What Is Country Music? Allie Colleen Says Stories Are the Most Important Part

As the daughter of country legend Garth Brooks, singer-songwriter Allie Colleen has been immersed in traditional country music ever since she was a child. Still, she says her personal definition of the genre has less to do with stylistic elements and more to do with stories. Read on as Colleen shares what country music means to her. 

That's definitely a conversation for anyone that's trying to get into [country music]: Everyone's like, "Well, are you going to make it better, or are you going to make it worse?" And I hate that, because country music was historically derived from southern plantation workers' songs and gospel music, two things that go together really well and don't go together at all -- you know what I mean? Country music has never been this one clear, defined thing.

For me, when I think back to my childhood and these country music songs and singers that made me fall in love with it, it's just about the stories. I don't care what it sounds like; I don't care if you have a single real musician on your track. I don't care! I just want to have an experience with your song.

Just keeping those songs and keeping those stories that need to be talked about is my favorite kind of thing. That's how we look at it, and that's what our country music is: They're stories, they're dialogues, and they're conversations. Sometimes they sound like something Ariana Grande should do and not me, and sometimes they sound like something Trisha [Yearwood, my stepmom] would have done back in the day. As long as there's a story there, that's all I care about.

Who Is Allie Colleen? 5 Things You Need to Know