“The music I perform… saves lives” – Wyatt Flores tells the story behind his unreleased song “Oh Susannah”

Wyatt Flores He talks about his new, unreleased song “Oh Susannah”.

The country star, very wise for his age, came to the Grand Ole Opry to take part in a show full of authentic country music. Wyatt played directly after the rocking and up-and-coming group, 49 Winchesterand shortly before Country music legend Vince GillThat’s a pretty cool accomplishment for a 23-year-old.

But as I said, Flores is as mature as a seasoned country music veteran. He connects with his audience in ways other artists can only hope to, and he knows how much his music can mean to his fans. That’s why he took a moment to talk about a new, unreleased song he calls “Oh Susannah.”

Just before the final chorus of the new song, he paused and the band slowed down so he could talk about the meaning behind the lyrics. Flores has always been an advocate for mental health and has never shied away from morbid themes in his music. So he spoke openly about his new song and the story of how it came about to honor someone who had taken their own life:

“Aubreigh Wyatt was a young girl who committed suicide last year. And I remember being in Colorado in October and I saw a TikTok where her mom was talking about it and they said they liked my music and I sent my condolences.

A lot of stuff is coming back around the whole thing because she was bullied. They keep asking me to do something about it and they keep telling me things because she sang ‘Please Don’t Go’ in the last video she posted on TikTok.”

As an artist, it must be agonizing to know that your music was so close to someone who is no longer with us. Wyatt was clearly aware that his music touched someone who was struggling, but revealed that Aubreigh Wyatt’s tragic story played a role in his own. take a break from music in February:

“I had to retire from music earlier this year, right after playing the Opry, for a lot of different reasons. One of them was that I felt the weight of the world of wanting to help people and I felt like I wasn’t doing that. As cool as it is that I get to do that, that’s my job, and the music that I represent… saves lives.

But there’s also the dark side where you don’t know if that song just kept her on earth a few more days. I didn’t write that song, ‘Please Don’t Go,’ for everybody out there in the world. I wrote it because I was in a situation with the girl I loved. But this song is for all of you, ‘Oh Susannah’ is you. I wrote it for you… and I’m sorry.”

One has to assume that Wyatt’s “I’m sorry” at the end was to ease his conscience a little, and perhaps wish he could have somehow released “Oh Susannah” sooner. As he himself said, the weight of the world can be devastatingly heavy, and it seems as though this new, unreleased song is trying to lift that burden from those who try to carry it alone.

Listen:

@whiskeyriff @Wyatt Flores #whiskeyriff #grandoleopry #wyattflores #countrymusic #mentalhealth ♬ Original sound – Whiskey Riff

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.