Exclusive Q&A: Karley Scott Collins Talks Debut Album, ‘Flight Risk,’ And Touring With Keith Urban

Rising country star Karley Scott Collins is proving she’s not afraid to push boundaries. Her debut album, Flight Risk, which arrived out Sept. 26, is a bold 16-track collection that shows off her growth, vulnerability, and versatility through personal stories and powerhouse vocals.

On top of co-writing every song across the 16-track project, the 25-year-old also co-produced the project alongside Grammy-winner Nathan Chapman and played nearly every instrument, from the banjo to the violin, and bass. The dedication didn’t end there because she even learned to engineer in the studio to make sure every detail felt true to her.

Flight Risk features fan-favorite releases like “Denim,” “Girlfriend,” and “Easy To Leave,” while also introducing a fresh set of songs that cut even deeper. Across all 16 tracks, Collins writes with an honesty that feels far beyond her years as she channels the lessons, heartbreak, and resilience that she’s lived through.

Flight Risk track listing: 

1. Denim (Karley Scott Collins / Sara Bares / Stephan Lee Benson / Alex Kline)

2. Easy to Leave (Karley Scott Collins / Nathan Chapman / Aaron Zuckerman)

3. Quit You (Karley Scott Collins / Nathan Chapman)

4. Cowboy Sh!t (Karley Scott Collins / Sam Backoff / KK Johnson)

5. Music to Cry To (Karley Scott Collins / Alex Kline / Joybeth Taylor)

6. Left Me Alone (Karley Scott Collins / AJ Pruis / Joybeth Taylor)

7. Shoot Out All the Lights (Karley Scott Collins / Greg Kurstin)

8. Bad Bad (Karley Scott Collins / Emily Falvey / Emma Kleinberg / Dan Pellarin)

9. Runner (Karley Scott Collins / Sam Backoff / Zane Callister / Ashley Ray)

10. Girlfriend (Karley Scott Collins / Alex Kline / Summer Overstreet)

11. I Used to Love Him (Karley Scott Collins / Alex Kline / Scott Stepakoff)

12. American Boy (Karley Scott Collins / Alex Kline / Joybeth Taylor)

13. Heavy Metal (Karley Scott Collins / Sam Backoff / KK Johnson)

14. Daddy’s Habits (Karley Scott Collins / Alex Kline / Lydia Sutherland)

15. Only Child (Karley Scott Collins / Marti Lynn Dodson / Alex Kline)

16. Madman (Karley Scott Collins / Kathleen Higgins)

Produced by Nathan Chapman and Karley Scott Collins 

After spending the year touring with Keith Urban, Karley Scott Collins is ready for her biggest chapter yet and she’s kicking things off with the arrival of her debut album plus a return to the Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 30.

We caught up with her to talk about the personal stories behind her debut album, what it was like to wear so many hats in the creative process, touring with Urban and more. Keep reading to learn more about Karley Scott Collins in this exclusive Q&A.  

“Girlfriend” offers a fun, sassy story. How does this song fit into the larger collection of Flight Risk?

Flight Risk is a collection of songs that span my growth as a person and artist over the past almost five years that I wrote for this record, and really my whole life. I think every emotion you can have is represented in a song on the record, and jealousy is definitely one of them in “Girlfriend”! I think it turned out to be one of the most fun songs on the record, and I love playing that one live.

You co-produced and played nearly every instrument on the album alongside Nathan Chapman along with learning how to engineer in the studio. What was it like wearing so many hats in the studio?

I loved it! Since I was a kid I’ve wanted to learn anything someone wanted to teach me, and my producer, Nathan, is a great teacher. He taught me to play bass, how to comp my own vocals, how to record his guitars…this being my first album, I just wanted my creative fingerprint on it in as many places as I could have it and I wanted to know all the details of how it was being made and all the little pieces that made it what it is, and I learned so many things I’ll carry into my next projects for the rest of my life, and I had so much fun doing it!

How did you land on the title, Flight Risk?

“Flight Risk” the phrase was actually the first line in the first song I wrote for this record a long time ago. When I read the lyrics back it stuck out to me because it’s a phrase I’ve identified with in a lot of different ways and seasons of my life. I felt like the journey from being a Flight Risk out of fear to being a Flight Risk out of independence kind of summed up the whole record and the different phases of songs and it felt right.

Your album draws inspiration from icons like Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks, Guns N’ Roses and Alice In Chains. How have these diverse influences helped shape your sound?

I grew up listening to all of these legendary artists and admiring them, along with country artists like Willie [Nelson], and I think it’s the same as any way you’re raised – the way your parents shape you and teach you is often how you grow up to be…I learned how to play music from the people I admire, and I think they all play a part in my sound and the choices I make as an artist and I like to think you can hear a little bit of all of them in the record.

When you set out to start making your debut album, did you have a specific goal in mind? How did you land on these 16 tracks to include?

The only specific goal I had in mind was making something honest, and that I was proud of. When we chose the songs for the record, I chose the songs that I had the most fun with like “Cowboy Sh!t,” or the songs that made me cry like “I Used to Love Him,” or meant the most to me like “American Boy” – and for the songs that were already released that I included I wanted to choose songs that I knew meant the most to my fans like “Quit You” or “Heavy Metal.”

It sounds like there are quite a few tracks that touch on relationships and heartbreak. Do most of these stem from real-life experiences?

Absolutely! That’s why it meant so much to me to make sure I co-wrote the whole record. It means a lot to me that when I get on stage and sing something, that I know how it feels. And when fans come up to me and want to talk about what a song means to them, I’ve been there and I really understand it. I wanted this record to be as honest as possible, so every song is either my own life, or something I watched friends go through.

Then there are tracks like “Daddy’s Habits” and “Only Child” that give fans more of a look into your personal life. What’s it like sharing such intimate stories like these through your music?

I’m really grateful I get to share it with people. I’m someone who always understood my emotions more through music and hearing songs that I thought “Oh my god, that’s exactly how I feel.” So it’s really special to me to have the opportunity to have MY music be what someone’s listening to thinking that.

What do you hope listeners learn about you as an artist and a person after listening to this project top to bottom?

I definitely hope people leave it feeling like they know me more on a personal level. I’ve really kind of put a magnifying glass to a lot of my life on this record from love, heartbreak, addiction, family…there wasn’t much I didn’t say. Honestly, making this record I feel like I know myself better, so I hope people listening do too.

What was it like being on the road with Keith Urban earlier this year? Did you have the chance to gain any advice from him? 

It’s amazing being on the road with Keith. He is such a kind person and he’s been so good to the boys and I, but I’ve also learned so much from him. He’s an incredible entertainer, and I respect him so much. Just watching him play every night and seeing the way he interacts with fans on stage and the way he plays and moves is so inspiring and I’ve learned a lot watching him.

What are you most excited about as you hit the road again with him in just a few weeks? 

My favorite part about being the road is getting to meet so many fans in different places all over the country so I’m really excited to just get back out there and get back to connecting with people and doing what I love most.

Fans can keep up with Karley Scott Collins on Instagram.