Stagecoach: Wyatt Flores proves why he's an Amazon Music Breakthrough Artist of the Year
Wyatt Flores is a young singer-songwriter from Oklahoma who is getting a lot of attention.
He's only 22 years old, but he's already been named one of Rolling Stone's 25 "Future of Music" artists and Amazon's Breakthrough Artist of the Year. He also made his Grand Ole Opry debut earlier this year.
On Friday, Flores made his debut at the Stagecoach country music festival in Indio and captivated the crowd that packed into the Palomino tent. His 30-minute Friday afternoon set was full of insightful and alluring songs.
Flores and his live band — Kenzie Miracle (fiddle), Austin Yankunas (guitar), Bill Peters (bass), Clem Braden (multi-instrumentalist) and Jaxon Humphrey (drums) — performed a mix of different styles such as rock, country and Americana.
The depth of Wyatt's songs for a songwriter of his age reflects his musicianship and intuition. He's not afraid to tackle themes like heartbreak, regret, and sadness. But he also channels the heartbreak and the joy through his voice in every lyric, which could be heard in “Milwaukee” and “I Believe In God,” the latter of which is about his conflict with religion.
But his cover of The Fray’s “How To Save A Life” received the most response from the crowd, who sang along with its chorus. He returned to the song’s chorus at the end of “Please Don’t Go” and fans sang it back even louder.
Even though Flores’ set was brief and in the early afternoon, it was a magnificent preview of what's to come if Flores does appear at Stagecoach again in the near future. It's clear that his star is on the rise.
Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Stagecoach: Wyatt Flores proves 'Breakthrough Artist of the Year' title
