Country Singer Says He Was Bullied For Liking Country Music

The singer grew up loving Brooks and Dunn, but because of where he grew up, country music was considered “taboo.”

TAMWORTH, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 25: Wade Forster attends the 2025 Golden Guitar Awards at Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre on January 25, 2025 in Tamworth, Australia. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Believe it or not, there was a time when country music wasn’t as beloved as it is now. That was especially true in Australia, according to Wade Forster.

The “Fighting Tears” singer shared on the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast that while his family celebrated country artists, his experience at boarding school was quite different, as many fellow students did not share his taste.

Wade Forster Was Bullied for Listening to Country

When Forster left his rural hometown as a teenager to attend school in the city, he was picked on for his love of artists like Brooks and Dunn.

“I got bullied for it,” he said. “I got bullied, and I was like, ‘What are you going to do? These are city kids, I could knock your teeth out.’ They stopped bullying me pretty quick.”

Luckily, the teasing didn’t last long, and we’re thankful Forster stuck to his guns and built a career in music.

How Did Forster Get Into Country Music Anyway?

Forster also said that it was his parents who helped him develop an eclectic taste in music.

“I grew up rodeoing with my dad and mom, and they had the big CD folder, and it was a mixed bag,” he recalled. “We’d go from Limp Bizkit to George Jones, then to a Tom T. Hall CD straight into a Gorillaz CD. I was very blessed to live a very cultured life in music.”

The singer said he held a torch for Reba McEntire. But it was the boot scootin’ boogies of Brooks and Dunn that won Forster over to the genre in which he would eventually carve out his musical niche.

“I think the first band that I sort of fell in love with was Brooks & Dunn,” he said. “Who doesn’t love Brooks & Dunn? I think my favorite song as a kid was ‘Memory Town.’ I loved that song, and I just got into country music more and more. You know, country music in Australia, it was taboo. It was for us outback kids, (or) bush people.”

Country music being frowned upon in Australia almost seems ironic now, considering how Australians like Keith Urban have helped move the genre forward. Even Jelly Roll’s recent tour of Australia and New Zealand was quite successful.