Toby Keith Says Country Music Will Survive Thanks to Fans, Not Politics

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Toby Keith is nominated for ACM’s Entertainer of the Year award, and spoke to Albright & O’Malley’s Dan Van about actually being excited to be recognized as a nominee simply because it is a fan-voted honor. He also was quick to point out that country artists survive because of their fans.


Keith says, “It’s wonderful to have the fans vote on that stuff. For the last several years, I haven’t been an award-friendly guy. I kinda gave up on it years ago, but I said all along, if you let the fans vote on it, you can’t complain.” Later in the interview, he sums up the same perspective, saying, “If you didn’t get nominated, try harder again next year!”


Toby is known for voicing his political views regarding the government in interviews. He declares, “Politics playing into music? There is no place for it. It’s a fan-based industry. We all survive off of our fans.”