Luke Combs, Post Malone, More Stand Out As 'Innovative' Stars In The Genre

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will spotlight a fresh group of some of the genre’s most influential artists over the past year in the annual American Currents: State of the Music exhibit.

Artists, musicians and songwriters whose work significantly impacted country music in 2024 include Jessi Alexander, Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, HARDY, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Amythyst Kiah, Carin León, Shelby Lynne, Megan Moroney, Orville Peck, Post Malone, The Red Clay Strays, Shaboozey, Chris Stapleton, Billy Strings, Taylor Swift, Turnpike Troubadours, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum announced on Wednesday (January 29). Pairings in the “Unbroken Circle” section of the exhibit, which draws connections between rising artists and the genre’s well-established icons, include Wyatt Ellis and Sierra Hull, Jamey Johnson and Ella Langley, Zach Top and Keith Whitley and Kaitlin Butts and Miranda Lambert. Other unforgettable moments represented in the exhibit include Beyoncé releasing COWBOY CARTER, tributes to late Country Music Hall of Fame members Joe Bonsall (The Oak Ridge Boys), Toby Keith and Kris Kristofferson, and more.

The American Currents exhibit “takes a broad view of the genre over the past year to explore musical developments, artist achievements and notable events, as determined by the museum’s curators and editorial staff,” per a press release issued Wednesday. Kyle Young, chief executive officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement: “The museum’s annual American Currents exhibition examines a wide variety of music and events that took place the prior year. Last year, we witnessed innovative collaborations, well-deserved honors and the continued expansion of country and roots-inspired music’s reach to broader audiences. American Currents allows us to highlight these significant moments within the context of music history."

The annual American Currents: State of the Music exhibit will open in the museum’s ACM Gallery on Wednesday, March 5. It is included with admission into the museum. American Currents will be available through January 2026. See some of the artifacts that will be displayed in the exhibit below.