Who do you think of when you hear country music? Do you think about some of the greatest voices like Garth Brooks, George Jones, Toby Keith, or Alan Jackson?
Or do you think about the newer singers like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Luke Bryan, etc.? There are so many other names that were left out, but I think you get the general picture.
One of those names who is new, Riley Green. You might have heard about the Alabama native. He has written a couple of recognizable songs like "I Wish Grandpas Never Died," "Jesus Saves," and "There Was This Girl." He has also been part of some duets in songs like "You Look Like You Love Me" with Ella Langley, "Different 'Round Here" with Luke Combs, and "Half Of Me" with Thomas Rhett.
Riley Green's "Worst Way" success
Recently, though, he has released a couple of songs that have gained a ton of attention. One of those songs was a duet with Ella Langley called "Don't Mind If I Do." On the USA Billboard 200, its highest ranking was at 25, while on the USA Top Country Albums, it peaked at 7.
The song that really brought Riley even more credibility was "Worst Way." The hit single was released back in February of 2025 and has just received more and more attention as we approach 2026. Looking at the performance of the song, it was off the charts.
Here is the peak performance: US Billboard Hot 100-20, US Country Airplay-1, US Hot Country Songs-5, and Global 200 (Billboard)-187. For Spotify, it had over 300 million streams, and for YouTube, it was 1 in the USA, 8 in Canada, and 30 in Australia.
So it begs the question: Is Riley Green the next big superstar in country music? In my opinion, he definitely should be considered. He has made some great songs, but it seems like "Worst Way" really propelled his stardom forward.
Last week, during the CMAs, he performed the song on stage, and it did not disappoint. If he continues to make some more great music, then it truly will feel like he can be one of the biggest names in the country music genre.