Is rising country music star, Sam Stoane, the only Greek artist in the country music genre? 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, 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, and discussed the legendary influences that shape her sound. While there’s a plethora of classic country names that Stoane says inspired her from a young age – like Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline – she’s also been compared to modern artists, like Tyler Childers. In her mind, she welcomes the “female Tyler Childers” comparisons, but thinks another artist out there fits a bit better: “I would say, stylistically, if we’re putting (my music) next to anybody, it’s probably more of a female Colter Wall sound. I would say it’s in the family of folk and Americana, but it’s still country in the rootsy way.” A lot of that western sound that comes through in Stoane’s work is thanks to her time spent out west. She spent much of her life out in California before relocating to the Nashville, Tennessee area. Take a listen to her debut album, Tales of the Dark West, and you’ll hear those Golden State and western influences come through. She told us that she loves where she is from… and really misses one particular part about living in California: the food. Because Stoane feels like the dining options here in Tennessee aren’t as good, she often cooks for herself and her family. And because she is Greek, those dishes are often representative of her Greek culture: “I cook a lot. My family is Greek. I’m 100% Greek, so I’ll make food. I will say, I couldn’t eat Greek food anywhere because I was kind of a snob about it.” Sam Stoane even pointed out that a popular, Nashville-area Greek restaurant named after a Greek dish isn’t even spelled correctly. And when we got on that topic, we started to wonder… are there any other Greek country music artists out there? We figured that Stoane would be the one to ask, and she wasn’t entirely sure if she was the only Greek representative in the genre. The “Coyote Cries” singer likes to think she’s not: “No, (I don’t know any others) honestly. Not really… I want a bouzouki. It’s a Greek guitar. But I wouldn’t know where to start with that. But no, I don’t know any other ones. I’m sure they are out there. Surely… at least one.” @whiskeyriff @SAM STOANE #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff She was right about there being at least one. Kostas Lazarides, a Greek-born American country songwriter, is actually in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. There’s also another Greek country artist by the name of Demetri Thomas… so Sam Stoane isn’t alone, but she is one of the few Greek country artists and songwriters out there. You can hear more from Sam Stoane 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 “I’m Sure They Are Out There”: Is Sam Stoane One Of The Only Greek Artists In The Country Music Genre? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.