The young recording artist is currently on tour promoting his EP
Country music is in good hands with Gen Z. Waylon Wyatt showcased as much during his set at the Atlantis in DC on Tuesday night (Sept 16th).
Wyatt, a TikTok sensation, is currently on a headline run promoting his EP, Out of the Blue. Wyatt is signed to Darkroom Records.
Wearing a dirt-red trucker cap and black western shirt, the unassuming 18-year-old took the stage with “Your Whereabouts,” followed immediately by “Old Habits.” On the latter, Wyatt charmingly lost his place. The crowd cheered him on as he found it. He later admitted to occasional flubs. His own old habit.
Wyatt’s music is slower, deliberative, and way more mature in thought than most songwriters twice his age. “Sincerely, Your Son” stands out. It takes a special vulnerability to synthesize unending gratitude for a good upbringing into a song about that support system. His voice, as well, is warbly and aged. It’s easy to tell he’s lived more life than many his age.
Another vulnerable moment: “Phoning Heaven,” in a voice that verged on tears. Wyatt dedicated the song to his late brother and showed off a new tattoo in his memory. It’s the number 19, the age his brother passed, and the age Waylon will be in exactly one month.
Wyatt seems most comfortable in that mid-tempo range. Even his up-tempo numbers are relaxed, with his laid-back Arkansan attitude. Those toe-tappers included “Sunday Supper,” and his tongue-in-cheek honky-tonker “O.D.” It’s funny because he compares love to alcohol, while admitting to never having had a drop in his 18 years.
Wyatt reveled in his interactions with fans. At one point, he stopped the show to sign forward thrust his way. He also took great pains to assure parents of the young fans who found him through social media that he doesn’t curse, combating some presumptions about his lyrics caused by his twangy diction.
Wyatt is new to the “burst through the screen” part of his career. I love seeing artists at this phase: they’re equally amazed that those byte-sized videos leaped music venues, as they are grateful to get to play on stage. This is Waylon Wyatt before being over-managed and over-produced—as too often happens with TikTok stars, (And I hope it never happens to him.) The result is a young man carving out a very mature lane for himself with a loyal base. It will be a pleasure to watch him travel down that road.
