Many fans might assume that traditional-minded country artists like Travis Tritt and Riley Green are too old-school to care about social media.
But even the most down-home country star has to adapt to the digital age.
That’s a lesson Green learned the hard way early on in his career, when he had the chance to snag an opening slot on Tritt’s tour. He lost out on the gig because his social media presence wasn’t large enough.
Green shared that story during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
At this stage in his career, he said, he was gaining fans on a grassroots level, but he still didn’t know all that much about the business side of things.
“And I had a buddy that worked with Sam Hunt call me, because he knew I did music, and he said, ‘Man, we got an offer to go open for Travis Tritt. We can’t do it. I’m gonna put your name in the hat,'” the singer recounted.
Green was excited, but his friend called him back to say that the gig was a no-go.
“He called me back and said, ‘Man, you don’t have enough followers on Facebook,'” the singer says.
“I was like, ‘I don’t even really have Facebook. What’s that got to do with anything?'” Green continues. “Then I realized social media was a big part of it, and all that stuff. So I got all that.”
Green then explained that his success in country music’s mainstream was “very accidental.”
He knew he liked to perform, and he loved the genre, but it wasn’t until labels started taking an interest in him that he started to learn all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into becoming a superstar.
From Grassroots Performer to Industry Heartthrob
Green signed his record deal in 2018 and steadily continued to amass fans, both through his in-demand live performances and through a mounting number of country radio hits.
His success hit a whole new level with the release of his 2024 Ella Langley duet “You Look Like You Love Me.”
Around the same time, more and more fans started pointing to Green as one of country music’s biggest young heartthrobs, thanks in part to a mustache he started rocking.
Riley Green’s Damn Country Music Tour Continues
Green is currently on the road for his Damn Country Music Tour, a trek scheduled to continue into November.
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