Country Radio’s 2025 Top 10 Lists Spark Familiar Question: Where Are the Women?
- All Country News
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Country radio has always been a mirror of the genre’s shifting landscape, but the latest Mediabase numbers for 2025 reflect an image that feels more like déjà vu than progress. According to U.S. Radio Updater, the year’s most played songs and artists so far paint a picture dominated by a handful of country’s biggest male stars, leaving fans and industry insiders asking the same question that has echoed across the genre for years: why are women still being left out?
The data is hard to ignore. On the songs list, Morgan Wallen appears twice in the Top 10, leading with “Love Somebody” at No. 1 and his follow-up “I’m The Problem” at No. 5. The rest of the list reads like a who’s who of male mainstays and rising crossover names, from Jelly Roll and Jason Aldean to Shaboozey and Post Malone. The only female representation comes by way of Jessie Murph’s feature on Koe Wetzel’s “High Road,” a collaboration that reaches No. 3.
The artists list is even more lopsided. Every single name in the Top 10 is male. From the heavyweights Wallen, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean to the newer chart staples like Bailey Zimmerman, the pattern is unmistakable. Not one solo woman has cracked the list despite undeniable momentum from Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and more.
That absence feels especially glaring when you consider the cultural moments these women are delivering. Ballerini’s vulnerable songwriting and bold reinvention have cemented her as one of the genre’s sharpest storytellers. Wilson has become both a critical darling and a commercial powerhouse, with Grammys, major tour stops, and anthems that resonate across demographics. Ella Langley’s gritty energy has made her one of Nashville’s most promising breakout acts, while Moroney continues to climb with her razor-sharp blend of humor and heartbreak.
So if the music is connecting, why isn’t radio reflecting it? Industry veterans point to systemic issues that go beyond individual hits. Programming decisions still tend to lean heavily on proven male names, leading to a cycle where airplay fuels more airplay. Meanwhile, female artists often fight uphill battles for spins, regardless of their streaming success or ticket sales.
It’s not that country radio isn’t evolving at all. Post Malone’s “Pour Me A Drink” with Blake Shelton landing at No. 8 highlights the growing appetite for crossover collaborations. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” making the list underscores the genre’s broadening sonic palette. Yet even as the door opens wider for men pushing boundaries, the ceiling for women appears stuck in place.
As the conversation around equity in country music continues, these charts are less a celebration of what’s popular and more a reminder of what’s missing. Women are creating some of the most innovative, emotionally resonant, and commercially successful music in the format right now. The question is whether radio, still a gatekeeper for mainstream exposure will catch up.
Until it does, the Top 10 lists of 2025 risk looking like a hit parade that tells only half the story.
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