After the biggest song and album of the year came from country music Cardi has a theory.

The music industry is a complicated place where sometimes even artists themselves can’t tell why something succeeds or fails. But during a recent Instagram live Cardi B tried her best to explain a recent trend she noticed in the music industry. What she’s trying to identify is why country music is more popular than ever and there’s some evidence to back up her claims. For much of the first half of 2023, the Billboard 200 was dominated by Morgan Wallen’s album One Thing At A Time. Throughout that same time frame Wallen’s song “Last Night” led the Hot 100 for months on its way to becoming the biggest hit of 2023.

Cardi B thinks she has an explanation for why its happening. In the clip from her livestream she theorizes that middle-American country music listeners. She claims they’re switching from buying CDs, to buying music from digital platforms. There’s certainly some evidence to back up her claims as well. Two country hits from this year, Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” and Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North Of Richmond” rose up the charts with a disproportionate amount of their sales coming from purchases rather than streams. Check out the full video of Cardi’s theory below.

Cardi B On Country Music’s Popularity

Cardi B’s Instagram Lives have been a place for piping hot tea in recent weeks. That comes as she’s dealt with numerous public dramas. The biggest is her alleged separation from her husband and former Migos rapper Offset. The story turned from just rumors into a full blown scandal when Cardi went on her Instagram live last week. During the stream she described herself as “single.” The claim sent fans into a full blown frenzy of trying to dissect exactly what happened and when.

The Cardi B and Offset drama doesn’t appear to be reaching any kind of conclusion either. They’ve continued to face even more rumors about their potential long-term plans. Earlier this week the pair were both announced as performers for New Year’s Eve parties taking place at the same venue. That sparked even more debate from fans as to where the two stand at this time. What do you think of Cardi B’s claims that country listeners switching from CDs to digital purchases explains the rise of country music on the charts? Let us know in the comment section below.