Slater Nalley Reflects on New Song, ‘What Do You See?’ and Finding His Place in Country Music [Exclusive]

Slater Nalley is tackling the kind of lingering questions that come with heartbreak on his new song, “What Do You See?”

With a voice mature beyond his 19 years, the Georgia native shares a poignent perspective as he explores the uncertainty of wondering what someone from your past thinks of you after the relationship has come to an end.

He runs through all the different ways she might see him and wonders if she’s feeling regret or missing him or if she has finally moved on. At the same time, he ponders whether certain memories, songs and moments still bring him to mind. The vulnerable reflection hones in on the relatable feeling of an unresolved heartbreak as he asks, “Tell me, what do you see when you think of me?”

The tune was co-written by Nalley with Dave Cohen and Geoff Warburton and offers another glimpse into Nalley’s evolving sound. With each new track, he continues to establish himself as an artist to watch following his Top 5 finish on American Idol and the release of his debut EP, Hey Georgia.

Now, as Nashville resident with a Grand Ole Opry debut also under his belt, Nalley is focused on showing listeners there’s much more to his story than his time on television. He has even more new music ahead and is touring with Blake Whiten on his “Something to Say Tour” through the fall of 2026.

Keep reading to learn more about Nalley’s latest release, “What Do You See?”, his journey so far, and what he hopes to accomplish next.

Talk about the inspiration behind your newest release, “What Do You See?”

I wrote this song, ‘What Do You See?’ with Dave Cohen and Geoff Warburton. And I’ve been lucky enough to have been writing with them for a little bit now. And I feel like every time we write, we beat ourselves on the last one. So we’ll keep a good thing going and not fix what isn’t broken. So it’s been pretty fun to get to write with such incredible people. It really is just a song about wondering what somebody’s thinking about you. Oftentimes you get into a situation and you know somebody for a long time and then you don’t. And it’s like, I wonder what they think about me now. And that’s kind of the premise of the song is when you’re wondering about what somebody’s doing, sometimes it’s kind of beyond you. You can’t really keep wondering about it.

Going from hearing the bare bones of a song to finally bringing it into the studio, what is it like when you hear the finished version for the first time?

Yeah, I mean, a lot of work goes into these songs that not a lot of people know. Before I was in this industry, I sure didn’t. I just was like, “Oh, that’s a good song. I bet they wrote it like that.” And so we did write it very similar, but working with Dave Cohen, who’s a phenomenal producer and Anderson East, who’s been doing all my records so far, who’s also a phenomenal producer, I’ve been lucky enough to have the best of both worlds and their ideas are just so spontaneous and so unique, both of them in their craft. And being able to have them both have a hand in that song, we got a badass guitar solo out of it and a really cool melody that I feel like has not ever really been something in my head. And I feel like this one gets stuck in my head, so I hope it gets stuck in other people’s heads.

What has the reaction been like from crowds when you play this song live?

We’ve been playing it at some festivals and things like that, but really going to be hitting it on this Blake [Whiten] tour when we go out. That’s one of our priorities because it’s a fun song. We’re just really excited about being able to play it. The live show for me is so important. It’s something that it cannot be broken because you only get one impression on somebody and that impression can leave them either liking you or not liking you. And every impression you get is a chance. So it’s really just satisfying when we get the band together and we’re rehearsing and we put that out there and we play it live and it sounds good. So I’m excited for everybody to hear it. 

How would you say “What Do you See?” fits into this chapter of music that you’re in and the sound that you’re trying to establish? 

I feel like my writing and storytelling and voice is often compared to older genres and artists, which is honestly, that’s my goal. I am an old soul and I really love being able to write songs and do this for a living. So beginning to pull from my favorites and then also bringing a newer sound of this one specifically, it just felt right because I feel like the topic is a little newer and I don’t know, it felt more like an upbeat, newer sounding song and we put that together and it still got that really old school vibe with the background vocals and guitars, the way that they’ve been produced and everything. So props to them to the producers for putting this one together. And of course I had a part in that, but they’re really great. 

How has it been seeing fans live with your debut EP, Hey Georgia, now that its been out in the world for a bit?

It’s pretty tough to put an eye on everything because they’re all my babies, all my songs, but some of the babies are ready to grow up. So it’s just one of those things. And I think this one follows my EP pretty nicely. The EP had a good mix of Southern rock and blues and old school stuff and then a couple new school stuff. So I feel like this one kind of shows the versatility that I’m trying to bring to the table. 

With this being your first collection, was there anything about the process that surprised you while building it out?

Yeah, I mean, absolutely. Like I said, before all this, I just thought you write the song and that’s the one that you put out. I guess you don’t really think about all the production side of things. And it’s been really honestly enlightening just to learn from Anderson and Dave and learn so much about the processes and what goes down, the different vocals, the different guitars, the different instruments that they have to re-cut, and re-record and things like that, that they all mix all together for one song and that can take months. So I’m glad we got this one relatively quick and got it out. 

You also recently made your Grand Ole Opry debut. Talk about that experience.

Yeah, I really loved that experience more than anything I’ve done so far, honestly. It felt like that’s where I want to be for the rest of my life is on stages like that, and that’s earned. So being able to have that experience, and I think I took advantage of it in the best way possible, and I’m so grateful that they wanted to have me, and I hope they’ll have me back. But that was really crazy to stand on that stage where so many of my heroes have stood before and be able to play songs that I wrote, not anybody else’s. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Slater Nalley (@slaternalleymusic)

While there, you also performed your unreleased song “The Highway.” What made you decide to share that particular song with the crowd that night?

“The Highway” is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written, probably my favorite song, and it just means so much to me. I was going through a time when I wrote it, and I feel like the emotions that are in that song are very obvious when I’m playing it live. And I just felt like that song was the one I wanted to put on stage and be vulnerable and show the Opry who Slater Nalley was. And it also shows off my voice a little bit, which I love songs that I can actually sing real loud to because I like singing loud. So that song, I’m able to unleash my emotions. And even if I’m not feeling the theme of the song, why I wrote it, I might be feeling something else that day that helped me put it into that song. 

What has your first year of living in Nashville been like?

At first it was tough, but this town is amazing. Obviously, it’s cutthroat. Obviously, everybody here is very competitive, but at the end of the day, we want to see each other win, I feel like. At least the people I surround myself with, they do, because if you’re surrounding yourself with people who don’t want you to win, then that’s just stopping you from winning. So I try not to have too many things in my way that do that because this is my dream and what I want to do with my life. And so when I moved here, obviously it was a big step. I hadn’t really met anybody, and I was lucky enough to meet Elizabeth Nichols and the Castellos, and they all really introduced me into town. And now I get to be buddies with Zach Top and his crew and people that I never in a million years would’ve thought I’d be on the same level of hanging out with. And they’re just ordinary people like you and me. And so it’s really fun to be able to have the artist connection. And we’re all going through the same thing, seeing the same things with social media and everything, and we all have to do it at the end of the day. So it’s fun when we can go somewhere and have a good time and not worry about it all. 

When you look back at where your journey started, what does it feel like to realize you’re now living the dream you once had for yourself?

It’s definitely a crazy thing in my mind, especially considering I’ve never really, my family, I’ve been so lucky to have support from them, but as a kid in school and stuff, I was really the only one that believed I could do this. And so to see my own dream come true because of my own work and God, of course, but doing everything I know to do to be successful and chase this thing, because for me, there’s no other option, and I hope there never is. So it was just one of those things where it was very important to me that we get these songs out and show the world who I am and not just an [American] Idol kid, but somebody who has a real love for this. And yeah, I want that to always be present. 

What is next on your bucket list?

I think in this next year, I’d like people to know who I am. I’d like them to know not that I did Idol and finished in a good spot, but I want them to know exactly what I mean when I bring music out, and I want them to know who I am every time I come to the stage and what I bring and what I’ll always bring as long as I’m allowed. And I hope people like it. I guess that’s all I can hope for.