The 31-year-old Grammy nominee says she doesn’t understand other opinions on the matter: “It’s amazing to have huge, respected artists and other genres come in and celebrate ours.” ...

Kelsea Ballerini defended Beyoncé's country Grammy nods by saying: “You don’t have to be a country artist to make a country record." ...

Pearce opens up to PEOPLE about watching Ballerini's success and rise to arena-touring status: "Nobody deserves it more" ...

Rock 'n' roll and country go hand in hand, as shown by these four underrated rock tunes that have influenced our favorite country artists.

These influential rock bands from the 90s deserve more love for their contributions to the golden age of alt-rock.