Payton Sullivan Found Her Voice in the Salt Air, and She’s Bringing Her Girls With Her {EXCLUSIVE}
With a fresh start in Hawai‘i, lessons from Sugarland, and her new single “Talkin’ Bout My Girls,” the country riser is making room for joy.
Payton Sullivan needed room to be loud again.
Room to write. To laugh. To pick up a guitar without second-guessing herself. After leaving an unhealthy relationship near Nashville, the country riser found that space on an island ranch in Hawai‘i. What followed was a personal reset that gave her music somewhere new to go.
“Hawai‘i allowed me to start over and find myself again,” Sullivan shared in an interview with All Country News. “When I moved to Hawai‘i, I was able to dream again for myself.”
Those dreams started taking shape in small, everyday ways. She learned to surf. Returned to piano and guitar. Prioritized friendships. Played small shows around town and slowly rebuilt her confidence. With that freedom came songs she describes as fun, light, and airy—a reflection of someone finally getting to enjoy her own life again.
“It’s hard to be broken down and start over,” she said, “but that’s how all beautiful things begin.”
“Talkin’ Bout My Girls” Raises a Glass to the Women Who Show Up
That experience gives her new single, “Talkin’ Bout My Girls,” a little extra meaning.
Out now, the song celebrates the women who show up when a relationship falls apart: the friends ready to pick up the pieces, pour the rosé, and find something to laugh about through the tears. It’s girls’ girl country with a clear understanding of what friendship can do for a bruised heart.
For Sullivan, who credits her own fresh start partly to making those connections a priority again, the subject feels right at home. There’s strength in getting back on your feet. There’s also strength in knowing whose shoulder you can lean on while you do it.
Meet Country’s Coastal Cowgirl
Her “Coastal Cowgirl” identity carries that same sense of ease. Born in Florida and raised in Tennessee, Sullivan has a natural explanation for the Southern twang and salt air sharing space in her music. But one of her favorite endorsements came while she was out surfing.
“The sweetest little girl paddled up to me and said, ‘Hey! Aren’t you that coastal cowgirl?’” she recalled. “I just lit up like a lightbulb in that moment.”
Her song “Coastal Cowgirls,” one of her earliest releases, puts the feeling into words with an island smile and a Southern twang. The label fits because it comes from the life she’s living.
Jesus, Sweet Tea, and a Voice That Carries
Beneath the sunshine sits a deep attachment to family, faith, and the woman who first encouraged her to sing.
Sullivan’s grandmother, the inspiration behind “Country to Me,” raised her on Jesus and sweet tea in North Florida. In their old, one-story brick home, gospel music helped lay the foundation for the artist she would become.
“She always encouraged me to sing ‘LOUD & C-L-E-A-R!’” Sullivan remembered.
There was a practical reason for that instruction: Grandma liked sitting in the back of the church and expected to hear every word.
It’s a funny, tender detail that says plenty about Sullivan’s roots. Before the touring opportunities and island songwriting sessions, there was someone in the back row listening closely, and making sure she knew her voice deserved to carry.
Learning to Light Up a Room With Sugarland
Now, out on the road with Sugarland, Sullivan is seeing how that connection can reach an entire room.
She points to the duo’s kindness, humor, and consistency onstage and off. Watching them make an audience feel included has shaped her own approach to performing.
“Watching them has taught me to have fun, enjoy the music, and connect with every crowd in a personal way,” she said.
For an artist who rebuilt her confidence through small shows, those lessons arrive at a meaningful moment. Every city offers another chance to find her footing, enjoy the songs, and make someone in the crowd feel seen.
Tennessee Roots, Salt-Air Possibilities
Hawai‘i helped open that door, too. Sullivan met Kristian Bush at a songwriters festival there, making the islands part of both her personal recovery and her next professional chapter.
She speaks about that adopted home with care, acknowledging that she is a guest and expressing gratitude for the island and its people. Tennessee, where her family lives, remains her foundation. These days, she can hear both places in her music.
“It’s a mandolin and a front porch, but it’s also the ocean and a ukulele,” she explained.
That combination makes Sullivan an artist on the rise worth paying attention to: rooted in where she came from, open to where life might take her, and willing to let a little joy lead the way.
With “Talkin’ Bout My Girls,” she’s giving the friends who helped her get there their own moment to sing along. Rosé encouraged.
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