Slater Nalley talks ‘American Idol,’ musical influences, Carrie Underwood, and ‘Traces of You’ song

Slater Nalley and his teacher Mrs. Davis on ‘American Idol.’ Photo Credit: Disney, Eric McCandless.

Slater Nalley chatted about competing in this season of “American Idol,” and he spoke about his song “Traces of You.”

Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” This quote applies to singer-songwriter Slater Nalley, 18.

Experience auditioning for ‘American Idol’

“The audition went great,” he exclaimed. “Being on Idol has been incredible. The audition went really well, and I couldn’t be more grateful that my music is being spread out to people that need to hear it.”

‘Traces of You’ song

Slater Nalley’s heartbreaking yet uplifting original song “Traces of You” puts a little joy in a dark place. He wrote “Traces of You” based on a poem written by his English teacher, Mrs. Davis, whose son was killed eight years ago. He was able to earn his golden ticket for Hollywood.

“It is a song that I put together with a good friend of mine, Rebecca Powell, and it was from Mrs. Davis’ poem that she had written about her son,” Nalley said.

“Unfortunately, her son passed away in 2026, so luckily, she has been able to be positive about it all and move through this swiftly,” he noted.

“This song has helped her a lot too, and it has helped me with a lot of things that I have been dealing with,” he said.

“When she came to me with that poem, I didn’t think it was going to be that much of a life-changer but it has been incredible. Her family and everybody there is great. I am really glad that I did this,” Nalley elaborated.

Moving new Idol judge Carrie Underwood to tears

On being able to move the show’s newest judge, Carrie Underwood, to tears, Nalley said, “It was definitely nuts seeing one of my idols crying at a song that I had written. That was really inspiring and it boosted my confidence, and it made me realize that this is what I am meant to be doing.”

Biggest musical influences

Nalley listed Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton and Marcus King as his biggest musical influences in life.

“Also, The Marshall Tucker Band is one of my biggest idols… I have three Marshall Tucker Band T-shirts in my closet,” he said. “The Marshall Tucker Band has been touring all of these years, and they are still killing it. I love ‘Can’t You See,’ and ‘Heard It in a Love Song’ is probably my favorite of theirs.”

Nalley also praised country queen Martina McBride for being “incredible.”

“My songwriting is inspired by the things that I go through daily,” he noted. “Also, things that I notice in the world that need to change, or that I think need to change.”

“I try to just really encapsulate everything that I write about with some truth to it… whether it’s a lesson or a poem, it has some kind of truth to it. There is a lesson in there that is very true to me,” he acknowledged.

“If I allow myself to be vulnerable like that, then a good song comes out of it,” he added.

Future plans

Regarding his future plans, Nalley remarked, “I am going to see where this journey takes me. For now, I am excited to go to Hollywood and show everybody what I have. We are going to make sure everybody is going to be on Team Slater, and we will have a great time with it.”

“I can’t thank everybody enough for their support,” he said effusively.

Advice for young and emerging artists

For young and aspiring artists, Nalley said, “Whoever is telling you that you can’t, prove them wrong! At the end of the day, this life will really do some bad things to you if you let it.”

“There are so many people who have such good writing and singing skills and I am just grateful to have some of both. I still have a lot of work to do on myself,” he said.

“If I hadn’t taken this opportunity, I would have never known my full potential, and I still don’t know my full potential, but I know this is helping with it,” he noted.

“For any kid that is watching the show, do you,” he exclaimed. “Do what you want to do, be yourself, and just open up your heart to what God is trying to tell you to do with your life because He has a purpose for it. Every single person on Earth matters; they have a place.”

“Find what you are good at and what you love to do, and do it,” he added.

The digital age

On being an artist in the digital age, Nalley said, “It is taking some getting used to. All my favorite artists never had to deal with social media back in their days.”

“Fortunately, ‘American Idol’ is helping us out, and it has been really nice to be able to have somebody on your team,” he added.

Superpower of choice

When asked about his superpower of choice, he responded, “To block out everything that bugs me in life, and push it to the side.”

Dream duet choices

Nalley listed Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton, Marcus King, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Margo Price, and Morgan Wade as his dream duet choices in music. “There are a lot of artists out there that I would love to collaborate with,” he said.

“There are so many talented women in music; it is ridiculous,” he added.

Success

On his definition of the word success, Nalley said, “Success means being happy, finding what you love to do and using that as a vessel to pursue your purpose in life.”

Message for his fans and followers

For his fans and followers, Nalley stated, “Oh my goodness, to the fans out there, I want to say ‘thank you.’ You have changed my life and I hope that I’ve impacted yours in a positive manner.”

“I am here for the long-run. I will be doing music for as long as y’all support me,” he concluded.

“Traces of You” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.

To learn more about rising artist Slater Nalley, follow him on Instagram.