“It Has Been a Whirlwind” — But Hannah McFarland Is Just Getting Started

Alabama country singer Hannah McFarland has barely had a chance to catch her breath. Since releasing her Broken Hearts EP in February, her career has skyrocketed with opportunities she once only dreamed of.

“Last year, I suppose my new year’s resolution was that I would get rid of the fear of rejection,” Hannah reflects. “Since I did that, I just asked for what I wanted, and what I thought I could get or what I deserved. Nine times out of ten, it worked out in my favour. I just pray about it, and ask about it… whether I just got lucky or worked hard to get here, it’s just turned out in my favour.”

Hitting the Road with Riley Green

Now, McFarland is preparing to take her songs across the Atlantic for the very first time, supporting Riley Green on his UK tour. Just last week, she performed alongside him at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.

“It was insane! I still don’t know if it hit me that I went and did that,” she laughs. “It’s one of those things that people work forever just to get to a stage like that. I got there so early in my career, and I’m so grateful for it, and for Riley pulling me out there.”

The UK run begins with three nights at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town. Unsurprisingly, Hannah is buzzing: “Even this UK run — oh my gosh! We leave tonight and I’ve been freaking out about it. I’m so excited. It’s all I’ve been talking about since we booked this!”

Foolin’ Around with Chase Rice

McFarland’s newest single, Foolin’, is a duet with Florida country star Chase Rice — with an uncredited cameo from his black Labrador, Jack. Written with Madison Kozak and Rivers Rutherford, Hannah always felt it was destined to be a duet.

“When I wrote it, I loved it by itself, but I felt like doing it as a duet would just take it to the next level,” she says. “I played it to Chase right after we wrote together and asked what he thought. Later I FaceTimed him and asked if he’d sing on it, and he said, ‘Err… I don’t care. That doesn’t bother me.’ Then he was like, ‘Dang it Hannah, you know I can’t do harmonies, but I’m in.’”

Live, however, the harmonies were a challenge. That is, until their recent show in Fargo, ND. “He crushed the harmonies, and it was the first time that we had really nailed the song together live. Over the mic he goes, ‘We did it!’ and I was like, ‘We did it!’. Everyone probably thought, ‘these nerds…’ but it was so fun.”

She laughs about how the song appears on Spotify: “Because of how you have to word everything, we did ‘with’ instead of ‘featuring’, and now every time I look at it, it says Foolin’ (with Chase Rice). Like, great… that’s wonderful!”

A Duet with Brett Young

Another standout moment in McFarland’s career came when Brett Young invited her to record a new version of his multi-platinum hit In Case You Didn’t Know in 2023.

“That was definitely a very shocking moment for me,” she admits. “I woke up one morning to a message on Instagram from him. I didn’t know he even knew who I was! He said, ‘Hey lady! I’m a big fan of what you’re doing, and I wanted to know… would you be interested in recording an alternative version with me?’ I sent it to my whole team like, ‘Is this real?’ The answer, of course, was yes.”

Re-recording such a huge hit was daunting: “I was nervous because people are going to say, ‘I liked the original version!’ But a lot of people have said this added so much, giving the girl’s perspective.”

Since then, Brett has become something of a mentor. “I go to him for music stuff… I go to him if I need to talk about boys!” she laughs. “He gets it, and he’s been through this weird transition period of a career, where you can’t tell what’s heads from tails.”

The Power of Country Connections

McFarland believes her rise is partly due to the authenticity of the country music world.

“I think it helps if you are being genuine about it. There is so much authenticity in country, and if people can tell you’re doing it for the right reasons, they’re more inclined to reach their hand out and be there.”

Her journey has already come full circle in surprising ways. The first concert she ever attended was Kip Moore — and just two years ago, she found herself touring with him.

“He was the first artist who really took me under his wing,” she recalls. “Before things kicked off, we went for coffee and he said, ‘I’d love to take you out on the road when the time is right’. A year and a half later, he sent me a message saying, ‘Hey, how would you like to go on the road? It’s gonna be low budget, but I’d love to have you out there.’ And I was like, ‘Err… absolutely!’”

Looking Ahead

Despite her fast-rising career, Hannah insists this is only the beginning. Performing her own songs on the stage of Birmingham’s Legacy Arena — where she once saw Cody Johnson and later sang with Zach Bryan — is still at the top of her bucket list.

“I feel like to complete that, I need to sing on that stage, but it needs to be my songs. That would be high up there for me. I’ve gotten so lucky this past year playing iconic venues, but I still have so much more to do.”

For now, she’s taking it all in her stride. As Hannah says herself: “It has been a whirlwind.” And from the looks of things, the whirlwind is only just beginning.

Interview with Hannah McFarland by Nick Pollard, September 2025.

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