Post Malone and the art of ignoring genres

Few artists have moved between genres as freely, or as successfully, as Post Malone. In ten years he has had number ones as a rapper, a pop singer and a country artist, and he has never seemed to care which shelf his music ends up on.

A kid from Texas

Austin Richard Post was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1995 and grew up in Grapevine, Texas, near Dallas. His father worked for the Dallas Cowboys, which explains the jerseys he still wears on stage. As a teenager he played guitar in rock bands and listened to everything from Bob Dylan to 50 Cent.

White Iverson

His first single, "White Iverson", went viral in 2015 and put him straight into the hip-hop world. "Congratulations" and his debut album Stoney followed, and in 2017 "Rockstar" with 21 Savage spent weeks at number one in the US.

From rap to pop

By the time of Hollywood's Bleeding in 2019, the rap label no longer fitted. "Circles" was a soft, guitar-driven pop song, and it became one of the biggest hits of the year. "Sunflower" with Swae Lee, written for the Spider-Verse film, was everywhere at the same time.

Nirvana and country

In 2020, during lockdown, he livestreamed a full Nirvana tribute from his home to raise money for coronavirus relief. It surprised many fans but not those who knew his rock roots.

Then came country. "I Had Some Help" with Morgan Wallen went to number one in 2024, and his album F-1 Trillion leaned fully into Nashville sounds. The same year he also sang on "Fortnight" with Taylor Swift.

Why it works

The common thread is not a style but a voice: slightly worn, melodic and instantly recognisable, whether it sits on a trap beat, an acoustic guitar or a pedal steel. Fans follow him from genre to genre because they are following the person, not the sound.

I photographed Post Malone headlining Sziget Festival in Budapest in August 2025, in that same Cowboys jersey. See the Post Malone gallery, or read more stories on the blog.