The Sit Down with Alyssa Flaherty
As far as references go, Alyssa Flaherty has a pretty good one from a certain Mr Kevin Costner. The twenty-one year old has been in Nashville for the last five years but originally hails from Annapolis which is about thirty-five miles south of Baltimore in Maryland and is quickly becoming one of the most talked about rising stars in Music City. This first trip has included headline shows of her own and performances at both Country Calling and The Long Road festivals. After her set in Chelmsford on Sunday, Alyssa caught up with Jamie to talk about her first trip across the pond.
Thank you for coming to hang.
“Thanks for having me”.
That looked a lot of fun.
“I want to do it again. I'm like, let's go, when’s part two?”
Is this your first time playing over here?
“First time ever, never been here before. We got here last Wednesday so we've been here for a little bit and I played in York at Forty Five Vinyl Cafe.”
Everyone seems to be playing there and says so many great things about it.
“It’s so cool, it's incredible, It's so like, intimate and precious. It's amazing.”
Thank you for coming to hang.
“Thanks for having me”.
That looked a lot of fun.
“I want to do it again. I'm like, let's go, when’s part two?”
Is this your first time playing over here?
“First time ever, never been here before. We got here last Wednesday so we've been here for a little bit and I played in York at Forty Five Vinyl Cafe.”
Everyone seems to be playing there and says so many great things about it.
“It’s so cool, it's incredible, It's so like, intimate and precious. It's amazing.”
I haven’t been up there yet because I live in London.
“We're going there tomorrow, I’m dying to go. My mom and I are freaking out.”
What's on the list of things to see?
“We honestly don't know exactly what we're gonna be doing, we're gonna figure it out. I want to do some kind of historic tour and I want to do like a ghost tour. I like that stuff like where I can be a little nerdy for a minute.”
It's so different here, because unlike you Americans, we don't knock things down. We have the opposite attitude where we’re like, that building is two hundred years old, don’t touch it. Whereas you guys are like that’s thirty years old, we need to knock it down and rebuild it.
“I know it’s so sad we do that but I’m excited to see more of the architecture here, then just shop and eat all of the things. We're so excited.”
That audience you played to today, was that everything you expected? Everyone talks about this UK audience as being almost mythical with how attentive they are.
“Playing in Nashville, it's like there's so many of us all the time, it’s constant music 24-7, so it's like an overload, you know? But here, everyone just appreciates it. They sit, they listen and I have had some people, even at 45 Vinyl Café, that have had listened to my stuff before and they're singing my words back to me as I'm in the audience and I'm like, this has never happened to me in my entire life. It was just so special and I will truly never forget it. Like it was just, it was even more than I could have imagined and I'm just so grateful to be here. Like, it's just freaking awesome and I'm loving it.”
“Heartbreak, Thank You” came out quite recently, how’s the reaction been so far to that?
“I think my favourite part of that whole project has been people messaging me and saying how this has helped me so much, like, just change my perspective on what I'm going through and just looking at the positive. How it's not an ending but it’s the beginning and there's so much more for you! You know, it's going to be coming and just appreciate the pain because you're learning, you're growing, you're developing and that's been probably the coolest part. Seeing the response and hearing personal stories come through, it's like, that's that's all I need to hear and it inspires me to keep writing stuff like that so I'm super proud.”
“We're going there tomorrow, I’m dying to go. My mom and I are freaking out.”
What's on the list of things to see?
“We honestly don't know exactly what we're gonna be doing, we're gonna figure it out. I want to do some kind of historic tour and I want to do like a ghost tour. I like that stuff like where I can be a little nerdy for a minute.”
It's so different here, because unlike you Americans, we don't knock things down. We have the opposite attitude where we’re like, that building is two hundred years old, don’t touch it. Whereas you guys are like that’s thirty years old, we need to knock it down and rebuild it.
“I know it’s so sad we do that but I’m excited to see more of the architecture here, then just shop and eat all of the things. We're so excited.”
That audience you played to today, was that everything you expected? Everyone talks about this UK audience as being almost mythical with how attentive they are.
“Playing in Nashville, it's like there's so many of us all the time, it’s constant music 24-7, so it's like an overload, you know? But here, everyone just appreciates it. They sit, they listen and I have had some people, even at 45 Vinyl Café, that have had listened to my stuff before and they're singing my words back to me as I'm in the audience and I'm like, this has never happened to me in my entire life. It was just so special and I will truly never forget it. Like it was just, it was even more than I could have imagined and I'm just so grateful to be here. Like, it's just freaking awesome and I'm loving it.”
“Heartbreak, Thank You” came out quite recently, how’s the reaction been so far to that?
“I think my favourite part of that whole project has been people messaging me and saying how this has helped me so much, like, just change my perspective on what I'm going through and just looking at the positive. How it's not an ending but it’s the beginning and there's so much more for you! You know, it's going to be coming and just appreciate the pain because you're learning, you're growing, you're developing and that's been probably the coolest part. Seeing the response and hearing personal stories come through, it's like, that's that's all I need to hear and it inspires me to keep writing stuff like that so I'm super proud.”
During your set, you mentioned you had done some things with The Castellows. The girls came over for C2C in March and they are so good, how did you start getting to know those lovely sisters?
“They’re incredible and we used to be on the same management company so we just got in a room and wrote together. I just love them as people like they're top girls and we've done that a couple times where I've gotten some really awesome songs that we all love. They’re just great, it’s been so much fun to write with them and I'm just building those friendships. It's like you want young girls that are kind of doing what we’re doing and they're doing what you hope to do in a couple years so, it's been really special. It's really special.”
You dropped someone else’s name too and that one had an almighty clang. How wild is it when you get that call saying this guy Kevin Costner wants you to do something, at first did you think it was one of your friends winding you up?
“That is one thousand percent what I said. I was like, there's no way, it was so crazy because I sang a little demo for it last July and a month later I get a call. It's my 20th birthday, I'm on the way to dinner with my family and I was getting this call where I was like, why is Teddy calling me? Like, he never calls me, but should I answer right, We’re about to walk into the restaurant and I answered it then it was like, hey, you're singing “Amazing Grace” in Kevin’s movie, I just got off the phone with him and I was like, you're joking, you’re lying. Why? How? It was just so special and I still really can't believe it, especially when people come up and they're like, oh my God, I love your rendition of Amazing Grace. I'm like, what? So it’s really special.”
Sidebar here, I really can't place your accent, it was really bugging me when you were on stage because you speak really clearly and a similar pace to us but I can tell you’re not Californian or from Florida and I’m usually pretty good now but I still can’t work it out.
So we've been in Nashville for five and a half years, but I'm originally from Maryland. My grandma, my mom's mom, she has like, that New Jersey accent and then I’m around southern accents twenty four seven so it’s just so funny.
How are you finding all of the different accents here?
“They’re all so cute, then you call things different names and we just love it. I just cannot believe that we’re here, it’s insane because everyone is so nice and I’m getting to explore with my mom who has never been over here either so it’s special that we get to experience it together. We just love it, we love the culture and everyone's just been so friendly so it's just been amazing. Like, actually amazing, I can't believe we're here and I don't want to leave, it’s so beautiful here.”
Well, you’ll have to plan to come back then.
“Absolutely, LET’S GO!!!!!! I would love to.”
Enjoy being a tourist and I will see you again at The Long Road. You’re amazing, this really has been so much fun.
“Heartbreak, Thank You” from Alyssa Flaherty is out now and available HERE. You can catch her at The Long Road festival this weekend where she will be performing on Sunday whilst you can be the first to find out all that Alyssa has on the way by checking out her WEBSITE and following along on INSTAGRAM X TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
This year’s Country Calling was a resounding success with plans for 2026 already in progress so you can be the first to find out more details on their WEBSITE and relive all the 2025 highlights on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK.
The Long Road Festival takes place at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire this weekend (August 22nd to 24th) where you can find ticket details and further information on their WEBSITE and you can be the first to know all updates ahead of the event by checking out their socials on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK.
“They’re incredible and we used to be on the same management company so we just got in a room and wrote together. I just love them as people like they're top girls and we've done that a couple times where I've gotten some really awesome songs that we all love. They’re just great, it’s been so much fun to write with them and I'm just building those friendships. It's like you want young girls that are kind of doing what we’re doing and they're doing what you hope to do in a couple years so, it's been really special. It's really special.”
You dropped someone else’s name too and that one had an almighty clang. How wild is it when you get that call saying this guy Kevin Costner wants you to do something, at first did you think it was one of your friends winding you up?
“That is one thousand percent what I said. I was like, there's no way, it was so crazy because I sang a little demo for it last July and a month later I get a call. It's my 20th birthday, I'm on the way to dinner with my family and I was getting this call where I was like, why is Teddy calling me? Like, he never calls me, but should I answer right, We’re about to walk into the restaurant and I answered it then it was like, hey, you're singing “Amazing Grace” in Kevin’s movie, I just got off the phone with him and I was like, you're joking, you’re lying. Why? How? It was just so special and I still really can't believe it, especially when people come up and they're like, oh my God, I love your rendition of Amazing Grace. I'm like, what? So it’s really special.”
Sidebar here, I really can't place your accent, it was really bugging me when you were on stage because you speak really clearly and a similar pace to us but I can tell you’re not Californian or from Florida and I’m usually pretty good now but I still can’t work it out.
So we've been in Nashville for five and a half years, but I'm originally from Maryland. My grandma, my mom's mom, she has like, that New Jersey accent and then I’m around southern accents twenty four seven so it’s just so funny.
How are you finding all of the different accents here?
“They’re all so cute, then you call things different names and we just love it. I just cannot believe that we’re here, it’s insane because everyone is so nice and I’m getting to explore with my mom who has never been over here either so it’s special that we get to experience it together. We just love it, we love the culture and everyone's just been so friendly so it's just been amazing. Like, actually amazing, I can't believe we're here and I don't want to leave, it’s so beautiful here.”
Well, you’ll have to plan to come back then.
“Absolutely, LET’S GO!!!!!! I would love to.”
Enjoy being a tourist and I will see you again at The Long Road. You’re amazing, this really has been so much fun.
“Heartbreak, Thank You” from Alyssa Flaherty is out now and available HERE. You can catch her at The Long Road festival this weekend where she will be performing on Sunday whilst you can be the first to find out all that Alyssa has on the way by checking out her WEBSITE and following along on INSTAGRAM X TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
This year’s Country Calling was a resounding success with plans for 2026 already in progress so you can be the first to find out more details on their WEBSITE and relive all the 2025 highlights on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK.
The Long Road Festival takes place at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire this weekend (August 22nd to 24th) where you can find ticket details and further information on their WEBSITE and you can be the first to know all updates ahead of the event by checking out their socials on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK.
