Watch Maddie & Tae Turn the Tables on Bros in New Video
New duo Maddie & Tae all but cut purveyors of bro country off at the knees with their debut single “Girl in a Country Song.” The tongue-in-cheek hip-shaker transparently references decidedly non-feminist lyrics from artists like Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Billy Currington and Blake Shelton. When Rolling Stone Country talked to Maddie Marlow and Tae Dye recently, the buzzed-about teenagers — Marlow is 19, Dae, 18 — had just seen the first cut of their video for “Girl in a Country Song.” The final version, which casts country “bros” in the clichéd roles of video vixens, was released today.
Maddie & Tae Fire a Shot at ‘Bro Country’
“The video helps us put the point across that it’s hard being a girl in a country song, and if the guys had to live up to the expectations that we do, I don’t think they could do it either,” Marlow tells Rolling Stone Country.
But, girl, er, boy, is it fun to watch the guys try. The clip, shot in the typically sun-kissed filter of country videos, features the blonde duo singing from the back of pickup-truck beds while three bros cavort in outrageous setups. The dudes seductively wash trucks, take come-hither showers and even nibble on strawberries, all while dressed in Daisy Dukes and uncomfortable cowboy boots. The hefty one of the trio, however, really goes for the gold in barely-there overalls.
“The song is so topical and it’s what’s going on right now. I think that’s why it’s been moving so fast,” Dye says of their single’s impressive chart debut and its addition to radio playlists. “Girl in a Country Song” debuted at Number 39 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart, and with 51 stations jumping onboard, the track was the most-added song of the week at radio.
“The reaction has been incredible,” says Marlow. “And the team we have behind us has just been amazing. They’re like, ‘I don’t think we’ve seen a project move this fast.'”
Maddie & Tae will make their national television debut on NBC’s Today on August 11th. (Reporting by Jewly Hight)