You don’t need to be from southern climes to make country music, and pop music doesn’t have to be the lowest common denominator form it has become lately. He might not actually say as much out loud, but it is clear from songs such as “Minnesota Girl” that Hans Halstead knows these things to be true.
Following on from the previous single, “Better In Your Arms,” here the Minnesota native continues to deftly blend pop’s immediacy and infectiousness with country’s scintillating sonics to make “Minnesota Girl” a song that will appeal to fans of both. It also has the smarts to become an anthem in his home state, for obvious reasons.
The ability to tick all the right boxes for the country genre while also having mass appeal is a clever move. It could easily see him move from more cultish climes to the rarefied air of mainstream, commercial success and do so without betraying the sound that comes naturally to his songs.
Today, the venues of Minnesota; tomorrow, the stadiums of the world. Watch this space.
