Exclusive: Wyatt Flores Opens up on Mental Health Struggle, Hitting Rock Bottom, and the Story Behind “Oh Susannah”

Wyatt Flores is a 23-year-old Stillwater, Oklahoma, native who has charmed the country folk world with his kind eyes, wide smile, and penchant for storytelling. Flores’ popularity blossomed this year, and he’s just trying to take care of himself and hold on tight.

“It’s been a hard nine months,” Flores admitted to American Songwriter. “I would be lying if I said it wasn’t. If we’re talking about the last nine months, it’s going from rock bottom to having to relearn who I am, double down on who that is, and then keep working on it. It’s all about the personal. If you take care of your personal, then everything else goes with it.”

Flores released the video for his song “Oh Susannah” on Friday. The song is the latest track from his highly anticipated full-length debut album, Welcome To The Plains, which will be available on October 18.

“Oh Susannah” is a nod to Flores trying to take care of his “personal.”

“The story behind this song is just me having to take a mental break back in February and coming back to it all, realizing that I need to take care of myself before I can even think about taking care of others, and that’s all I ever wanted to do,” he said in a statement. “So I did have to take a step back, and this song is an apology from me to my fans.”

Wyatt Flores Struggled To Remember Himself On Fame Journey

Flores got serious about songwriting following a stint at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. He dropped out in 2020 to “go chase down a dream.”

Since then, his therapist has become one of the most influential people in his life.

“I didn’t have these things going on inside me when I first came to therapy,” he said. “I just wanted to figure out who I was and what my tendencies are as a human. It’s been my biggest thing — trying to work on myself. There came a time where I didn’t see her. I was working so dang hard out on the road and with everything else. Then, all of a sudden, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s time. It’s about time to check back in with a phone call.’ This entire year has been crazy, and a lot of it has just been so crazy to the point where I’m still holding on.”

The first time Flores went out on the road, he was fighting the feeling that his success was going to disappear. He had to reassure himself that he’d worked hard enough in his career to relax.

“You don’t have to worry as much,” Flores said. “Really, I’m just trying to focus on who I am outside of this part.”

“Oh Susannah” is the newest song from Flores’ highly anticipated full-length debut album, Welcome To The Plains, which will be released October 18 on Island Records.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach