Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves Ask for More Female Representation on the Radio

Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves fight back at a radio station that doesn’t want to play too many songs from female artists.

Recently, country music station 98 KCQ in Michigan shared a tweet, that is now deleted, saying they can’t play two female artists back to back. Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves came across this tweet and decided they had to speak up.

And yet, they can play 18 dudes who sound exactly the same back to back. Makes total sense.

— K A C E Y M U S G R A V E S (@KaceyMusgraves) January 16, 2020

Musgraves is furious that a radio show would ever say or even admit something like that. She states that she has decided to ignore people and radio stations like that years ago because they cannot stop her from succeeding.

Ballerini had similar words to say against the radio station’s statement.

 

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I say this having been one of the few women who have been really embraced by country radio and having watched some of the bigger networks (and some of my friends that are pd’s and high up) make real changes in their programming to make it look more balanced. I am grateful. BUT. there is still inequality in airplay for women. And tweets like this prove it. And it’s my job to say it out loud and post about it, because of the girls moving to Nashville ( or wherever) that are ready to outrun and outwork and outplay everyone. They deserve to know that they have the same shot as the guys moving here to do the same. Country music- We have to fix this. For us and for them. How do we do it? Let’s talk. (Also- don’t lash out at this station, they are playing by rules set for them from their higher ups 😞)

A post shared by Kelsea Ballerini (@kelseaballerini) on Jan 16, 2020 at 6:55am PST

Both female country artists are becoming more successful but still face obstacles such as this every day. They realize that there is a big inequality in airplay between men and women. Ballerini says she is fighting for young girls moving to Nashville to start their career and how “they deserve to know that they have the same shot as the guys moving here to do the same.”

Many fans agreed with both artists saying it is rare that they hear female artists on the radio. Some say they have stopped listening to the radio altogether because of the lack of female representation.

THANK YOU!! it’s so frustrating when I’m never able to turn on a country radio station and hear a female artist. it’s also extremely disappointing that I have to call just for them to play a female, because none of us should have to hope for a female to be played.

— hannah (@hannahcdill) January 16, 2020

The fight for more equality is not over, and hopefully, more women every day will follow in the footsteps of people like Ballerini and Musgraves to get rid of the inequality between men and women.