You’ve heard of bro-country. If you’ve listened to The Phil-Osophy Podcast, you know I’ve talked a lot about hick-hop. And now, right on cue, enters the newest subgenre YeeDM. Yee, like “yeehaw,” – though this could also work in Shakespearean England – and DM like “EDM.” Think banjos over bass drops, Dolly meets Diplo, Skrillex meets Scruggs.
“Miles On It” Put YeeDM on the Mainstream Map
The Kane Brown and Marshmello collab gave YeeDM a mainstream jolt — it gave it a platinum-selling, crossover, multi format moment. “Miles On It” is part country joyride and part festival pregame, basically a Silverado with glow sticks in the cupholder.
The song was most added at both Country and Pop radio on its impact date, a feat only achieved by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. It went 5x Platinum, crossed 1.3 billion streams, and gave Kane his first Top 10 pop hit — a hill that’s much steeper than climbing the participating trophy that is the Country chart. “Miles On It” proved something we’ve all wondered: can yee-haw and oontz-oontz go together? Yes.
A Playlist More Eccentric Than Its Artists
Scroll my YEEDM Essentials playlist below and you’ll find a lineup that reads like Coachella and Stagecoach are on the same weekend. Spotify and Apple Music are fully on board, each curating YeeDM mixes that are part rave and part rodeo (and now that I’ve put that into the universe, Ravedeo will be a thing within six months).
One minute it’s Kenny Rogers getting a remix, the next it’s a beat drop under “Body Like a Back Road.” YeeDM isn’t trying to be authentic, it’s trying to be fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. It doesn’t care about Nashville notaries or Music Row credentials. It’s not here to prove vocal range or lyrical penmanship. It’s here for the tempo, toe and moment tapping.
Who Is Actually Listening To This (and when can we alert the authorities)?
The YeeDM demo is 25–34, streaming-native, and allergic to genre gatekeeping — aka, my favorite kind of audience.
They grew up on Avicii — who arguably pioneered the sound with “Hey Brother” — but their mom played Reba. They like their heartbreak with a side of BPM and know you don’t have to pick a lane when you’ve got unlimited data.
The Skeptics? Probably Still Mad About FGL
If you’re clutching your vinyl copy of Red Headed Stranger like it’s a holy relic, to you this ain’t “real” country. But then again, every time Country flirts with modern sounds, someone lights a honky-tonk torch (trademark) and calls it the end of tradition.
I don’t believe YeeDM wants to replace traditional Country. It wants to create new entry points and art for a generation that’s okay with Lil Nas X being gay, and Geroge telling you he’s…Strait.
Final Thought Before the Drop Hits
Is YeeDM a gimmick? It’s just evolution.
Is it here to stay? Probably. Just last week, Dasha released a YeeDM remix of “Not At This Party” with EDM legend David Guetta — because she could and because they both have symmetrical faces that can pull off a cowboy hat quite nicely.
And this week? Russell Dickerson and Steve Aoki joined the boot-scootin’ BPM brigade with a remix of “Happen To Me” — because even Aoki couldn’t resist turning a Country ballad into something you’d dance to in a field behind Bass Pro Shop.
Is it fun as hell to scream “Wagon Wheel” over a drop at 120 BPM? Absolutely, it’s a hoot(ie)!
YeeDM is musical whiskey and Red Bull — chaotic, fast, and a little unhinged.. It’s the kind of thing that makes you text your ex, remix a banjo loop, and send a thirst trap into someone’s YeeDMs. Regret? Maybe. Response? Undeniable.
By Phil Becker