Kate Hudson Is Finding the Country Music Industry Reception Chilly

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Kate Hudson‘s leap into the music world is a great success so far with her new album, Glorious, already on the iTunes Charts. However, the 45-year-old actress isn’t getting the same praise from country music industry insiders the way Beyoncé did for Cowboy Carter — and before anyone starts to protest this comparison, we hear you already. 

Let’s unpack what a Life & Style source revealed about the reception to Hudson’s debut album. “While icons like Dolly Parton and Trisha Yearwood rushed to praise Beyoncé‘s foray into country music, they’ve stayed suspiciously mum about Kate,” they claimed. Just when you think they are going to say Hudson deserves the same praise as Queen Bey, the conversation takes a nepo-baby twist. “Her success is a slap in the face to all those artists who’ve paid their dues in dive bars and clubs,” they added, “Meanwhile, Goldie Hawn‘s daughter recorded her album in an L.A. mansion. Her first album and she’s already performing on The Voice — how is that fair?”

OK, let’s just cut to the chase. Beyoncé is at the top of her game after years of experimenting with her sound, she’s more than earned the right to be in the country music space. Parton and Yearwood sang her praises for her interpretation of the country music sound. Hudson does have an advantage coming into the music space as a well-known actress, but even she admitted to Variety that she had to build up her confidence to even get to a place where she could record an album. “My fear made me angry,” she said. “So, I had to unpack what that was. I was able to pinpoint some of what those fears were and work through that. Then during writing and making this album, something clicked in me, and I was like, ‘This is the most fun,’ and I’ve loved sharing it.”

Hudson’s sound, which was described by NBC News as a blend of “various genres like rock, soul, and country,” isn’t necessarily an album that is just for the Nashville scene, which might be why other country artists haven’t weighed in on her album. Hudson is going to be just fine, and she doesn’t need the acknowledgment of other artists right now. It sounds like her big win was recording the album in the first place. 

“It’s like too much to explain. It’s just the greatest feeling,” she told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. “I love music. I’ve loved music my entire life. It was my first love. I’ve been writing music my whole life. I just thought it was something I’d only have for myself, until COVID. And then I was like… ‘I’ll regret not just putting it out in the world.’ So, I did.” So, even if country music icons haven’t given Hudson’s vocals a listen, it’s OK. She’s relishing in finally making her passion project a reality.

Before you go, click here for more documentaries about strong women in music.