Though it’s not the first place when you think of country music, the state of California has plenty of country fans… and believe it or not, quite a few who call the Golden State home. Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Gary Allan, Jon Pardi, Jesse Daniel just to name a few. On the latest episode of the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast (which was actually a double episode), California native Sam Stoane spoke on the pressure she sometimes feels to defend the state she was born and raised in. The rising country singer also talked to us about how 2025 was quite possibly the biggest year of her life with a debut album, a wedding and a baby coming all at once, then covered how it feels being one of the only Greek artists in the genre, and the legendary influences that shape her sound. But back to the California part of Sam Stoane’s story. One of the first things we asked the “Pretty Poppies” singer about were her California roots. The talented singer and songwriter is from the Orange County area, and she recognizes that California and its country music scene often gets a bad wrap. Stoane explained the flack the state gets as “always” and “everywhere,” so we inquired to see if she feels like she’s constantly having to defend the state she grew up in. She alluded to the California Gold Rush with her answer: “Yes and no. I feel like it’s gotten better over the years. Which is funny, because back in the pioneer days, people were literally dying to be in California.” Fair point… now a whole lot of people hate on the far western state. And for quite some time, the relationship between California and country music has been rocky… or at the very least, it’s appeared to be that way. Stoane lived in the Golden State for nearly two decades (she’s since relocated to live in the Nashville area), and she says that the genre was more accepted than most people would think: “Now I wouldn’t know as much, but it was pretty prevalent growing up. I grew up listening to country music. Most people in high school did, and they wore camo and cowboy boots. It’s just hit or miss. California is so diverse. There’s all kinds of music, (but country’s presence) is pretty strong. We have Stagecoach and all that too.” And Stoane actively tries to capture that California feeling and Western sound with her music. Her debut album was even called Tales of the Dark West, and when you throw in the fact that she’s often talked about feeling homesick for California, there’s no doubt that she appreciates her roots. That being said, her roots are now planted in Nashville, so Sam Stoane will likely be defending the state of California from a distance as she continues her music career thousands of miles away from where she first dreamt up her country music dreams. You can hear Sam speak more on her love for the Golden State by downloading the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post “California Is So Diverse”: Sam Stoane Says The Golden State Gets A Bad Rap For Its Country Music Scene first appeared on Whiskey Riff.