshopping -- "Save a koozie, play a cowgirl"? Maybe. "Twang's up"? Not quite. "T-t's up"? Definitely not -- the message couldn't come at a more important time. The same day the episode aired, country stars like Kacey Musgraves and Kelsea Ballerini were weighing in on a viral tweet about the same issue, in a thread about the rarity of country radio stations playing two female artists back to back.
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