Before he ever stepped onto the American Idol stage, Slater Nalley sat across from his teacher with a song that helped her grieve, remember, and breathe again. That moment changed everything.
Music had always been part of Slater’s life, but it was never just a hobby. It was how he processed what it meant to be different, how he found purpose, and how he learned to stay grounded in who he was. While his peers were focused on sports, Slater was drawn to musicals, songwriting, and learning piano by ear. Being different was not always easy, but he kept showing up for the parts of himself that felt most true.
“I’ve had some really tough times that many of my peers don’t know about. Ones where I questioned a lot of things in life like what my purpose was and things no kid should really feel,” Slater admits. “I want my music to spread happiness, but have room for tears, too.” His goal is to put songs into the world that say, “Hey, you are not alone.”
Raised just outside of Atlanta with three younger sisters, Slater found comfort at his family’s property in South Georgia. That is where he would hunt, fish, ride horses, and talk about life with his dad. In those quiet moments surrounded by red clay and wide open sky, he could imagine a future that made sense, even if others could not see it yet.
When Slater’s high school English teacher, Roswell resident Michelle Davis, lost her son Carter and his friend Natalie Henderson, she wrote something deeply personal and shared it with him. “When I asked Slater how he takes a poem and turns it into a song, I never imagined he would have interest in working on it and make it his own...all honoring Carter.”
Slater did more than simply turn words into lyrics. He listened, felt, and crafted Traces of You.
“To have my son live on in song is a priceless gift, one that breathes such joy in a place that is so sad. My family is eternally grateful,” Michelle shares.
She believed the message could resonate with others. “I imagined that anyone who had lost someone…whether they’ve passed or not, but a person no longer in their life, could relate to this song because we often search for those little fingerprints our loved ones left behind.”
Michelle is part of a group called Warrior Moms, bonded by loss and strengthened by faith. Their message is simple. Grieve like a mother. Survive like a warrior.
Healing also happens in quiet spaces. At Roswell Area Park on Woodstock Road, there is a memorial bench created to honor Carter and Natalie.
Michelle says, “In these spaces, we connect to our kids and pray for comfort. And like Slater’s lyrics, anyone sitting on this bench or listening to ‘Traces of You’ hopefully believes this to be true: ‘everytime I see a bird fly by, I’m reminded that you’re answering our prayers’ and for me...it is everything.”
Moments like these shaped Slater’s understanding of what music can do. It is not just about performing. It is about connecting.
As he continued writing, Slater started sharing songs online. One of his videos reached more than five million views. That opened doors, but it is the people behind the songs that keep him grounded.
In 2024, he earned a Top 5 spot on American Idol. His sound, influenced by Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, and John Prine, felt familiar yet fresh. His voice, soulful and raspy, seemed older than his years. That authenticity captured national attention.
He is now signed with Warner Music Nashville and Play It Again Music, the label founded by hit songwriter Dallas Davidson.
His first release, Foolish Pride, a song he wrote at just 15, is raw, emotional, and honest. It explores what it means to face your own flaws, to understand the part you play in heartbreak, and to be brave enough to admit it.
“At the end of the day, I am thankful to be here,” Slater says. “I am thankful that God has put me here and I am thankful that I have been in such a fortunate situation to pursue what I love to do, and I’ve met the right people.”
His story is not about chasing fame. It is about choosing purpose. And sometimes, that starts with one song and the courage to share it.
“At the end of the day, I am thankful to be here,” Slater says.