Cooper Alan Opens Up About Expecting His First Child and Embracing Life as a ‘Girl Dad’

Cooper Alan’s world is changing in all the best ways as he’s simultaneously preparing to release his debut album Winston-Salem and become a dad for the first time. In June, he and his wife, Hally, announced that they were expecting their first child and now, he’s reflecting on how this chapter has already changed his life as the due date quickly approaches.

The couple shared the news that they had a baby on the way using a cinematic video that found them debuting the sonogram images and dancing around with pure joy radiating off their faces. Alan confirmed to Country Now that the excitement seen in that moment is as real as it gets.

“Oh, I’m so excited. I didn’t even realize quite how ready I was until we found out Hally was pregnant. [We] started talking about things and planning stuff and everything that goes along with it and we’re super, super stoked,” he admits. “I’ve got two nieces and a nephew, so I’ve been around the kids and I’m excited to do it myself.”

Of course, along with that anticipation comes some natural nervousness as this will be the first time Cooper Alan has experienced having a child of his own to care for. He credits his wife for being the guiding force in this transition for them.

“I’ve got no idea what I’m doing, but my wife really does know what she’s doing,” he gushed. “She’s really, really good at this stuff and it’s just such a rock for us and kind of the backbone of the family. So as long as she is leading the way, then I have a whole lot more to be excited about than nervous about.”

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A post shared by Hally Williams Cooper (@hallywcooper)

Shortly after dropping the major life update with the world, they added to the excitement by revealing that they are having a girl. They opted to do a gender reveal in the sweetest way, with cupcakes backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. After a collective “cheers,” the couple took a bite and saw pink frosting inside the sweet treat and instantly burst into joy and laughter.

“I think our daughter can look back one day and be like, maybe my parents aren’t cool now, but at one point in their lives they were cool enough to do this,” he said of the idea to learn the news at the historic venue.

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A post shared by Hally Williams Cooper (@hallywcooper)

Alan also shared that while he would have been just as excited to have a boy, he had a feeling he was destined to be a girl dad and he is “stoked” about it. He has already proudly been sporting his new title on stage with his “girl dad” hat.

“Both my brothers have had girls first and they’ve just said it’s so awesome. So I was so pumped and hopefully she’s just like Hally, and I bet she will be. And I got to get one of those ‘girl dad’ hats that Barstool sells, which is cool. I wear that on stage like 90% of the time now. So girl dad, life is awesome.”

As he gears up for fatherhood, Alan is channeling that new sense of perspective into his music. His debut album, Winston-Salem, out November 7, captures both sides of his life right now, from the rowdy energy of his 20s to the deeper reflections that come with growing up and starting a family.

His latest release, “Hard Acre” is a “good old fashioned country song” that particularly calls attention to the emotions that come with taking this big step.

“I wrote it with Zach Kale, Derek Bahr, and Joseph Patton, three awesome writers. And we just kind of stumbled on that title and took it in the direction of an older man passing down a house to somebody who’s just kind, starting his adult life, starting his family. And it just kind sums up, I think sort of the stage of life I’m in,” he shared of the storyline.

Since the rising country star is about to turn 30, this album has given him the opportunity to truly reflect on what his 20s looked like and how the steps he took in those years have led him to where he is now.

“When you are about to turn 30 and you’re about to have your first baby, you just kind of put a lot of things in perspective. And I don’t know, life goes really, really fast, which everybody says, but you don’t realize it until you realize it. And it’s really important to enjoy that journey and soak in every moment, especially those younger years of your family. And that’s kind of the advice that this older guy has given in the song and just something that I’ve tried to take to heart,” he admitted.

Although his little one won’t enter the world until December, he’s found that his songwriting has already been impacted by the new role he will soon take on. Listeners will hear that clearly in the reflective side of his upcoming project.

“I just naturally tend to write about what I’m going through back to getting married and that whole thing…I just don’t really know how to write about anything else and it feel real and authentic to me,” he explained. “So it definitely changed it right away. And I think there are a lot of people that are going through this phase of life right now or have gone through it or are about to go through it soon that can relate.”

The Tennessee native is taking a break from touring for the remainder of 2025 and a few months into the new year to help his other half prepare for their upcoming arrival. He won’t return to the road until the very end of March 2026, and when that time comes, Alan explained they are hoping to have their baby girl join them on the road as much as possible.

“Hally and I talked about that when we were talking about having kids and just, we are not going to stop doing this, but of course we’re going to take more time to the dedicated family time. Maybe a little less time on the road, but a whole lot with how it’s looking next year. I don’t know, we’ll just kind of figure it out. And with Hally being such a big part of this and the biggest part of this, I just really am not that worried.”

With a baby girl on the way and his debut album just weeks from release, Cooper Alan’s next chapter is shaping up to be his most meaningful yet. Winston-Salem arrives November 7, marking the start of a new era.