Hannah McFarland is one of those artists that as soon as she enters your orbit, you won't forget her.
The rising singer-songwriter made her UK debut as support for Riley Green in 2025 and recently she was back to perform at C2C at The O2 in London. To coincide with the shows, McFarland released her new single “Missin' Me”, a spicy kiss off to a former lover.
I sat down with Hannah to talk about her confidence as an artist and performer, her plans for new music and the importance of being authentic…
I saw your set on the Radio 2 Stage this morning and you told the audience that you'd literally climbed on stage minutes after getting out of your Uber. Take me through that…
Oh yeah. I can't figure out the tube, it stresses me out. I was sitting there and I was going, ‘you know what? If I do the whole underground thing, I'm gonna be anxious, so I'll just get an Uber'. Then I got car sick and anxious because traffic was so bad (laughs) so I showed up probably 10 minutes before showtime, dropped my stuff in the room and ran on stage.
If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have known…
Really? I'm an avid overshare r so I'd rather just get it out there in the open.
This morning was the first time I've seen you live and it jumped out at me that you really have that mix of artistry and storytelling, that not every artist has. You seem pretty confident performing and speaking to the crowd. Where does that confidence come from?
For me, my stuff's just really rooted in my faith and I feel like God put me here to do this so I find my confidence in that. I also think it's just repetition. I've played shows since I was 15 – I'm 28 now – so I've done the shows where you might not have anybody but maybe one person in the room actually listening to you 'cause they're all partying. I've just been in so many different scenarios, that I've found comfort in my own little world on stage and I just try to bring people into it. If you wanna be in my world, come on, I'm gonna try to pull you in but if people aren't listening, I just don't let it affect me. I think I find confidence in being the same person that's sitting here talking to you and the same person with my friends and family as I am on stage.
That really comes across and I think your fans appreciate that genuine connection. You mentioned during your set that you'd played at bars in downtown Nashville for years. What was that like?
It was hard but again, I just stayed in my own little world. I felt like it was my purpose and so I just kept doing it. There were nights, of course, I went home and I was miserable. I would cry my whole way home 'cause I was like, ‘oh, what am I doing this for? Nobody's listening'. Now when I get to stages like this, I'm comfortable talking to the audience. On the Riley tour, we've been in arenas so I'm comfortable in front of five people or 20,000 people. I owe that to all the cover shows that I did and playing on Broadway.
Your voice is incredible and it really brings to mind Lee Ann Womack, if you don't mind me saying so?
Oh my gosh. That's the highest compliment because that's what I was raised on; Lee Ann Womack, Allison Krauss, Keith Whitley, Merle Haggard… all the greats, the storytellers. That means so much to me 'cause I'm such a fan of her.
It's always a daring thing to compare somebody's voice because some people don't take it well…
I'm gonna tell you, if you compare anybody to her, they're gonna feel like the greatest person ever in that moment because she is a legend.
You've got those riffs in your voice…
Yeah, just the old country thing. I was raised on it, so I feel like that's where my voice naturally goes.
You recently released your new song “Missin' Me”, which might be the best song I've heard from you yet. The lyrics are a little spicy. Tell me about the inspiration for that one…
I went into the room and I wanted a day where I just broke out of what I normally write and did feed into kind of spicy, ‘would I really say this?' (mood). I went into it thinking, ‘oh, I'm probably not gonna cut this song myself. Maybe I'll pitch it to another artist'. Then we finished it and I was like, anybody that knows me knows I do have a spunky side, so maybe I wouldn't outright say that to a guy like, ‘hey, when you're kissing her, are you missing me?' I would never say that but I'm able to say that through the song. We finished it and I was like, ‘yeah, I think I'm gonna have to release this one'.
You've been pretty busy since the song came out but have you had any chance to see what the reaction has been like?
Oh, I've been so busy and it's weird being in different time zones 'cause I don't know what time it is right now but it's been a really cool reaction, especially on social media. Seeing the support on TikTok and Instagram, mostly TikTok, people making videos to the song and everything. It hasn't been anything crazy, but it's been cool to see the support and a lot of people have said, what you just said, ‘I think this is your best song yet'. (The song) morphed in a little bit of that contemporary, more radio ready kind of vibe.
It definitely sounds like a natural progression from what we've heard from you so far. You seem to really know who you are as an artist, which is rare, and you're not chasing trends. How do you have the confidence to follow your gut and do what you want?
Because it's who I am. I think my artistry and my friendships and everything like that, it's just authentic. We can call it my brand or whatever, but I think what I do is just authentic to me. I don't think anything that isn't (authentic) would be sustainable for me. I've had to do this so many times in life, just be like, ‘hey, this is me. This is who I am. If you don't like me, it is what it is, I ain't everybody'. When I get off the stage and people come to meet and greets it almost feels like we're friends because I do tell my story on stage. It's just confidence and I guess who I am in general and that bleeds over into the artist stuff.
You managed to pull an impressive crowd in an early slot this morning, and that's no easy thing to do that this festival. That must feel good?
Really? Yeah, it was special and yesterday (when I played) it was crazy then too. I walked out there and I was like, ‘there probably is not gonna be anybody in this room and I'm okay with that. It is what it is' and then I walk out and it's completely packed out the door. They have to cut the line off. I'm like, ‘what? This is confusing'. My meet and greet line being long, I think it will forever just shock me and you guys, it makes me feel really special. It's such an authentic thing and just to be able to tell my testimony and my story to that many people is forever gonna be crazy to me.
Watching you this morning is probably the quiestest I've ever heard the Radio 2 stage as people were really listening. That's hard to accomplish when it's just you and your guitar…
You know what I always say is, I feel like it's almost how people lead and sometimes people think that you have to scream in order to get a room to pay attention to you. But a lot of times it's more the soft spoken people that can really lead a room because it makes them lean in and they're like, ‘what did she say?' I feel like my softer voice serves me well in situations like that because it makes people be like, ‘wait, what is she saying? What is she singing?' and lean into it and just capture a room. I'd rather be able to do that than have to scream over a crowd.
We also love a good sense of humor here and you've definitely got a good sense of humor. The minute you started telling stories and you were self-deprecating, the audience were like, ‘she's one of us'…
Yeah. It's just real 'cause that's me. That is who I am. It's how I was raised. That's the McFarland family. We're just all like that. I feel blessed to have a family that we grew up and we know how to dog ourselves. We're confident. I think that's where that confidence comes out too 'cause I don't care. ‘Yeah. Sorry guys. I just rolled on stage. I'm carsick right now' (laughs)
That'll put you in good stead to build something here as we love that connection…
I love it here. This is only my second time here. I was here in the fall with Riley and it was special then, but it's been even more special to see the translation (of fans from that tour) . When I say, ‘hey, did anyone see me with Riley?' and people say, ‘yeah'. They come out 'cause they figured out who I was then and make a point to come out for my show. It's just really cool to see the long hours and the tired moments working and building a fan base 'cause that's honestly what it's all about.
You're setting yourself a really high bar aren't you? You come over with Riley, arguably one of the biggest stars in the genre right now, and then you come back on your own to play our biggest Country music festival. What's your next plan for world domination?
(laughs) I know! I think it's gonna be interesting for me when I start doing headlining stuff 'cause I love opening for artists. I'm such a fan of these artists. I'm such a fan of Riley. I just go out and take notes from what these artists are doing. Every show I open for, I take mental notes of what they do that works so well and how they gain fans and all that, and try to make it authentic to me, of course. I wanna come back really bad, so hopefully they like me enough.
You've done a few collaborations now in your career. How do you choose your collaborations? What's criteria?
That's so tough because I've had a lot of people that I am really big fan of asking me to do songs with them and I've had to… not really turn it down, but say, ‘I'm sorry, I can't do it right now. Riley asked me to be on some of his stuff. I'm not gonna turn that down because also I'm on tour with him so it just makes sense from a business aspect.
Yeah that could have been awkward if you'd turned him down…
Yeah, you know what Riley? Pass. That would be stupid (laughs) . Brett Young, that was special to me because that a song – ‘In Case You Didn't Know' – that I had played in every cover show since I was young. That was just a special moment because it was full circle. I was playing this by myself, now he asked me to be a feature on that song and re-release it. It's usually a personal connection and if I'm friends with them, but the Riley thing made a lot of sense 'cause of the tour.
What are your plans beyond “Missin' Me” for new music? Do you have a longer project on the way?
That's hard 'cause I feel like I'm still trying to figure out the right way to do it. I don't know if there is a right way. My dream right now, who knows if this is gonna be a reality, I wanna release a project that's the roots of who I am – my real storytelling songs. That would be special for me to get out something that is fully 100% me and who I am, and go into it knowing maybe it won't be for some people, but I feel like the people that really support me and know me and wanna know my music will like it. I think a lot of the stuff I've been writing is that Lee Ann Womack feel so hopefully new music, we'll see. There's not actually anything in the works right now, but that's something that I've been thinking about a lot and really want. New music, a bunch of shows and I have some cool festivals coming up. I'm on Stage Coach this year, so I'm excited for that next month. Hopefully I'm coming back over to the UK.
When are we gonna make this Lee Ann Womack collaboration happen? We've gotta manifest it…
I know! I wanna collab with her so bad. How sick would that be?
We must know somebody between us to make that happen?
Surely!
She's played here before. She's been on main stage here…
I'm gonna figure it out, I'm gonna do it. I'm putting that out there.
From your time doing cover shows, what was your favourite cover to perform?
That's tough 'cause I like so many of 'em. I would have to do an old school country one though. ‘When You Say Nothing At All', Keith Whitley 'cause that was my dad and I's song. Also I'd do, ‘You're Still The One' by Shania Twain. That's probably one of my favourites.
Hannah McFarland's new single “Missin' Me” is available to stream and download now.
