At just 18, Waylon Wyatt has already racked up the kind of resume most artists twice his age would envy: millions of streams, two EPs, and a growing global fanbase. Oh and he only just graduated from high school.
Speaking to us from London ahead of his debut Aussie run, Wyatt reflects on the chaos of juggling school and a rising career. “It was a lot harder to get everything to work,” he admits. “But it definitely has shot a lot of improvement since being out of high school.”
Known for blending folk, Americana, country, and red dirt, Wyatt resists putting a label on his sound. “I don't really want to put myself into one genre,” he explains. “Because I figure if I do and then I start doing something different, I might surprise people a little too much, and they might not like it.”
When questioned about his musical influences, he’s quick to list them: “Tyler Childers has always been my number one. Hank Williams Senior is who I grew up on back in Arkansas… and Johnny Cash also from Arkansas, so I have to shout him out.”
Wyatt’s kitchen-recorded debut EP Till The Sun Goes Down introduced fans to his homemade charm, but 2024’s Out of the Blue saw him step into a professional studio for the first time. “That was my very first time ever being in the studio, ever getting to work with producers,” he says. “We got to do that in a couple different studios… one of the major studios was Electric Lady Studios in New York City. That was probably the craziest.”
While his music continues to evolve, Wyatt’s heart lies in lyrics over charts. “I like lyrics more. Even if it doesn't do good on the charts, it's good in my heart, if that makes sense,” he says. “Poetry has always been a big thing to me.”
That sentiment is especially true for the Out of the Blue track Sincerely, Your Son, written for his parents. “They’ve always supported me, but I could tell at the time they weren’t feeling very appreciated,” he shares. “I figured singing it would be loud enough.” He first performed it for them in the same kitchen where it was written “They both just wearing a puddle of tears,” he recalls.
Not too far away, Wyatt is bringing that heartfelt storytelling to Australia for the very first time this October. With festival slots at Ridin’ Hearts and a just-announced Brisbane headline show. “It’s just insane how far my music reached out to people,” he says. “I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Despite his fast rise, Wyatt’s not afraid to poke fun at himself. This rang especially true when recounting a recent meeting with Keith Urban, “I asked him, ‘Is it true that the water in the toilet bowl spins the other way in Australia?’ Here he is, this amazing country artist, and I’m asking about toilets.” he laughs.
While he’s hoping to finally meet his Aussie online mate Tom (shout out Tom) one of the first fans who jumped on his Instagram Lives in the early days. He's also keen to cross off a few bucket list items. “I definitely want to see a koala, I’ve never seen one before”. As for other Australian wildlife, “we're not really big on snakes in Arkansas. I think Australia is pretty big on snakes, which I prefer snakes over spiders,” he grins.
And as for what audiences can expect from his Aussie shows? “We’re just a bunch of goofy goobers… it’s going to be a lot of fun, for sure.”
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.
