Can I become a country singer if I'm not from the south? Should I fake a southern accent?

Me neither, but you wouldn't want to be inauthentic, would you?
Heck, you could try to create some folk/country fusion stuff like Johnny Cash.

>but you wouldn't want to be inauthentic, would you?
Why not?
>Heck, you could try to create some folk/country fusion stuff like Johnny Cash.
Cash wasn't really folky. He was rock influenced.

The whole point of country music is to reflect your heritage, issues, hopes, dreams and lifestyle, and due to the genre, is rooted in rural American life, and traditionally, in the south.
Yeah, you don't have to sound like the Judds and come from an Eastern Kentucky shithole, but you should come from somewhere, or at least be raised by somebody who understood what it was like.
It's like white people's soul music.
It wouldn't sound authentic if sung by a person who has no connection to the culture, and would thus suck.
Hell, even people who grew up with the culture can fuck it up, and country music is, in my opinion, the genre which is affected the worst by corporate meddling, or pop infusion.
There's a difference between this:
youtube.com/watch?v=sR-1ggqyEIE
and this:
youtube.com/watch?v=iC7wWFQUUqU

the genres are closely related enough that you can make country music and sing it with a folk-esique voice, sort of like what said. if you fake an accent then either audiences will think you're a fraud, or worse, you'll know you're a fraud. turn your weaknesses into strengths, don't just mask them.

>>turn your weaknesses into strengths, don't just mask them

fucking this
amen

Kid Rock dabbled in that and he's from fucking Detroit

And he sucks at it
He is practically ICP but just shittier and rock music

I love the music, but I grew up middle class in Denver, I have never committed a crime, I have never worked manual labor, I don't really like the outdoors, and I was not raised by country music fans or people who did anything country, etc.
I have no connection to country culture but the music is so important to me and I want to make music like the music I like.
I do fear I would feel like I'm a fraud (I already kinda do) but I don't really want to be another one of the shithead hipster folk singers in Denver.

Well then, god bless you user, I wish you the best of luck.
Don't be disappointed when things go poorly, though.

Just make country music and don't sing about the south. Then it's just as authentic. It's not like a region owns a sound

>Don't be disappointed when things go poorly, though.
Of course.