One of country music’s rising stars, Waylon Wyatt, hasn’t had a regular album release day.
What typically includes record signings and album promotion, whether it’s for radio or online, wasn’t possible for the American singer-songwriter, who just dropped his highly anticipated debut album, Dustpiles.
Taking to social media on Friday (17 July), Wyatt confirmed that he was spending album release day in a hospital bed, informing fans that he had been diagnosed with sepsis.
The Mayo Clinic notes that sepsis is a “serious condition” in which the body responds “improperly” to an infection, with the infection-fighting process attacking the body and leading organs to work poorly.
In a major risk, sepsis can progress to septic shock, which is characterised by a dramatic drop in blood pressure that can lead to damage in the “lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs. When the damage is severe, it can lead to death.”
Luckily, early treatment of sepsis improves chances for survival and healing.
Despite being in the hospital, Wyatt was in good spirits. “Ya boy’s in the ER, but still, the album drops tonight,” the singer said, proudly holding up his new record.
He captioned the post, “Grown man looked at my butt today, and I peed myself, but hey, album drops tonight!”
Wyatt added that he was “fighting hard” to be able to make it to his scheduled performance at Under the Big Sky Festival in Whitefish, Montana, on Saturday (19 July).
In May, Wyatt shared the following statement about his debut record: “My debut album, Dustpiles, recollects the emotions I’d say most feel through love.
“The biggest factor, though, is the ending title track called ‘Dustpiles.’ It’s a witty way of referring to how love should be but in a darker manner: finding that special someone who you are so close and secure, and in the end, the two of you ultimately become two piles of dust.”
The highly personal album finds Wyatt collaborating with country music heavy hitters, such as Joe Becker (Sam Barber), Tofer Brown (Tim McGraw, Old Dominion), and Anderson East (Miranda Lambert, The Red Clay Strays).
He said of the collaborations, “Making this album has been quite a great time. So many amazing collaborators on it, and it was my first time working with a bunch of new producers. I’m so thankful for everyone who had a hand in this record and so glad it’s finally yours.”
Wyatt returns to Australia in January 2027, when, due to phenomenal demand, he’ll play extra shows in multiple cities. You can find tickets to the shows here.
Countrytown brings you Australia’s best country music news, interviews, charts and more every week! This post was authored by Countrytown and originally published on the Countrytown website. It has been re-published with permission.
