Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” gown, Lainey Wilson’s shimmering vest and bell bottoms she wore to announce her halftime show performance in Dallas, Texas, and Post Malone’s embellished jacket he wore in a music video with Dwight Yoakam are among many artifacts newly displayed in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
Those artists and many more are represented in the newest edition of American Currents: State of the Music, an annual exhibit that takes a look at some of the genre’s most influential artists, songwriters and music over the past year. This year, 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 exhibit also includes the “Unbroken Circle,” which features pairings of rising artists and the genre’s well-established icons, including Wyatt Ellis and Sierra Hull, Jamey Johnson and Ella Langley, Zach Top and Keith Whitley and Kaitlin Butts and Miranda Lambert. American Currents also reflects on some of the most-talked-about crossover moments, including Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER and Chappell Roan’s country song she debuted on Saturday Night Live.
Roan is one of several artists included in a video compilation of notable performances, along with Zach Bryan, Dasha, Sierra Ferrell, Rosie Flores, Wyatt Flores, From Where I Stand: The Concert Celebration and Sturgill Simpson, plus late Country Music Hall of Fame members Joe Bonsall (The Oak Ridge Boys), Toby Keith and Kris Kristofferson, who are also represented in the In Memoriam section.
Museum spokesperson Ang Zimmer noted in a recent conversation with iHeartCountry that the American Currents exhibit features a blend of artists who lean into “a lot of ‘traditional sounds’…(and) artists who are not necessarily considered ‘country,’ but are taking influences from that, or working in Nashville, or making full albums that are country. So, I think that’s a really cool dichotomy to see in here.” Zimmer said country music’s powerful songwriting and ability to connect with emotional lyrics has drawn artists and listeners into the genre in a unique way.
Kyle Young, chief executive officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a previous 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 American Currents: State of the Music exhibit is available now. It will remain on display through January 2026 in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s ACM Gallery. Take a look at some of the artifacts below.