Anything other than country.
A common response when someone is asked what music they like, but a subgenre of country has been taking over TikTok and Spotify charts. Slowly the folk genre has seen a revival.
The folk revival truly began again, no pun intended, in 2020 with Taylor Swift´s Folklore, like the name suggests Swift´s folk album broke 17 records. Folklore´s sister album Evermore continued to stay in the folk genre.
¨I think a lot of people will try to argue that Folklore and Evermore aren´t folk, but folk music really focuses on telling a story,¨ senior Fallon Domer said. ¨In all of Swift´s music she tells a story, but in Folklore she goes as far as naming characters and establishing an elaborate love triangle and a storyline within the album.¨
The storytelling in folk is truly what sets the genre apart. The elaborate stories that are sung over the tune of an acoustic guitar have started to grow in popularity.
¨Folk artists like Elliott Smith and Bob Dylan are on the rise again,¨ sophomore Matthew Howell said. ¨I think folk is getting more exposure because folk was already good but social media really helped boost awareness of the genre.¨
The heartbreaking lyrics of Noah Kahan have been played all over TikTok, his new album Stick Season (We´ll All Be Here Forever), is currently being promoted all over the social media platform with only snippets of lyrics leaving listeners heartbroken.
¨Folk is a growing style with more and more fans,¨ sophomore Alex Esway said. ¨Its become a better way to tell stories and find ways to relate to it. The music isn’t bright and flashy, it isn´t so much about production value as it is the story.¨
The continual theme of intricate storytelling in folk music makes it easier for audiences to relate to and helps the music gain traction on social media. A recent rise in folk singers, especially politically outspoken folk singers, has continued to feed into this new found folk obsession.
¨Not only does folk music emphasize storytelling but it often addresses social and cultural issues,¨ Howell said. ¨With younger generations becoming more politically involved, a genre that encourages artists to express their political beliefs really resonates with teenagers.¨
For those curious to break into the new wave of folk, Taylor Swift’s folk albums are a great place to start with a familiar voice and artist, Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan are stunning lyricists with songs many can recognize from TikTok.
Folk has often been grouped in with country music, being overshadowed by the prejudice against its sister genre, but folk has started to make significant waves in the music industry.
Artists such as Noah Kahan, Drumming Bird and Joy Oladokun are making impacts on the new wave of folk. From its specialization on storytelling to its political contributions, folk is making a name for itself.
