Peytan Porter felt the rush of adrenaline as her lyrics were met with the singing voices of fans as she performed at Ascend Amphitheater during CMA Fest in early June of 2022. Ironically, some of the songs they were singing along to were songs Porter had yet to release, but the relatability of the lyrics caught the crowd’s ears.

That moment speaks true to the Georgia native’s ability to pen her life story into song, yet at the same time making it equally personal for the listener hearing it.

‘In My Head’ is the singer’s newest project; one that tells the story of her life lived so far as a 24-year-old…the ups and downs of life and love.

While she sings about life lessons learned from her past romantic relationships, she keeps the man obscure. However, Porter jokes that her past exes have come out of the woodwork since she’s released the songs.

“All of my exes started texted me, saying, ‘Hey, I just wanted to apologize for how I treated you,’” she tells Taste of Country with a laugh.

Porter’s hope in these songs is that individuals will see themselves in the lyrics.

“I hope they hear the song and think, 'Oh, that’s a way I’ve never looked at it before,'” she shares. “I think just being an onlooker for a lot of my life, I was always a step out of the circle a lot of the time. So just getting a chance to look at people, look at life, and look at the way people interact has given me a vantage point that a lot of people don’t have access to.”

Porter is sunshine in human form, but also knows that life is complex. She hopes that when fans listen to her new project, they not only feel understood, but also take away that happy and sad moments can live in the same space.

When it came to the title for the project, Porter went practical.

“It’s a really fitting title because I realize how much of my life has been spent living in my head,” says Porter in a press release. “Growing up, Nashville was like a real-life Disney World to me, and I pulled a lot of creative inspiration from Alice in Wonderland for the project. For me, life just isn’t as black and white as we’d like it to be, and when I finally embraced that, I started painting it my own way...which is much lighter and more colorful and often rose-tinted. Like Alice, all of my biggest hopes, dreams, fears and rabbit hole ideas live right between my ears."

The singer is living her “pinch me” moment dream. From watching YouTube videos of artists performing when she was growing up to performing at her first CMA Fest, it’s a high Porter doesn’t want to come down from.

“Right before I got on stage, it all clicked what was about to happen," she shared after the show. “This was my fifth full band show ever…so I’m hooked on live shows!”

Her debut project is just the beginning for the singer. She’s running full speed after her dream that she's burned for ever since she can remember.

“We’re just getting started, and it’s crazy that it’s happening,” she says, smiling from ear to ear.

Listen to ‘In My Head’ via any of the major music streaming services, or at Porter’s official website.

See the Most Played Country Song from the Year You Were Born

Who had the most played country song during the year you were born? This list is a fascinating time capsule of prevalent trends from every decade in American history. Scroll through to find your birth year and then click to listen. Some of these songs have been lost through the years, many of them for good reason!

Men named Hank dominated early before stars like Freddie Hart, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson Clint Black took over to close the 1980s. More recently it's been Tim Mcgraw, Rodney Atkins, Kane Brown and Morgan Wallen. Did the most-played country song from the year you were born become a favorite of yours later? All info comes from Billboard's country airplay charts.

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