Hannah Ellis Discusses "Country Can" and Working on Her Debut Record

After a successful 2021, rising country artist Hannah Ellis has released her first track of 2022 titled, “Country Can.” It follows Ellis’ previous release “Us” which has a romantic tone with picturesque, fluffy lyricism. “Country Can,” flips the coin with a complete community feeling meant for late-night campfires.

As the title suggests, “Country Can” is an ode to the genre Ellis finds herself in, and the universal messages the country music landscape often tells to its listeners, uniting people who may not have much in common besides a love of music. Ellis said the idea for the track came during a writer’s retreat where she and a bunch of peers were creating ideas for her upcoming debut album. “We were talking about country music and what it means to everyone. I didn’t feel like I had that anthem yet. I didn’t have that thing that brought all country music lovers together,” she tells The Nash News. “We’re sittin’ on the back porch drinking rosé and we were like, ‘Okay what is it that country music really does? It brings people together from across the world, it makes new friends at concerts,' and 'Country Can' was born.”

The fresh release was written by Ellis alongside Parker Welling, who has penned hits for Thomas Rhett and Russell Dickerson, Jason Massey, who’s worked with Kelsea Ballerini and Tracy Lawrence, and Nick Wayne, Ellis’ now husband. Ellis described her co-writers on Instagram as “three of her favorite people.” “I think what’s really special is that you trust their opinion so much or as much or more than your own to where you really feel like they get to the heart of what it is you’re trying to say and the kind of artist you want to be,” Ellis exclaims. “So it makes the process that much more fun.”

Photo by Hannah Burton

Ellis also had major input on the cover art for the single. She explained that her inspiration for her all-black outfit came after a question she posed to herself: What would Kendell Jenner wear to a field party or a Luke Combs concert? The heavy-leather ensemble also goes hand in hand with the tune’s lyricism as Ellis explains, “I think that is truly what country music does. It bridges the gap of all of these different types of people.” She adds, “And I was like, I want to meet in the middle of all of these different parts of my personality. I”m a small town girl, but I can get a little boujee sometimes.”

Earlier this year, Ellis toured with fellow Kentucky native Carly Pearce. Each night Carly would pull Ellis back on stage to sing Ashley McBryde’s part of the No. 1 radio hit “Never Wanted To Be That Girl.” “Carly is one of my dear friends and going on tour with her was so incredible because at night we would sit around, have a glass of wine, and I would sit there and listen to her tell stories about her journey through the music industry and what she’s learned and how she handles the business side and the fan side of things,” Ellis notes excitedly. “Also, just watching the way she commands a stage, watching her interactions with her fans, and how she makes every show extremely personal to that crowd; I think that that’s so incredible.”

For the rest of 2022, Ellis is embarking on a radio tour to promote “Country Can.” She is also crafting the album rollout for her first-ever LP slated for early 2023. Her biggest inspiration for the making of the record comes from an experience all girls can relate to. “My goal has always been this: I want to write a record that girls can put on their makeup too. That’s always my favorite country, female specifically, records to listen to is stuff that kind of takes me on a journey for that hour of me getting ready and doing my hair. So I want to write something that kind of takes you on a journey, but also,” her voice gets softer before continuing, “that when the record is done, you feel like a friend to me. You feel like you really know me and that somehow, you feel known a little more yourself.”

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