Hannah McFarland is a rising country artist whose warm voice, honest songwriting and stage presence have quickly won her a place in the modern country scene. Growing up in Alabama, McFarland broke through with her debut EP ‘Broken Hearts,' which featured standout tracks like ‘Hey Highway' and viral smash ‘The Bed I Made.' Her early work mixed acoustic roots, emotional vulnerability and a strong sense of place—earning her critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase even before hitting the road full-force. Along the way, she has toured with big names and absorbed lessons from observing established acts, shaping a performance style that’s equally intimate and commanding.
This year has been a landmark for McFarland, marked by several high-profile collaborations that underscore her growing influence. She joined Brett Young for ‘In Case You Didn’t Know 2.0,' bringing her own verse and emotional resonance to a song she used to cover in her early sets. With Riley Green she has appeared on his tour and shared stages with him, expanding her reach and confidence in front of larger audiences as well as featuring on new song “I Just Need You' on Green's deluxe version of ‘Don't Mind If I Do.' Most recently, she’s teamed up with Chase Rice on the new duet ‘Foolin,' further showing her versatility on a playful track that hints of evolution for this talented artist with an ability to more than hold her own alongside established Country stars. We caught up with her backstage in Birmingham on the Riley Green tour to talk all about her music & her amazing year!
It's lovely to meet you, Hannah, thank you for your time on a show night. Hows the jet lag and how's the tour going?
Oh my goodness……. I'm tired! We got here about four days and I'm still adjusting to the time differences. I don't think I've fallen asleep yet before 4am! (laughing)
What a year you are having! New music, big tours with the likes of Kip Moore and Riley Green, big collaborations… Is there one thing, moment or event that's happened to you this year that just blows your mind?
There's been so many it's hard to just pick one! I think playing Red Rocks in Colorado with Riley a couple of weeks ago was absolutely mind-blowing. Even just a year ago I would never have thought that would be possible. When I get to the end of this year and have a little bit of calm in December then it will hit me in terms of just what has happened this year.
Your ‘Broken Hearts' EP takes the listener on a real emotional journey. How did you decide which songs to choose for that EP and what sequence to run them to create the story that you did?
We sat down in the office and I said that I wanted this EP to tell my story. I wanted it to be from a heartbreak that you think you won't get through all the way to hope, healing and feeling something again. I deliberately chose the songs for it that told my story in the order that I wanted people to hear it.
It's a very personal and evocative story. You worked with Will Bundy who has a wealth of experience in Nashville with artists like (his wife) Lauren Watkins. What was it like working with him and how did you make sure your sound and your voice came through?
Will's great at taking what you say and sticking to it. A lot of producers will, maybe more accidentally rather than on purpose, do what their speciality is but Will was really good at hearing me out and working towards what my vision for the project was. He asked me every step of the way about how I felt about things and really involved me in the process.
I love the phrase ‘Broken hearts break hearts.' Tell me about the title track of the EP.
I had met someone that I really liked but sometimes you meet them in the wrong period where you are still working on yourself and you just can't give them what you'd like to give them. I know that sounds like a cop-out but I think it's true – when you are still a broken person….. it's that old phrase of ‘hurt people hurt people,' right? I figured I would write a song about it and see if anyone related to what I was going through.
Is it the same guy in songs like ‘Whiskey into Water' who got offered ‘one more shot' – did he get that message in a bottle?
(laughing) You know, nope! Every song on the EP is about a different guy – not to out myself there! (laughing)
Do the guys know which song is about them?
(laughing) I'M SURE! I'm sure! (laughing) You know, I often say that I don't want to put out a particular song because I don't want them to have the satisfaction to know that a song is about them! They know, I'm sure they do!
You mention Keith Whitley in ‘Hey Highway.' Who were your musical heroes growing up?
He's definitely one of them, I was raised on old Country. We'd have cook-outs with my parents and the music would be Keith, Merle Haggard, Alison Krauss, LeAnn Rimes, Lee Ann Womack – they all told stories through their music which is what I am trying to do now.
You're part of this amazing wave of artists coming out of Alabama right now. You, Riley, Ella Langley, Red Clay Strays and more. What is it about Alabama at the moment, do you think?
It's crazy to me because I think we all saw it when we were there and the world is now just getting a look at the amount of talent in that state. It's not just Alabama but the whole Gulf Coast, there's so much talent down there. I'm glad that Alabama is having it's moment.
What is it about being raised in Alabama and your roots and heritage that helps you navigate the industry in Nashville?
I think that a lot of it goes back to how I was raised – my dad was a cattleman and my mom was a portrait artist so I think I inherited their work ethics and watched them working hard day after day after day to get what they wanted. My dad has a strong business side and my mom a strong creative side and when you throw that all together you end up with a singer songwriter, somehow! (laughing)
I love what you've done with Brett Young on ‘In Case You Didn't Know 2.0' Were you nervous taking on a such of such magnitude?
I wasn't nervous to go and help re-write it, that felt great and all the writers really welcomed me in and didn't make me feel like an outsider in the room. They took me under their wing and helped me re-write that second verse. I did get a little nervous right before it came out because fans can be so attached to versions of songs that they love which can mean they would not be open-minded to a new version but it has been overwhelming acceptance from what I can see.
I've just told Riley in an interview before this one that ‘I Just Need You' needs to go to Country radio. What a great song that is. I think it's a better and more passionate song than ‘You Look Like You Love Me.'
Oh my goodness! I would freak out if that happened!! (laughing) I think the difference is that they are too wildly different songs. ‘You Look Like You Love Me' is playful and fun – it's what radio needed at that time – whilst ‘I Just Need You' is an entirely different species full of passion and drama. It would be insane if it went to radio – it would be my first song there!
This year you've had Kip Moore mentoring you, you've worked with Brett Young, Riley Green and Chase Rice. What lessons have learned from these other artists that that is going to stand you in good stead for taking your own career forward?
I think I lucked out! The tours. The collabs. I was a little nervous, at first, to throw myself into the whole ‘duet girl' thing but it has ended up great and I changed my way of thinking because I now see it as other artists signing off on me and giving me their seal of approval. When they take me out on tour or work with me in the studio….. it's them being a fan of what I'm doing, which is incredible.
To have these artists as partners and mentors is amazing – it's far exceeded my expectations and has given me so many incredible opportunities.
Your new song ‘Foolin' with Chase Rice is the start of the next phase of your career, post-‘Broken Hearts.' It's a more playful song than the songs on the EP. Why Chase for that song and what was it like working with him?
We had just written together and he was playing me some songs from his new album which comes out next week. It's insane to hear the different wheelhouse that he's stepped into now, the songs are so good. I called him the next day and asked him to be on ‘Foolin' with me because I thought it would be cool to be able to show a different side of both of us.
He called me back and said, ‘You know I can't sing harmonies but I'm in!' (laughing) He started learning how to sing the harmony the next day and it's been insane to see the reaction to it.
How is ‘Foolin' a reflection of the new songs and themes coming down the line? What sort of things are you writing about for this next project?
‘Foolin' has helped take me into a realm of ‘Hannah can do other things other than just heartbreak ballads.' That's been good for me as it shows a different side to who I am. I hope it opens some doors for me to be able to do some more exciting things as we work on the next project. I'm hoping to release some more new songs before the end of the year so keep your eyes out for that, I'm so excited!!!
Check out Hannah McFarland's ‘Broken Hearts' EP in all the usual places. You can watch the video for ‘Foolin' further up this page.
