Country Music Almanac 2025

In this issue we catch up with phenomenal songsmith Fancy Hagood about how he’s found his voice within country music. We also check in with Saaneah, who was featured on Alice Randall’s My Black Country and made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry, seemingly the first Nashville-born Black woman to perform on the show. We consider what the CMA Awards giving Beyoncé a cold shoulder — for a second time — says about the industry. We recommend 10 artists to keep an eye on this year, and we hand over the mic to journalists and historians for their take on the highs, lows and in-betweens of country in our survey. It’s a big table; pull up a chair and dig in.