“We'll Eventually Make Some Actual Country Music...”: The Red Clay Strays Take Home Vocal Group of the Year at 2025 CMA Awards

End of an era - and the start of another.

The Red Clay Strays have earned their first ever CMA Award for Vocal Group of the Year, with the ‘People Hatin’ hitmakers breaking Old Dominion's seven-year winning streak.

The six-piece have been a breath of fresh air ever since they stormed into the country music landscape in 2023 when their romantic ode, ‘Wondering Why’, went immensely viral.

When the band's name was read out during last night's ceremony at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, the audience was stunned. It's safe to say we'd all taken it for granted that Old Dominion would win Vocal Group of the Year for the foreseeable future.

While pockets of the contemporary country scene had grown frustrated by Old Dominion's dominance, we actually love the uplifting, country-pop outfit and thought their latest album, Barbara, showcased the band's desire to continue evolving and growing.

But even so, we're incredibly glad to see The Red Clay Strays finally getting the recognition they deserve, after another blockbuster year of game-changing success and popularity.

Amusingly, during their post-victory press conference, the band's frontman, Brandon Coleman, made light of The Red Clay Strays’ penchant for blurring the lines between genres.

Coleman mused, “We were a lot of different genres when we started playing together. John was more hard rock, Andrew was more funk and blues, Zach was more rock, Sevans was more jazz, and I was more country. I was the hick of the group”.

He expanded, “So country music has a very special place in my heart, and that's the reason I always say we don't really play country music, because when we get ready to make an actual country record, it'll be country music. Because I think country music deserves to be recognised as a genre, so if you're just playing rock n’ roll music but calling it country music, I think that's doing country a disservice. So that's why I always say that. But we are all country boys and we're Southern gentlemen, so we're very happy to be accepted by the community - and we'll eventually make some actual country music, too”.

We're excited to hear The Red Clay Stray's full-blown foray into country, but for now, we'll keep jamming to the rock-tinged, gospel-infused sound that permeates their stellar two albums to date, Moment of Truth and Made by These Moments.

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