Who is Ian Flanigan? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music
Who is Ian Flanigan? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…
Ian Flanigan
Quick Facts:
Full Name – Ian Flanigan
Birthdate – 09/11/1989
Hometown – Saugerties, New York
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Tommy Emanuel, Blaze Foley, Jason Isbell, John Mayer, Willie Nelson
Label – Reviver Records
Current Single – “What’s Love Got To Do With It” (as of date of article 9/23/24)
The Beginning:
Today’s spotlight shines on incredible singer-songwriter and New York native, Ian Flanigan. We chatted with the singer about his love of music, The Voice, and where he is now. Keep reading to learn more.
“I grew up in upstate New York. I really didn’t come from a musical family, but my mom and I, we would always make songs together as a kid, and by the time I was ten, I got my first guitar,” began Flanigan. Unlike many people’s upbringing, art and music were considered a viable career option in the community he grew up in.
“I pretty much committed to being a songwriter at a really, really young age. When I was twelve, I met one of my dad’s army buddies, and he got me started in bluegrass. He was a banjo player and really for me, coming from that upstate area, there’s a really big music scene, and it’s really diverse. I’m from an area that really supports the artistic journey.”
Throughout his upbringing, Flanigan was exposed to many different types of music, including Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, and local artists like the Paul Luke Band, which he grew to love. “I try to incorporate little pieces of every genre and capture it in my own writing,” shared the singer, who eventually told his mom that he was going to cut his teeth in the music scene. “I remember telling my mom that I was going to go live in a van on the road indefinitely, and she was like “it’s such beautiful thing, have a great time.””
The Turning Point:
At just seventeen years old, Flanigan began touring. “I grew up with some musical mentors that the old school method was go live somewhere for a year, saturate that market and play everywhere, and then move to another city or state, and kind of repeat it for the next thirty years, so I had been doing that to the best to my ability.”
For years, Flanigan fine-tuned his songwriting and played gigs across the United States, garnering loyal fans along the way. When he turned 27, he sold everything he owned and moved into a Winnebago to commit even more to his dreams and tour the country at the same time.
During that stint in his life, he found himself near Nashville, Tennessee, where he was slated to play at a random open mic night. “ I rolled through Nashville during COVID, I think during 2019, and one of my last gigs, was just a random open mic at the Mercy Lounge, and at the open mic was a scouting opportunity for The Voice, and that’s where they asked me to be part of the show. I was literally just out in the world, and I had all my gigs canceled because of COVID, and that’s how I got on the show, my last gig, last dollar ended up being a scouting opportunity.”
As fate would have it, that random gig turned into a spot on The Voice, and eventually even a spot in The Voice finale. “I was fortunate enough to meet Blake [Shelton.] He was a really great mentor on the show. […] I really treated it like a giant learning opportunity, and I was fortunate enough to find myself in the finale, and after the show, that’s when I was reached out to by Reviver Records, and we ended up doing a single with Blake, and kind of went full throttle into making a record, doing some radio tour, and writing in Nashville.”
Today:
Flash forward to today, Flanigan continues to make waves as a Reviver Records recording artist. The singer-songwriter is getting ready to release a brand new project, slated for release sometime this fall. Until then, fans can listen to his newest songs, such as “Rather Be Country” and his version of the classic Tina Turner song, “What’s Love Got To Do With It.”
“‘Rather Be Country’ is just a fun song. When I started writing it, I wanted to capture this scene in my mind from my early 20s, growing up, where we had this 10 acre plot of land at my grandparent’s place and it was just mayhem. We were able to literally do anything. […] We just had this real beautiful freedom on this land, and it probably kept us out of a lot of trouble. […] When I think back, it’s probably the only time we’ll ever have those unique, kind of nights together,” shared the singer.
On the other hand, Flanigan’s rendition of “What’s Love Got To Do With It” came when he found himself with leftover studio time. “We really got this kind of country, soul version of this song, and obviously Tina [Turner] is the greatest ever, and when you release a cover of someone so great, you just try to make it as unique as possible because you can’t compete with the original, so you just have to do your own thing and hope people really love it.”
Both songs showcase Flanigan’s undeniable talent; however, we are sure his upcoming record will up the ante. “We have twelve brand new songs, and there’s a lot of this record that is all different energies. […] A lot of this record is dedicated to my mother. I lost her last year, she passed away last October, and we wrote a few songs dedicated to her, and the whole project is kind of different perspectives and different songs and chapters of my life that has made me who I am and that’s why the album is titled ‘The Man My Mama Raised.’”
Stay tuned for more new music coming down the pipeline soon!
Connect:
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Ian Flanigan’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.