Florida native Karley Scott Collins is a country star on the rise. A powerful songwriter and performer, she writes and sings with a thorn-sharp edge and wise-beyond-her-years demeanor. Her latest EP Write One, explores heartbreak in all its forms and includes guest features from Keith Urban and Charles Kelley. Co-producing the project alongside Grammy Award winner Nathan Chapman, Karley also played bass and electric guitar on nearly every track and has co-writer credits on each song. Karley has toured with Little Big Town, Willie Nelson, Trace Adkins, Larry Fleet, and is joining Dwight Yoakam and Nate Smith on their respective tours this year. She is a 2024 CMT 'Next Women of Country' honoree and made her C2C debut this year as part of CMA’s 'Introducing Nashville' international touring series. Karley also recently made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry.

Q&A With Karley Scott Collins

PRS: You recently made your debut at the Grand Ole Opry. What was it like performing on such a storied stage?

Karley: I grew up hearing my grandparents talk about how they used to listen to the Opry with their parents and watching every artist I’ve ever looked up to stand on that circle and play. When I moved to Nashville, I had a list of goals and dreams I wanted to accomplish, and playing at the Opry was at the top of it. It was a dream come true, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to stand on that stage, it was such a special moment.

PRS: Who are the artists that have had the biggest influence on you as a guitarist and songwriter?

Karley: As a songwriter, I was heavily influenced by people like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Stevie Nicks, but I was also raised listening to a lot of hard rock music, people like Guns N’ Roses and Pantera and I grew up idolizing people like Slash, Dimebag, and Jerry Cantrell - so I think they really influenced both my music and my live show too, it’s important to me to have cool guitar in my songs and during my show because I grew up loving it.

PRS: Your guitar player Jacob Flaugh is also a PRS artist, do you two ever switch guitar solos?

Karley: We do! One of my favorites that we play right now is Keith Urban’s solo on my new track “Write One.” When Keith recorded the solo, he layered several different guitar tracks overlapping, so Jake and I play that solo together and it’s so much fun!

PRS: What do you love the most about your PRS guitars?

Karley: I love the tone of my PRS and the way it feels in my hands. I feel really comfortable playing it which is really important to me playing live, and they’re very reliable, I never worry about whether it’s going to stay in tune or sound good.

PRS: You’ve got tour dates scheduled through the fall. What’s next, are you currently working on any new projects that we should be keeping an eye out for?

Karley: I’m in the studio right now working on new music, so definitely keep an eye out for that coming very soon. The new music is some that I’m most excited about yet in my career. Also, look out for a bunch more tour dates to be announced soon, I’m going to be busy the rest of this year on the road with people like Joan Jett, Nate Smith, Corey Kent + Carly Pearce, and I’m very excited to play some of the new music for people on the road.

PRS: What are you currently listening to the most in your downtime these days?

Karley: I have been listening to Queens of the Stone Age a lot. “No One Knows” was the first song I ever learned on guitar, and I’ve loved them ever since, and I really love their new record. I’ve also been listening to a lot of blues like Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters - I’ve really been loving that lately.

Connect with Karley:

Karley Scott Collins (@karleyscottcollins)

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Photo Credits: Collette Badora / Rachael Black