Ian Flanigan Releases New Single 'Rather Be Country'

Country music singer-songwriter Ian Flanigan has released his scorching new single “Rather Be Country." Written by Flanigan, Jon Stone, and David “Messy” Mescon, “Rather Be Country” is a rousing tribute to a life lived on a road less traveled and pays homage to the ways and means of true Tom Sawyer-esqe antics.

“Rather Be Country” opens full-throttle, with searing twin fiddles, scorching guitars, and showcases Flanigan’s husky, gritty vocals throughout. The third track from Flanigan’s upcoming album again features Nashville’s top musicians including Gordon Mote (piano), Willie B. Barthel (drums), Jay White (bass), Jerry McPherson (electric guitar), Colin Wells (electric guitar), Jon Stone (acoustic guitar), Russ Pahl (pedal steel), and Aubrey Haynie (fiddle, mandolin). Flanigan’s full album is due out this fall.

“Growing up, we used to have this 10-acre property outside of town where anything could happen,” shares Flanigan. “Rather Be Country” is about those wild times, good people, and a thousand stories not fit to tell.”

Watch Flanigan’s acoustic performance of “Rather Be Country” with Jon Stone and Jonathan Warren on Instagram.

As featured in a People.com exclusive, Flanigan recently married his new bride, Kelsey Charles, at the 4 Eagle Ranch in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on February 29. The couple shared their day with a small, private ceremony at the same music venue where they first met.

"We opted to go back to Beaver Creek and create the ultimate full-circle moment by exchanging our vows in the same place we met," he says, adding that the couple's wedding day was "nothing short of perfect."

To read the full People.com exclusive, visit HERE.

More recently, the pair announced they will be parents, with their double portion slated to arrive in late June. You can see those posts HERE, HERE, and HERE. The Flanigan Family of Four will make their official world debut VERY soon!

One to never sit still, Flanigan was one of the featured artists at the 2024 Buckle & Boots Festival in Manchester, UK which included the Heartwreckers, The Country Orchestra, Maggie Baugh, Dan Smalley, Jon Stone, Emilia Quinn, Canaan Cox, First Time Flyers, Matt Hodges, Luke Flear, Taylor Moss, and more.

Flanigan has consistently released fan-favorite singles such as “Grow Up” featuring Blake Shelton, “Last Name On It,” and “Under A Southern Sky,” showing not only his versatility as a singer but as a songwriter as well. Recently featured by People, Fox News, Cowboys & Indians, Music Mayhem, American Songwriter, Sounds Like Nashville, The Music Universe, KTLA, CMT, Whiskey Riff, and more, Flanigan continues to relate to everyone he encounters, one listener at a time.

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