Fandoms of the Year is a glimpse at the year and some of the biggest fandoms with Women in Music taking the crown for Entertainment. On the sports side, women also ruled with Women in Basketball taking the crown as well.
As you can see, women had a great year all around, but one thing I noticed was the distinct lack of love for women in country music. Country music tends to be left out of the conversation a lot of the time which is no fault of anyone's as country music never gets the credit it deserves.
Since I'm a long-time country music fan, there was no way I wasn't going to show the genre some love and in particular, show some love to the women of country music. Honestly, it feels like 2024 is the best time to be a woman in country music as the genre is so vast and features so many talented people.
With that being said, these lists are subjective so some artists on my list might not be on yours or vice versa. Regardless, there was no way I wasn't going to talk about some great female country artists.
These 4 female country artists had an incredible year.
1. Lainey Wilson
No female country artist had a bigger year than Lainey Wilson. No matter where you went, you saw Lainey Wilson or heard one of her songs. Looking back at 2024, Wilson nabbed awards glory and frankly, she deserves it. It's clear she worked her butt off and even, at one time, took on the role of Hannah Montana which is something shared with Miley Cyrus at her Disney Legends presentation.
Aside from that, Lainey Wilson performed at the Cowboys vs Giants Thanksgiving halftime show. She released Whirlwind which resulted in her going on tour and giving us two singles. She even opened up her own bar in Nashville in 2024. As you can see, 2024 was a packed year for Lainey Wilson and there's no way she won't stay booked and busy into the new year.
2. Ella Langley
Whether you turned on the radio or picked up TikTok, you couldn't go a few minutes this summer without hearing Ella Langley's voice. The viral sound "Excuse me, you look like you love me..." was everywhere this year and it helped to skyrocket Ella Langley into the conversation. She also collaborated with Riley Green and everyone wanted to know who was crooning beside that tall glass of water.
Aside from her breakout hit with Green, Langley released her debut album Hungover which featured the popular TikTok track. She went on to perform with Green in some award shows, did some press and it truly felt like her apperance on the scene has changed the game. No matter where you heard the song, this won't be the last time we hear about Ella Langley.
3. Megan Moroney
If there was one name on everyone's lips this year, it was Megan Moroney and I'm including myself in that as well. This one would normally be a slightly biased pick but Megan Moroney absolutely dominated this year. Not only did she go on tour with Kenny Chesney but she put out her sophomore album: Am I Okay? and it immediately resonated with audiences.
Moroney also annouced her own headlining tour for 2025 that's already sold-out and collected awards like candy in 2024. If anything, this gets me even more excited for what's to come with Moroney in 2025. Plus she's a Raising Cane's fan so what's not to love?
4. Tanner Adell
Last but not least, we have to talk about Tanner Adell who also had a TikTok hit this year with "Buckle Bunny." While the track was released in 2023, it really seemed to get popular in 2024 and it resulted in Adell having some massive viral success. In addition to that, she embarked on her Buckle Bunny tour which wrapped in the middle of December.
Musically, Adell has been everywhere this year including having a track on the beloved Twisters movie soundtrack and singing background vocals on Cowboy Carter. Ultimately, this feels like just the beginning for Adell who has talked openly about her past and even gave us a look at what's next for her in an interview with People. This feels like just the beginning for Tanner Adell and we're all along for the ride.
There was truly no denying just how vast the country music world has become and these women are leading the charge. Of course, I wanted to show some love to some older female country artists who are doing big things, both in and outside of the genre. Dolly Parton released two books in 2024, annouced a musical and was even named the greatest country artist of all time by Billboard.
Aside from Dolly, we saw Reba McEntire come back to the small screen and Kacey Musgraves released an album, something uniting country and non-country fans alike. Overall, it was a great year for women in country music so I can't wait to see how things look like in 2025.