Slater Nalley Aims to Connect Through Music

By Lyla Nelson

When Slater Nalley and I met in the Skybox to talk about his music, the first thing he did was play me his new song. He’d pulled it up from a recording app and as we listened he rested his head in his hand on the table. His face was expressionless. When the song ended, I told him how incredible it was, and he humbly thanked me.

Slater has been at Lovett since kindergarten, however he has been singing for even longer. When I asked him exactly how long he has been singing, he said, “For as long as I can remember; I actually can’t remember my life without singing.”

While he began singing just for fun, over the years he has come to realize how much he values entertaining others. Just like some of his favorite country artists–Tyler Childres, Jason Isbell, and Nathaniel Rateliff–bring him joy, he aspires to bring others joy in the same way. 

He mentioned that singing is “an out-of-life experience and a connection with the world.” When I asked him what he meant by this, he explained that songs and their lyrics can make people feel all different types of emotions whether this is country music, pop, or even rock music.

His inspiration for his songs comes from many sources. Every day, during his classes, he writes down ideas for songs as they come to him. While school is great for this because it gives him great ideas, it also makes class a lot harder, as he gets distracted more easily. 

Fortunately, he can combine his love for music and school with the musicals here at Lovett.  He has had big roles, such as the Big Bad Wolf in Into the Woods or Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. As someone who has no trouble singing in front of people, Slater enjoys musicals, and he actually said he doesn’t get nervous at all. He goes about them the same way he goes about singing in front of people on the weekends. 

Noticing that Slater most often has a guitar when he performs in front of people, I asked him if his guitar has any significance. He told me guitar is actually the first instrument that he really engaged with. He bought his first guitar about four years ago, after saving up his money for a long time. Then, his parents surprised him with his dream guitar for Christmas. 

Slater has also had the opportunity to share his music with his growing number of followers on TikTok. I asked him his opinions on using this platform to promote his songs, and he mentioned that his goals are to keep pushing it, showing his music, and letting people see his talent and work. 

Currently, Slater refers to what he is working on as “something special.” Preferring to not mention what it is, he only disclosed that in a few weeks, he is planning on going to Nashville to meet with a few people he looks up to and to record a few things. 

At the end of the interview, I asked Slater what his goals are. He said he wants to continue to connect and meet with people, famous or not, whom he looks up to. When I asked him where he sees his music taking him, he said, “I don’t know…far.”