Wyatt Flores, Bo Staloch

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McKenzie Whitman

Wyatt Flores and guitar sitting on a 1960s Ford Galaxie.

Wyatt Flores

As an independent artist, Wyatt Flores broke through in a big way in 2022 with the song “Please Don’t Go,” a streaming hit that crashed the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and has since piled up more than 156 million Spotify plays. Things have moved quickly for Flores since then, including a major label deal, debuting at the Grand Ole Opry, and in October releasing his debut album, Welcome to the Plains. It’s full of the same heartfelt, direct songwriting and traditional country music as “Please Don’t Go” and Flores' subsequent EPs. With Bo Staloch.

media release: Rising country artist Wyatt Flores’ highly anticipated full-length debut album, Welcome To The Plains, is out today on Island Records. Stream/purchase HERE.

In celebration of the new music, Flores made his late-night television debut on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” last night performing his new song, “Oh Susannah.” Watch/share HERE. Additionally, Flores is the latest addition to Apple Music’s Up Next program—their global artist initiative geared towards identifying, showcasing and elevating rising talent. Watch the exclusive Apple Music Wyatt Flores Up Next film HERE and listen to his interview with Kelleigh Bannen HERE.

Produced by Beau Bedford (Orville Peck, Shane Smith & The Saints) and recorded between Los Angeles and Asheville, Welcome To The Plains details Flores’ journey as he balances the struggle of leaving his hometown of Stillwater, OK with the highs and lows of life on the road. Across these 14 tracks, including songwriting collaborations with Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor and Aaron Raitiere, Flores delivers the grounded and sincere storytelling he’s celebrated for, seamlessly blending traditional country and folk sounds.

Critical acclaim for Welcome To The Plains:

“it just speaks to his power as this young songwriter in the country lane, doing what I think is some of the most powerful music I’ve heard in a very long time.”—NPR

“Welcome to the Plains...is full of enough musical and lyrical range to be the defining album of the 23-year-old Flores’ career”—Rolling Stone

“His latest pulses with the raw energy of a full-band sound, thrashing percussion and churning guitars”—Billboard

“a vivid, emotional portrait of life”—Nashville Scene

“Wyatt Flores is a superstar in the making…the torchbearer for Oklahoma’s red dirt music tradition”—Whiskey Riff

“one of the most exciting breakout stars in country music today”—All Country News

“Flores’s music has a fresh and modern sound while keeping the traditional roots of his Oklahoman upbringing”—Country Central

“Wyatt Flores is the face of the new generation of country”—Country Chord

Reflecting on the album, Flores shares, “It’s an album about home and a search for happiness. It’s an album about Stillwater, Oklahoma, and all the other little towns that have raised people like you and me. It’s an album about my family, and the people and places in my life who have defined who I am today. This album is happy on one side and heartbreak on the other, and whoever you are, I hope you find something you love in here.”

Welcome To The Plains also features packaging created by Flores’ long-time artistic collaborator, Chloe Tyler, that uniquely interprets the music and his story, including a 12-page booklet that features photos, original hand-painted artwork, album insights and much more. “Since ‘Please Don’t Go,’ Chloe has visualized the artwork through her interpretation of my music,” Flores shares. “My music wouldn’t be the same without her vision alongside it. There are no words to describe how seamlessly the artwork and vinyl for Welcome to the Plains encompasses my voice, and I’m so grateful she’s always been able to tell the story of my music through her art.”

Watch the pair discuss the project on the debut episode of Flores’ new podcast, “Wyatt Flores and Friends,” HERE. The podcast will feature Flores in conversation with collaborators and meaningful people in his life and will air each week on YouTube.

Known for his engaging live performances, Flores will continue to tour through the end of this year with his “Welcome To The Plains Tour.” The extensive run includes Flores’ largest headline shows to date, with upcoming stops at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium (two nights), Chicago’s Vic Theatre, The Sylvee in Madison, and many others.. Full details can be found at www.wyattfloresmusic.com/tour.

Born and raised in Oklahoma, the Mexican-American artist has established himself as one of country music’s most vital voices with his three previous EPs, including Half Life, which was released earlier this spring. Receiving widespread critical attention, The New York Times praised, “Wyatt Flores…Has a Superpower: Tapping Emotions,” while NPR Music declared, “a fantastic record…he is making a big splash out there” and Holler proclaimed, “Flores at his gloriously life affirming, existential best.”

Further adding to his breakout year, Flores has been recognized as one of Rolling Stone’s 25 “Future of Music” artists, received a nomination for Emerging Act of the Year at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards, was selected as Amazon’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year, included in Spotify’s Hot Country Class of 2024 and CMT’s Listen Up class, and made his Grand Ole Opry debut. Additionally, Flores has garnered over 500 million streams to date, saw his 2022 breakout single, “Please Don’t Go,” scale the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart and had his song “Before I Do” with Jake Kohn featured on the soundtrack for the new Twisters movie.