Manchester isn’t known for producing country singers.

Bec O’Malley doesn’t seem too bothered by that.

The singer/songwriter has never been interested in fitting neatly into someone else’s idea of what country music should be. Instead, he draws from a lifetime of listening to everything from Johnny Cash and Americana to rock, pop and everything in between. With a voice that feels like it’s soaked up all the character of worn wooden floorboards in an old dive bar, O’Malley brings a sense of nostalgia to every song.

“I want my music to feel real,” he says. “I will not talk about anything that I don’t do, like pretend that I have drove a truck on a dirt road since I was 13.”

Bec O'Malley 2026 — Bec O’Malley © Tom Sandford

That approach shapes “Two People Talking,” O’Malley’s latest release and the next chapter in a sound that continues to evolve.

It’s also part of a larger shift happening in country music, as artists around the world reshape what the genre can sound like.

For O’Malley, that connection started online. He began sharing snippets of unreleased songs, slowly building a following and giving listeners a glimpse into the music he was creating. By the time he released his debut single, “Let You Go” in May, there were already people ready to hear more.

Since then, O’Malley has continued building on that momentum, playing sold-out shows, performing at the Royal Albert Hall, supporting Jon Pardi and appearing at major festivals. He’s taking it all in stride, enjoying each step while keeping his focus on what comes next.

Atwood Magazine recently caught up with O’Malley to talk about finding his place in country music, staying true to his own story and why he believes this is only the beginning.

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:: connect with Bec O’Malley here ::

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Bec O'Malley © Tom Sandford — Bec O’Malley © Tom Sandford

A CONVERSATION WITH BEC O’MALLEY

Atwood Magazine: Manchester isn’t exactly known as a country music city. What was the moment you realized country music wasn’t just something you loved, but something you could make your own?

Bec O’Malley: Manchester isn’t no haha. Country music and its different subgenres, be it traditional, rock, pop, Irish, folky, etc., has always just felt real to me and so natural to listen to and therefore also create. Being from Manchester but listening to the music I do, I try to blend these elements into my songs.

What music was playing in your house, and where did country music first enter the picture for you? Was there a specific song that got you hooked on country?

Bec O’Malley: I have been brought up on a wide variety of music and it was definitely not all country. With my parents growing up in the north of England in the ’80s and ’90s, it went from trance house to Britpop to jazz to American hip hop. A bit of everything haha. It was more with my Irish family where country was played – in bars, family parties, shows, etc. It was everywhere. If there was a specific song it would have definitely been some Johnny Cash song. Most likely the obvious “Folsom Prison Blues.”

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Before releasing “Let You Go,” you’d already been building an audience online. What gave you the confidence to finally put out an official debut single?

Bec O’Malley: I was ready to put out a single for years prior. I just decided to wait till I built up a group of people that were waiting and already liked my sound and unreleased music.

When you were writing “Let You Go,” did you have any sense it might be the song that opened so many doors, or did its success completely surprise you?

Bec O’Malley: I didn’t expect it to be that one, no. People just seemed to react well to it on socials for whatever reason. There’s actually many more of my songs I prefer to this one.

Country music has traditionally been associated with very specific places and experiences. What does a distinctly Northern English version of country music sound like to you?

Bec O’Malley: Yes. Well, I don’t necessarily know. I don’t even know if this is country that I’m doing. It feels like something new as a whole, possibly another subgenre of country. It’s just me taking influence from all the Americana/country music I listen to but blending it with a pop rock and Irish, Manchester feel.

There’s a growing conversation about country music becoming more global. Why do you think audiences in places like the UK are increasingly finding themselves drawn to the genre right now?

Bec O’Malley: I think the guys that have blended country with more universal genres like pop, rock, even hip hop, are the ones to thank. The likes of Morgan Wallen, Ella Langley, Hardy, Ernest. People like good music no matter where you are from in the world.

Many international artists who make country music feel pressure to imitate Nashville. How important is it for you to sound like yourself rather than fit a traditional country mould?

Bec O’Malley: I want my music to feel real. I will not talk about anything that I don’t do, like pretend that I have drove a truck on a dirt road since I was 13. [laughs]

I want to be the creator of a new sound, similar to when hip-hop first came over to the UK – artists blended it from an American style into a UK one. I want to do this with a country sound.

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You’ve gone from releasing your first official single to playing the Royal Albert Hall, supporting Jon Pardi, and landing major festival slots. Has there been a moment when you’ve had to stop and process how quickly everything is happening?

Bec O’Malley: Things are busy so not much time, no, but I’m enjoying every step of the journey. It all feels natural and that this is just the tip of a much greater iceberg.

Before the sold-out shows and streaming success, who was the first person who genuinely believed you could make a career out of music?

Bec O’Malley: My family have always been great supporters of me and believed that I was good enough to go out and do it. But since I wrote my first song, my dad specifically has always believed and made me believe that it’s possible.

A lot of great country music is rooted in storytelling. What kinds of stories or experiences from growing up in Manchester find their way into your songwriting?

Bec O’Malley: All sorts really. Whether it’s the story of a stalker someone had I know, growing up messing around as kids, the love and loss of relationships in life, missing home.

If you could open for any artist in the world tomorrow, who would it be and why?

Bec O’Malley: Morgan Wallen. He is the dog. Songs are next level.

What do you most want people to know about you? What’s next?

Bec O’Malley: I’m here to stay and not stopping ‘til I’m at the top. Loads more music and shows!!!

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