Independent country artist Allie Colleen has steadily carved out her own lane in Nashville, building a reputation as a thoughtful songwriter and compelling storyteller unafraid to lean into vulnerability. The Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter has spent the past few years growing a loyal fanbase through her honest lyricism and grassroots approach, balancing introspective ballads with a modern country sensibility that reflects both her influences and her individuality. After a quieter 18 months that allowed for reflection and creative recalibration, Colleen returns with renewed focus and a clear sense of who she is as an artist in today’s evolving country landscape.
That next chapter begins with the release of her new single, ‘All I Want,' a nostalgic, sun-soaked anthem that captures the fleeting magic of young love and late-night connection. Written with Eric Dodd and Stephen Hunley, the track blends carefree summer energy with emotional depth, inspired by the thrill of something new just over the horizon: those moments that feel infinite even when you know they won’t last. It’s a fitting reintroduction to an artist who continues to evolve on her own terms, and when we sat down with Colleen in Nashville, conversation naturally turned to her journey so far, the role of women in country music, and where she hopes to go next.
It’s great to finally do this face-to-face, something I’ve wanted to do for a while, so thank you for taking the time. I want to start with the ‘Sincerely' EP because that was the last time we spoke. At the time, you described it as your most creatively freeing project. Now that we’re about 18 months on, how do you look back on that record? What did it actually do for you, and are you still in that same headspace creatively?
Yeah, I mean, looking back on ‘Sincerely' now, it really was such a turning point for me. At the time, it felt freeing because I made it exactly how I wanted to, sonically, emotionally, everything, and I didn’t let any outside expectations get in the way. But what I didn’t fully realise then was how much it was going to reset everything for me going forward.
It almost acted like a clean slate. It kind of wiped away this idea I had in my head of what I thought I needed to sound like as an artist. And since then, I’ve been able to move forward without that pressure. The music I’ve made in the last 18 months doesn’t really sound like ‘Sincerely' and I actually think that’s the coolest part of it. It gave me permission to evolve, to not feel tied to one sound or one version of myself.
Now, instead of chasing a specific sonic identity, I’m thinking more about what represents me in a live setting, like, if I’ve got 60 to 90 minutes on stage, what songs feel like Allie Colleen in that moment? That’s been the guiding force behind everything I’ve written since. So yeah, I do still feel like I’m in that same headspace creatively, but it’s grown. It’s less about proving anything now and more about building something that feels honest, show after show, song after song.
One of the things I’ve always admired about you is that you don’t stay in one lane. You’re not afraid to experiment, whether that’s heavier songs or something playful like ‘Southside’. But do you think that unpredictability ever works against you, in terms of people not quite knowing what they’re going to get from you?
I think it probably does, if I’m being honest. I don’t have anything concrete to prove that, our fans are incredible, everything we’ve put out has been received really well, but I do think there’s something to that idea, especially in the way people consume music now.
These days, people kind of know what they’re getting before a song even comes out because of social media. So if I were to say, “Hey, we’re putting an album out this year,” I think even my own fans would be like, “Okay… but what version of you is it going to be?” And I get that. There’s comfort in knowing what an artist sounds like.
At the same time, I don’t know that I’d want to trade that unpredictability. There’s no ceiling when you allow yourself to explore like that. I’m not boxed into one sound or one lane. But there is also a bit of a downside to that, because you’re constantly aware that you could lose someone with a song. There are so many other artists out there, so many options, that if someone doesn’t connect with what you just released, you do think, “Man, I hope they don’t just move on and never come back.”
So it’s a bit of a balancing act. I love the freedom of not being pinned down, but I’m also very aware of the responsibility that comes with that. With every release, you’re kind of asking, “Are we giving them something new without pushing them too far away?” And I think that’s just part of being an artist right now: especially one who doesn’t want to stay in a single lane.
Let’s talk about ‘Southside’, because it feels like a real shift. It’s playful, reckless, unapologetic, and very different from the more introspective side of your music. Is that a new version of you, or just another side we’re seeing?
I think it’s just another side of me, honestly, but it’s a side that I haven’t really let people see very much before. A lot of that comes down to who I’ve been writing with. For a long time, I’ve always surrounded myself with really strong lyricists, and that naturally leans you into deeper, more introspective songs.
But over the last year or so, I’ve been writing more with people who are very melody-driven, more track-based, and that’s shifted things a little bit. I’m still carrying a lot of the weight on the lyrics, but I’m letting the music lead in a different way. So when I walk into a room and someone plays something that feels lighter or more playful, like ‘Southside’, it opens up a world that I don’t usually tap into. And that was really freeing for me.
There’s also a personal side to it, especially as a woman in country music. I’ve always been really protective of how I present myself in my songs. I joke that I’m a cowboy, and I’ve always leaned into that tougher, more grounded identity. So I’ve almost resisted letting things feel too soft or too feminine at times, because I didn’t want to be put in a box or have it interpreted a certain way.
And ‘Southside’ kind of challenged that. It is more playful, it is more feminine, and even visually, it pushed me into a space I hadn’t really explored: dresses, a different kind of energy, a different kind of confidence. At first, people were like, “Oh, we lost her,” but I think it’s just about showing that I can be both. I can be that tougher, grounded version of myself, and I can also have fun and lean into that softer, more playful side.
So no, it’s not a new version of me, it’s just me giving myself permission to show more of who I already am.
That ties into something bigger: the conversation around women in country music. There’s clearly more visibility now, more female artists breaking through. From where you’re standing, does it feel like things are genuinely improving?
I do think things are getting better. I really do. There’s more visibility, more women getting opportunities, more variety in what female artists are allowed to be, and that’s exciting. But at the same time, I don’t think I’m able to just sit back and enjoy it without a little bit of worry, because it feels like we’ve seen this before.
I think about the ‘90s a lot. There was a time where women were dominating country music, and then all of a sudden, they weren’t. And that’s the part that makes me a little uneasy. I find myself not just thinking about right now, but about what it’s going to look like in 10 or 15 years for the next generation of girls coming up. Are we building something sustainable, or are we in another moment that could disappear just as quickly?
And then on a personal level, it brings up a lot of questions for me too. I love so many of the women coming through right now, they’re incredible, but I also don’t necessarily look like them, and I don’t always fit into the current visual or narrative trends. There’s definitely a shift happening where things feel more overtly feminine again, and I think that’s beautiful, but it also makes me step back and ask where I sit within that.
I feel like country music has always had this pendulum. It swings between really strong, almost aggressive female perspectives and then back to something softer, more traditionally feminine. And I don’t know that I fully land on either side of that. I’m somewhere in the middle, trying to figure out how to be both strong and soft, without feeling like I have to choose one or the other.
So yeah, I’m excited. I think it’s a really good moment for women in country music. But I’m also very aware of how quickly things can change, and I think that keeps me a little bit on edge: in a good way, but also in a very real way.
You’ve been relatively quiet in terms of releases since ‘Sincerely,' especially at a time when some artists are putting music out every few weeks. Was that a deliberate decision, or were there other factors behind that?
It’s a bit of both, honestly. There was definitely a deliberate side to it. I’ve never been someone who wants to just flood the market for the sake of staying visible. I think there’s a lot of pressure right now for artists to constantly be putting something out, every few weeks, just to keep up, but that’s never really been how I operate creatively.
At the same time, there are real, practical reasons too. It’s just really hard to make money off music right now, especially as an independent artist. Every release costs money, recording, marketing, everything that goes into it, and if you don’t have the right backing, you’re essentially just putting out budgets that you don’t have and hoping something sticks. So we’ve had to be really mindful and strategic about when and how we release things.
On top of that, we’ve spent a lot of the last couple of years exploring the possibility of a label deal or some kind of partnership. And when you’re in that space, you start thinking differently, you don’t necessarily want to release everything straight away because if the right opportunity comes along, you want to have something strong to put behind it with a team, with resources, with proper support.
So we’ve been pretty conservative, both financially and creatively, about what we’ve put out. It’s not that we haven’t been making music, we’ve been making a lot, it’s just been about waiting for the right moment, the right setup, and making sure that when something does come out, it really represents where I am and has the best chance of connecting the way it should.
So looking ahead, what does the next 12 to 18 months look like for you?
Honestly, the next 12 to 18 months are going to be really full. There’s going to be a lot of music coming, which I’m really excited about, because it’s been building for a while now. We’ve been creating a lot behind the scenes, so it finally feels like we’re getting to a point where we can start sharing that in a more consistent way.
But beyond just releasing music, I’ve got some bigger-picture goals too. One of the things I’m really passionate about right now is getting more involved in the rodeo world. I always laugh because it sounds big when I say it out loud, but I really believe in speaking those things into existence. I’d love to be a voice for that space, almost like what Carrie Underwood represents for the NFL, but for rodeo.
I think rodeo is one of the greatest, most underappreciated sports we have, and there’s such an incredible culture around it, especially when it comes to the women involved. The female athletes in that world are unbelievable, and I think there’s a real opportunity to highlight that in a bigger way. And for me, as an artist who leans a little more alternative and a little tougher, it feels like a really natural fit.
So it’s kind of a combination of things, putting out more music, growing as an artist, but also stepping into spaces that feel authentic to me and finding ways to represent something bigger than just myself. It’s about building a career that has purpose as well as momentum.
You’ve always walked that line between independence and legacy, and you addressed that head-on with ‘Sincerely Rolling Stone’. Do you feel more at peace now with who Allie Colleen is as an artist?
Yeah, I really do feel more at peace with it now. I think I’m still growing into that place, but I can honestly say I’m proud of who Allie Colleen is becoming, and that’s something that hasn’t always been easy.
For a long time, that balance between independence and legacy felt really heavy. There were a lot of assumptions from people, like if I didn’t lean into my family name or represent that side in a certain way, then maybe I wasn’t close to them or didn’t appreciate it. And that couldn’t be further from the truth. If anything, it’s the opposite. I want to be just like my family: I just want to do it from the ground up, the same way they did. I want to build something that stands on its own, that people connect with because of the music and the work, not because of where I come from.
I think ‘Sincerely,' and especially ‘Sincerely Rolling Stone’, really helped me articulate that in a way people could understand. It kind of took that weight off, because suddenly people weren’t questioning it in the same way: they were actually rooting for it. And that’s been really freeing.
So now, that lineage side of things feels softer, it feels more supportive. It doesn’t feel like something I have to push against anymore. It feels like something that can exist alongside what I’m building, instead of defining it. And I think that’s where the peace comes from, just knowing that I can be fully myself, do this on my own terms, and still honour where I come from at the same time.
Finally, you’ve always talked about having songs that take years to find their moment. Are there older songs still waiting to come out, or have you moved forward with a clean slate creatively?
It’s kind of a mix of both, honestly. Creatively, I do feel like I’ve started from a bit of a clean slate, especially after ‘Sincerely.' That project really reset things for me, so a lot of what I’m doing now is coming from a more current place, a more intentional place of who I am right now as an artist.
But at the same time, there are definitely older songs still out there: they just might not be for me anymore. I’ve been really trying to lean into being known as a songwriter in this town, not just as an artist, and that’s been a big shift in how I look at my catalogue. There are songs I’ve had for years that don’t necessarily fit the direction I’m going in now, but they could be perfect for someone else.
Especially with where female country music is right now, I’ve got a lot of songs that would live really comfortably in that space, songs that I think another artist could take and really make their own. So I’ve been spending time trying to get cuts, trying to get those songs in the hands of other artists. I haven’t had success with it yet, but it’s something I’m really passionate about building.
So if there are older Allie Colleen songs that end up coming out over the next year or so, there’s a good chance it won’t actually be me singing them, and I think that’s a really cool thing. It feels like a new chapter, where those songs still get to have a life, just in a different way than I originally imagined.
Allie Colleen's new song ‘All I Want' is out now. Go check it out in all the usual places.
