Allie Colleen Talks Debut Album ‘Stones’ & New Song “Halos and Horns” Produced With Lee Brice & Jerrod Niemann

Allie Colleen, a native of Owasso, Oklahoma and graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, is a storyteller with a classic country tone that molds to the unique narratives she delivers in her songs. Colleen sat down with Music Mayhem and shared…

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Nicole Palsa

Nicole Palsa is a freelance writer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 2012, she has written about the newcomers, superstars, and legends of country music for publications including Music Mayhem, Country Now, and Country Music Tattle Tale. Nicole has served as a volunteer guide with Musicians On Call since 2016 and is a Troubadour member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications and her Bachelor of Arts degree in French. In addition to being a devoted country music fan, Nicole is a family historian and genealogist who can often be found in stacks of research. She is also an avid traveler with a passion for wildlife and nature photography.

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Posted on March 30, 2022

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Allie Colleen; Photo Provided

Allie Colleen, a native of Owasso, Oklahoma and graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, is a storyteller with a classic country tone that molds to the unique narratives she delivers in her songs.

Colleen sat down with Music Mayhem and shared details about how she approached creating her debut album, Stones, her upcoming single “Halos and Horns,” and her long-term career goals.

Colleen released Stones in November 2021, but that wasn’t the original plan. 

“It was always gonna be single releases,” said Colleen. “That’s how it works now, right? But when 2020 was a thing and we weren’t on the road to promote songs and stuff… And maybe for the first time, people being trapped at home, they were gonna have an attention span to listen to 12 songs all at the same time.”

She continued, “So we did the album, and the only thing that was cohesive as we were going through it was the writing – the narratives and the stories and my writing mixed with my co-writers and that kind of stuff. But sonically, it’s everywhere.”

Colleen feels that when it comes to her music, she asks what the story sounds like and how can she cater to it. She explained her approach to some of the tracks on the album. 

“You know, ‘Playing House’ is sad and it’s spooky and it’s uncomfortable,” said Colleen. “So the song sounds like a haunted house, right? It has these really cool harmony echos in the back, that are supposed to be like haunting ghosts. Then there’s ‘Don’t Give Your Heart to a Cowboy,’ which is just Western. It makes you wanna go drive back roads. And ‘Make Me a Man’ is about wanting a lifelong partner for your parent, and as a child of divorce, asking God to make you a man that was worthy of your mom. That sounds like what that feels like. It’s uncomfortable and it’s empowering and it’s all those things.”

Allie Colleen Will Release New Single “Halos And Horns” In May

Colleen is set to release new music in May, a song called “Halos and Horns,” that she co-produced with country hit-makers Lee Brice and Jerrod Niemann. Colleen describes the track as “…just grit, and it’s just tough and it’s cool.” Since she’s collaborating with Brice and Niemann, she thinks “it has that weird sonic mixture, but the story’s there and the characters are there.”

When it comes to her career goals, Colleen recognizes the desire of young, independent artists to crave overnight success, but she is more interested in building long-term relationships with people who connect to the stories she’s telling.

“I think right now, it’s really easy for any young artist or independent artist to really crave that overnight success that we’re seeing,” says Colleen, “but I also say – in no disrespect to anyone who’s received that recognition overnight – crowds are gone overnight. There’s no longevity there. They could potentially leave as quickly as they came, because someone else popped.”

Looking ahead, Colleen is focused on being a vessel for stories that people want to hear, especially following the aftermath of the past two years.

“The intent behind it is to provide people with validation of their emotions. 2020 left everybody with a new view of life. I don’t understand why everyone came out with all these new feelings and don’t expect the person right next to ’em to feel the same way,” Colleen shared. “I think there’s so much validation that we can do in songs, because no one wants to hear somebody correct them verbally or challenge them or anything like that. But you listen to a song that goes, ‘holy crap, this makes me wanna be a better husband’ or ‘this makes me wanna be a better partner’ or ‘makes me wanna be a better daughter’ or any of those things. Or ‘this makes me wanna go out there and show the world that I am something,’ those are the things that we wanna provide.”

To keep up with Colleen, visit alliecolleenmusic.com.

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Nicole Palsa is a freelance writer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 2012, she has written about the newcomers, superstars, and legends of country music for publications including Music Mayhem, Country Now, and Country Music Tattle Tale. Nicole has served as a volunteer guide with Musicians On Call since 2016 and is a Troubadour member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications and her Bachelor of Arts degree in French. In addition to being a devoted country music fan, Nicole is a family historian and genealogist who can often be found in stacks of research. She is also an avid traveler with a passion for wildlife and nature photography.

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