NME’s latest star of The Cover, Waylon Wyatt, has compiled an exclusive playlist to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
The American country up-and-comer is on this week’s (July 14) edition of The Cover, a weekly manifestation of NME’s commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover – you can read the profile of Waylon Wyatt here, written by Jordan Bassett and featuring photography by Rachel Billings.
To accompany The Cover, Wyatt has curated an exclusive selection of tracks called ‘Podunk Playlist’ for NME. The 17-song collection includes releases by the likes of Turnpike Troubadours (‘Good Lord Lorrie’), Tyler Childers (‘Coal’, ‘Bus Route’), Sierra Ferrell (‘West Virginia Waltz’) and more. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
In this week’s The Cover, Waylon Wyatt opens up about the loss of his older brother and how he tries to keep his memory alive. “To be completely honest, I don’t remember exactly what he was all into and with each passing day, I forget a little more,” he says. “Just playing the guitar… I mean, I do that on the daily, so it’s a way that I keep the memory of him. That’s where the beauty of it comes from: he’s an inspiration.”
He also reflects on being part of a new wave of young country singer-songwriters from the American south whose music is catching on on social media apps like TikTok. “I feel that anyone can write a song and it just means something,” he says. “Seeing all these youngsters in the music industry, makin’ their own way… It’s very healthy to see that, and it just shows that no matter your age, lifestyle or where you come from, you can follow your dreams and make it.”
Find out more about Waylon Wyatt the full Cover story here and see who else has been on The Cover here.