“That Was The Moment I Realised How Big It Was Getting Here”: Darius Rucker Discusses Country Music's UK Boom

As the excitement continues to build ahead of his eagerly anticipated arena tour this Fall, Darius Rucker sits down with Holler to share how much he's looking forward to taking the stage in Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and London.

As well as teasing a brand new rock band, titled OwlHowlOwl, and a forthcoming solo album, Rucker reflects on how enamoured he has been with the UK's country scene, ever since he headlined the first ever Country to Country Festival in 2013.

Rucker has been an advocate for the UK's burgeoning country scene long before it enjoyed the popularity it is experiencing today, with stars such as Morgan Wallen, Beyoncé, Post Malone, Zach Bryan, Shaboozey and Dasha all helping to bring the genre - which has traditionally been US-bound - into the UK's mainstream.

Within the first 21 weeks of 2024, for instance, combined sales and streaming units for country singles in the UK tallied 11.5 million. This marked a significant boost of 6.9 million compared to the same period of 2023 - a 67% year-on-year increase.

Similarly, according to the BPI’s All About The Music 2025 yearbook, country music made up 3.3% of the UK singles market in 2024 - more than double the 2022 figure, 1.6%.

Such is the level of respect Rucker holds for the UK's country songwriting landscape, the ‘Wagon Wheel’ hitmaker decided to up sticks and move to London at the start of the year. He's since been working on the follow-up to his widely celebrated 2023 record, Carolyn's Boy, as well as on his enigmatic HowlOwlHowl project.

Rucker's UK arena tour - which kicks off at the end of September and features a stellar line-up of fellow country favourites, Jake Owen and homegrown duo, The Shires - serves as the culmination of a year spent happily immersed in British culture.

As he sips his tea in a quiet Chelsea café, Rucker reflects, “It all really it started for me when we came over here, like three or four times...It was cool, and then I remember playing the first C2C Festival, and I told my manager at the time, ‘I want to come every other year. Let's see what we can do’. And we did it - we came every other year. We came and play Shepherd's Bush, and then we played the Hammersmith Apollo - one of the best shows ever. That and the Royal Albert Hall are two shows that, if I have Alzheimer's, I'll still remember those shows”.

He expands, “That was the moment I realised how big it was getting here, watching the first C2C, and seeing what it is now... It was a lot of people across three cities, and just coming over here myself and then, like I said, playing every other year, watching all that...I was like, ‘I want to be a part of that country scene’”.

As well as headlining shows across the UK, Darius Rucker will return to the prestigious Royal Albert Hall later this month for the Grand Ole Opry's 100 year celebration, alongside the likes of Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Marty Stuart and more.

The ‘Have a Good Time’ crooner gushes, “The Royal Albert Hall the last time was one of the best things to have happened in my career. Taking it globally for the first time, and them asking to be a part of it - it's huge for me, especially when you've got Luke Combs and all these folks who are coming over and doing it all around world. The Royal Albert Hall is one of my favorite venues in the world...Imagine having the Opry in a sold-out Royal Albert Hall - it'll be a beautiful replica”.

Country music's explosion in popularity on this side of The Pond has been at least partially due to artists knocking down walls that previously stood between other genres.

Morgan Wallen incorporates trap beats and Zach Bryan has embraced folk, while Nashville continues to see an influx of mainstream titans venturing into the genre, such as Beyoncé, Post Malone, Lana Del Rey and - most recently - BigXthaPlug.

Rucker delivers a striking hook on the title-track to X's first ever country project, I Hope You're Happy, serving as one of the most eye-catching moments on the star-studded record, which also features Luke Combs, Ella Langley and more.

“When you see people like X embracing country, where every single song has not only a country artist but a country star”, Rucker muses, “I think a lot of people have accepted this, but they're gonna have to accept it. It's not that niche anymore. It's global”.

Rucker might not be obliterating streaming records every week like Wallen, setting all-time-high attendance figures like Bryan or vying for CMA Entertainer of the Year (a title that there's no question he should have won at least once during his career).

But he remains a trailblazer in the truest sense, standing at the forefront of country's expansion through his efforts across the Atlantic, and his willingness to experiment sonically.

As a result, his shows this Fall provide an opportunity not only to see one of country music's legends, with a catalogue of iconic earworms such as ’Wagon Wheel’, ‘Beers and Sunshine’ and ‘Alright’, but it will also be a chance to celebrate the genre's popularity alongside one of the artists that has been pivotal to its UK boom.

Read Darius Rucker's full 2025 interview with Holler here.

For the full list of Darius Rucker's Fall UK Arena tour-dates with Jake Owen and The Shires, see below:

September 29th - Belfast, UK - Waterfront Hall

September 20th - Glasgow, UK - OVO Hydro

October 2nd - Birmingham, UK - Utilita Arena

October 3rd - Manchester, UK - AO Arena

October 5th - London, UK - O2 Arena

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