Tyler Nance On Bringing His Midwest Roots to Nashville on Debut Album ‘Midwest Memoir’

Rising country artist Tyler Nance is stepping into a major new life chapter, relocating from Missouri to Nashville to fully immerse himself in the music scene while introducing fans to his debut album, Midwest Memoir.

The 17-track project serves as a reflection of that transition, capturing the highs, uncertainties, and growth that come with leaving behind familiar roots to chase something bigger. With Midwest Memoir, the 22-year-old offers an unfiltered look at his journey so far through a a mix of solo-written tracks and co-writes, all of which he helped shape from start to finish.

He blends personal storytelling with a sound rooted in country, enlisting three artists in the genre to help bring it to life. The collection of songs features Jackson Dean on “Nothing’s What It Seems,” Karley Scott Collins on “Leave Me Alone” and The Castellows on his buzzed about breakout “Keeps Me Sane,” which is rapidly gaining traction, landing among the Top 50 most viral songs worldwide, and reaching the Top 40 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.  

With a growing fanbase fueled by this viral success and a string of standout releases that followed, Nance is proving he’s an artist with a story to tell. His love for music started early, thanks to the influences from his grandma, and upon reaching his early 20s, the guitar became a tool to navigate life’s challenges. Now, through his honest and vulnerable storytelling, he hopes fans find comfort and feel less alone during their own tough moments.

Country Now caught up with Tyler Nance during this year’s annual Country Radio Seminar (CRS) to discuss his journey so far, from writing songs alone to finding his place in the Nashville community. He also dives into his just-released debut project, talks supporting Ian Munsick on his U.S. headline tour, and more.

What was your vision for your debut album, Midwest Memoir?

Well, the title track, “Midwest Memoir,” is I think super important to me. And it really helped us pick out the songs for the album and gave me a lot of stuff to write about and know what I wanted in the album… It was so hard to pick all of the tracks out. Just in the room with my team, “which ones do we want? Alright, it’s going to be 12 songs.” And then it turns out to be 17 songs.

You’ve officially made the move to Nashville and there’s a song on the project called “Ways Away” that touches on your transition from the Midwest to the sSouth. Can you talk about writing this one?

I have a song called “Ways Away” that pretty much says it perfectly. Yeah, I’m from Missouri, but I’m here in Nashville. This song basically talks about how I’m not going to let this town wash my Midwest ways away. So yeah, this song talks about sticking to your roots and being true to yourself and who you are. 

You have some fun collaborations on this project too, including the recent release, “Nothing’s What It Seems” featuring Jackson Dean. Why was he the right voice to have on this song?

He has an amazing voice and we were looking for songs to have collaborations on, and “Nothing’s What It Seems” came to mind. We were just talking about who we should have and Jackson came up and my team reached out to his team and we made it happen. He’s got an insane voice too and he’s got insane range. He can sing high and low. And yeah, he shows that in “Nothing’s What It Seems.”

What was the biggest adjustment for you going from writing solo to working with other artists in Nashville?

It was tough in the beginning because I was so used to writing songs by myself in a camper or just by myself. And whenever I first moved here to Nashville, it was tough getting used to that. But once I did and having other writers help me finish my thought instead of just canning an idea immediately, and also just being able to work with other artists, it’s kind of intimidating sometimes because they’ve been doing it so long and I’m still new. It’s like, well, just figuring out how, seeing how they do it and just a lot of learning I’ve been doing in the past year. 

“Keeps Me Sane” is one that really took off online. What has it been like to see it resonate so strongly with fans?

It’s insane. I was opening for Ian Munsick and I was the opener and my drummer was like in my in ears. He was like, “Dude, let’s do a callback.” And I’m like, “No, no.” He’s like, “Just do it, dude.” And I did, and there were so many people singing the song back. I’m like, “What the heck is going on? You guys aren’t supposed to know who I am.” But yeah, it just blows my mind to see people knowing these songs. I love it. 

What has it been like being out on the road with Ian Munsick?

He’s super humble and easy to talk to and he’s just a genuinely good dude. And I was just talking to him upstairs about how much we enjoyed performing, being on the same stage. He’s one of the best dudes I’ve met yet in this industry. 

Let’s take things back in time a bit. When did music become a prominent part in your life?

I was only a consumer until I was 19 and I picked up guitar. My grandma put me onto music whenever I was a little kid and I listened to all the old heads and so I was just, I would listen. I’d listen all the time and I’d just consume. And then finally, I was in a bad space whenever I picked up guitar and that was kind of my escape and I’ve just used it to get what’s off my mind because I tell people a lot, like I’m not a public speaker, I’m terrible at speaking in front of people. And so s my way to really express my feelings and get my point across was through music.

How old were you when you learned to play guitar and when did you really lean into the performing side?

I turned 20 and I started posting and I didn’t ever even want to do that. I was too nervous to, but I had a buddy that I worked on the road with and he’s like, “Man, you got to do this. You got to post it. People need to hear this. ” And I put it off and I said no so many times and I had a few beers one night and I was like, “You know what? I’m going to do it.” And then I got like 200 likes on a video and I was like, “Oh, this is huge.” Which 200 didn’t seem…Well, it wasn’t really that much, but I thought it was insane that 200 people liked what I had to say. 

Has it sunk in that you went from just posting online to now being a full-time artist in Nashville?

It does not feel real ever. It’s a dream really. And I’m living it and I’m super grateful for it and to have the opportunities that I have that not everybody gets, but I’m glad I have this and I’m able to use it positively. And yeah, I love it.

Lastly, is there anything about you that people should know that they don’t already?

I don’t know, maybe just dealing with what I said about the music and why I write, just dealing with that. It’s been something I’ve dealt with my whole life and it’s good to know that other people feel the same way and I’m not the only one. So people listen to my music and they’re like, “Oh, I’m not the only person.” And seeing people enjoy my music and telling me that, it kind of makes me feel good too. So yeah, something I’ve dealt with my whole life, but I’m glad I have a way to vent, and I have someone to listen to and that’s the people listening to my music.

Fans can keep up with Tyler Nance on Instagram.