We’ve just gone through a very important election in America that felt more like a battle. It was waged all over the country, the news and the internet. Pollsters told us where the candidates were at every stage of the process. We now are finding that many of the pundits and pollsters were dead wrong.

The one constant I’m finding however that translated into one party winning the election over the other was the feeling that voters felt one candidate “cared about them” more than the other. Now that certainly is something we can argue about but the point is, this is what people thought. “Well whadya’ know. Somebody just figured what country music is all about.
Country music has always cared about the audience. We even have the “Country Cares for Kids St. Jude Radiothon every year here in Pittsburgh and across the country.

And you can’t escape it in country music. Our artists seem to and most do care about us. That’s why we buy, attend and listen to most everything they do.
Who keeps her audience better informed than Taylor Swift. The fact that she’s been doing this since she was 15 is amazing seeing as she’s only 22 now and without question and in my estimation the biggest music star on the charts today.

Keith Urban at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

Keith Urban got married, checked into rehab, had children and has made a successful career because he talks to us almost weekly on his keithurban.com website. AND…he listens inviting listener feedback on all kinds of things.

Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BMI

Carrie Underwood has had a website dedicated to her fans ever since her amazing win on American Idol. A perfect example of her “caring” about the audience is the kiss she planted on the 12 year old boys lips this past summer simply because the young man held a sign up asking for a kiss from the superstar gal.

That’s the “thing” about country music. We Care About You. Anyone who’s had a career in this kind of music knows whatever side of the mic we’re on, if we don’t care about the audience, we’re dead. You can’t fake it, lie about or “seem” to care. Ya’ really gotta do it.

I like this. It’s true in country music and seems to be true in politics. Sincere caring. What a concept.