In Nashville, If it's modern country, it needs a catch phrase and a rugged male or well or preferably well built female singer that get sent to the industry coaches in Nashville.
They teach them the same fake country accent that they all have. Make up a life story for them, and even a new name... There aren't many actual real life Derks, Trent's or Mavericks that just happen to sing well with a hiccup, or have typical Nashville accents. Those have to be created.
After that, work them up with a band of guys in the studios that usually record most of the hits with hooks..... Pete Anderson, Richard Bennett, and flavor of the month producers etc.
And lastly get them legally hooked up and bound to the 75 or so songwriters in town that all specialise in certain types of songs...If you get a chance to hear sugar sweet Jennifer Nettles scream at a monitor engineer for 3 minutes during a soundcheck, and in a small miracle has lost her southern accent it starts to sink in.
Roughneck drinking songs, Female ballads. Novelty songs etc.
The formula is down to a science.
If it's a current Contemporary Pop song don't event consider more than three chords, or even just use a loop of a prior hit....preferably with no guitar solos that bore the current dolts that digest this garbage. After that you need a great looking delivery vehicle/ singer, male or female, it all depends on what the labels entertainment lawyers and publicists currently need over the next year or two's business cycle.
Having done a ton of backline rentals, and crew gigs over the years all of this is gleaned from conversations or listening to small talk on gigs at places like Merriweather Post, The Lyric, Corporate gigs at Ravens Stadium. etc.
Delbert McClintons road band is also Dolly Partons etc. Marty Stuart's guys play with lots of others....
Its a machine that never ends working . It just trades out formats and management every 8 to ten years like stock on store shelves.
Same in Hollywood. Damian Lewis has a Brittish accent you can cut with a knife. But the speach coaches completely remove it for him to play the parts he plays. Same brittish accent problem with Kevin Costners daughter's character on Yellowstone etc. they coached it right out of her for the show.
It's all just a machine
I only went with the one source, not having any idea of the validity of this stat. I should know better than going "out on the limb".
