Though she did not promise the winning song would indeed release as the third single from her acclaimed “Same Trailer Different Park,” a Twitter campaign from breakout country star Kacey Musgraves makes it clear she and her label are gauging fan opinion.
“What would YOU like to hear as my next single? Please use a hashtag with the name of the song of your choice. Annnnnd GO,” Tweeted Musgraves early Monday morning in a calculated effort to build social engagement, garner fan feedback and potentially create some buzz around her most popular tracks.
Response has been soft so far, especially relative to her reach of more than 92,000 followers, but it strongly points the needle in a particular direction.
Ten of the seventeen unique respondents identified “Follow Your Arrow” as at least one of their picks, giving the empowerment song a dominant edge over the other potential choices.
Released this winter in support of the “Same Trailer Different Park” pre-order campaign, “Follow Your Arrow” became an instant hit with Musgraves’ fans. It continues to represent an anthem, of sorts, for the singer-songwriter’s growing (in quantity and passion) group of supporters.
It, more notably, made waves for its progressive lyrics, which represent a departure from stereotypical country motifs.
Shortly after its promotional release on iTunes, a Billboard article questioned whether the song was “too racey (sic) for country radio.”
The piece quoted multiple radio programmers, who, in reference to the song’s tolerant perspective on same-sex romance and marijuana use, doubted whether it would receive airplay in country markets.
“It’s a shame that such a fine piece of music won’t find its way to a number of stations,” said one programmer at the time.
But insofar as the frank lyrics are a major driver of support for both the song and Musgraves as an artist, programmers might have a hard time ignoring its potential value as a radio hit, especially if the singer-songwriter’s profile continues to rise.
“Blowin’ Smoke,” the second single from “Same Trailer Different Park” and the follow-up to breakthrough hit “Merry Go Round,” continues to represent Musgraves in the marketplace. It was officially released to radio the week of April 1.