Some diehard country music fans might be turned off by the thought of watching a television series centered on country music and the industry. Despite seeming silly to some, I believe this show is full of talented artists and performers and has the ability to turn non-country music listeners into country music lovers like the rest of us.
The TV series Nashville has become one of my favorite shows to watch each week. I love the drama surrounding each of the dynamic characters, but mostly I love the numerous country songs debuted in each episode. My mom and I used to watch together every week before I started college, and while I have always been a country music fan, she hasn’t. However, this show has caused her to grow into a bigger fan than I think she ever could have been. Nashville has the ability to capture our attention and increase our awareness of country music.
Nashville has been extremely successful in producing songs that are loved by all who watch it. At first, the characters might seem phony and invalid when it comes to country music, but the actors chosen for each role have enormous musical talent. I’m always so blown away with the songs performed in the series, that I have download them right away.
Connie Britton, who plays leading lady Rayna James, is an incredible singer in addition to her acting skills. If I didn’t know any better, I would think she was an actual country music star because she plays the part so well. Hayden Panetierre, who plays queen bee Juliette Barnes, has been known as a pop star for years. Despite this, she has definitely embraced country music, adding excitement and personality to her songs. She fits into the country music scene incredibly. Lennon and Maisy Stella, Rayna James’ daughters on the show, were cast after being discovered on YouTube. The two girls are real life sisters and have incredible voices. Through their amazing performances on Nashville, cast members such as Lennon and Maisy Stella, Clare Bowen, Charles Esten, Jonathan Jackson, and Chris Carmack, to name a few, have landed spots as guest artists to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. If this doesn’t show talent I don’t know what does.
Along with the talent of each of the actors, many country music artists have guest stared in episodes of the show, contributing to its authenticity. Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band, Brantley Gilbert, and Brad Paisley have performed right alongside the actors in the show. The actors and singers always mesh well and look natural and normal together, despite what some might think. The songs and performances never cease to surprise me, and every one draws me into the show more than before.
Regardless of the fact that most of the characters are not “real” country singers, Nashville is a show that is captivating, suspenseful, and heart wrenching. In addition, it has created great country music. If you’ve never watched an episode of this show and you love country music, I would highly recommend it because I guarantee you will fall in love with all it has to offer.
I love Nashville! I completely agree with you that Connie Britton really owns it as country music queen Rayna James. I sometimes forget that all of these people are actors because they are extremely talented (in both their singing and acting skills). I love it when real country artists join make cameos on the show, it makes it seem even more real, and that’s what I love most about the show. Now when we talk about artists that live in Nashville with their families (I think that was Tim McGraw that we referenced living in Nashville with his country star wife and daughters), I picture his life to be similar to that of Rayna’s. It’s simple but also has the added complications that come along with being ultra famous. I’m sure that’s a bit naive of me, but I like to think all Nashville artists live like they do in the show. I love the show and agree with everything you said about it above.
I am always sooo impressed by Connie Britton! She was absolutely phenomenal in Friday Night Lights as Tammy Taylor, and she continues to prove herself as a wonderful actress in Nashville. My mom and I love watching this show together; whenever I go home, we binge watch the shows that we missed! The cameos of real country artists are always surprising and interesting because of how big or small their part is. I remember there have been a few that only have a line or too. I think that by doing this it adds realism while also not awkwardly drawing attention away from the show. Obviously, the show is a drama, but all of the complications in the life of a country artist (real or fake) is much more interesting than getting your “drama fix” from cheesy reality TV. I truly love the show and will definitely continue watching for as long as they are making good TV about country music.
This show does look very interesting! I have been looking for a new series to start and this one seems perfect because I love that they intertwine country music into it. After watching that clip I am convinced that these actors and actresses are very talented to be able to sing country music so well. I also didn’t know that Hayden Panetierre was in this show let alone such a great country singer. I do always put her music into the pop genre, but after listening to a couple of her songs from this show I am convinced that she could probably make it as a country artist also. Thank you for recommending this show! I will certainly be watching it soon.
“Nashville” is a show I’ve been meaning to get into, but simply just don’t have the time. I am most interested to see how Charles “Chip” Esten handles the role and singing. I know him from “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” which is, I imagine, quite different from “Nashville”. Maybe it can be a summer show to watch when nothing else is going on. I am also interested to see just how well Hayden Panettiere performs country, since she was pinned as pop for so long.
I have only seen a few episodes of this TV series, but like you I was very impressed by the music it produced. I watched the episode where Rayna James and Juliette Barnes teamed up to preform a song together. I couldn’t help but believe that this episode influenced Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert to produce their duet called “Somethin’ Bad”. I think I will have to start watching this show again because I am curious to see what other songs have been created. I loved Connie Britton in Friday Night Lights and Hayden Panettiere in Heroes. I didn’t know that Lennon and Maisy Stella were discovered on YouTube, but after you mentioned it I started watching their videos and they are amazing.