Cooper Alan's 'Emotional' Storytelling Ballad Sets Stage For Debut Era

Cooper Alan's newest ballad shows his passion for telling sentimental stories in country music.

The rising, North Carolina-born singer-songwriter debuted a new song, “Hard Acre,” on Friday (September 26). The lyrics take listeners through a heartfelt story that even strike a chord with Alan himself. Looking ahead to his 30th birthday and welcoming Baby No. 1 with his wife, Hally Williams, the country artist said it “almost brings me to tears,” singing the second verse of the song.

“Buddy you ain’t seen a view/ Til the woman you love’s holding onto you/ Kids running round the front yard together / She leans in and whispers I could do this forever”

“I get emotional over it,” the father-to-be shared in a recent conversation with iHeartCountry. Alan said the story he tells in “Hard Acre” “encapsulates the stage of life I’m in right now, and really trying to slow down and just enjoy it.” Alan wrote the song with Derek Bahr, Zachary Kale and Joseph Patton. It follows recent releases “Holy Ghost,” one of many songs inspired by his wife, and “I Gotcha,” a song that helped the singer-songwriter raise money for the Cooper Alan Foundation to support mental health causes. It also follows previously-released music longtime fans (including millions of TikTok users) undoubtedly recognize, including “Climate Change” and “New Normal.” “Hard Acre” is set to appear on his highly-anticipated debut studio album that’s due later this year.

Alan titled his debut project Winston-Salem as a nod to his hometown. The Winston installment of the Side A/Side B record delves into storytelling songs, “emotional stuff,” and tributes to family, Alan explained. The Salem side — “the ‘no rules’ side” — amps up the energy with energetic anthems “that you want to go and drink beer and party at a country show to.” Those are some of the songs Alan said make for a “super fun” live show, which will offer something for everyone in the crowd.

“This is how the songs came out of me,” Alan said in a statement. “It’s everything I’ve always loved after growing up listening to AC/DC and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Toby Keith and Eric Church, 50 Cent and Eminem. You gotta have the reflection, but you gotta have the party. Any given week you’re going to want to cry, then hug someone and tell them you love them, and then go to the bar and have a beer because you busted your a** all week.”

Alan is no stranger to throwing a “party” for his live audiences. Long before he recorded his debut studio album, Alan played live shows at college bars and parties since he was in 8th grade (he said with a laugh, “we had to beg a lot of places,” to allow him to play). He quickly “fell in love with playing for a crowd,” whether he was playing original music or covering fan-favorite hits by other artists. Eventually, Alan’s passion for performing brought him from Winston-Salem, North Carolina to Nashville, Tennessee, playing at historic honky tonks on the city’s iconic Lower Broadway and other local venues that have become staples to the city. “Nothing made me happier than having people have a good time and kind of escape the world for a little bit,” Alan said.

After years of performing and writing music, Alan shares that one thing he’s learned is “the importance of enjoying exactly where you are in the moment.”

“I hope everyone sees this album is 100 percent me,” Alan said in a statement. “I wanted to put every bit of myself on this thing, without fear, hoping to relate to everyone who finds these songs.” Alan’s debut studio album, Winston-Salem, is set to release on November 7. Listen to “Hard Acre” here: