Ian Munsick’s debut album, Coyote Cry, is out! The rising star co-wrote nine of the 10 tracks on Coyote Cry, combining all of his unique influences into one eclectic new album.

“I’m from the state of Wyoming. I was born on a ranch,” Munsick tells Everything Nash. “So a lot of the tunes on here are inspired by how I was raised and the Wyoming lifestyle. The West isn’t just the old West. It’s still out there, and it’s still living today. I’ve always been really inspired by contemporary music and the sounds of pop and hip-hop. So through this album, our goal was to have the lyrical and tonic inspiration of the West meet the modern. That’s what I hope the audience takes away from this album.”

Combining completely different styles of music into one project might not make sense to many artists, but it makes perfect sense to Munsick.

“I am the child of a cowboy and the brother of a cowboy, but I feel like claiming that I’m a cowboy, I would be wrong in that. I was raised in cowboy culture and I knew that I always wanted to bring that culture to the world, but I knew that I had to always move in order to accomplish that. In my heart, I love cowboys, but in my heart, I’m just a huge, huge advocate of music, and I love it with all of me.”

Munsick’s goal with Coyote Cry, and more music he plans on releasing, is to honor and represent the people he grew up around, who don’t always get the attention they deserve.

“The West and the Rockies are a very under-represented piece of country music,” Munsick maintains. “People love the music out there, but they haven’t really had anybody to represent them, which is what I’m trying to do. I just try to be the best version of me, and work on my artistry as much as I can, and create as much as I can, because quite frankly, I’m just obsessed with making music.”

Munsick credits creating what became in many ways his own style, in part to his music-centered upbringing, which included being part of a family band from a young age.

“When we were old enough, we started a family band, and we played everything from bluegrass music to the Beatles, but it was always rooted in country Western music,” the singer reveals. “So that’s kind of where my appreciation for classic country and the traditional country music comes from. But also being the youngest of three boys, I inherited my older brothers albums. From Eminem to Pantera, to the Beatles, to Fleetwood Mac, I just had all of this music I was exposed to.”

Music might seem like an unlikely choice for Munsick, who has a speech impediment that he has dealt with for much of his life. But perhaps surprisingly, as soon as he opens his mouth to sing, the speech impediment disappears.

“I’ve gone to speech classes from third grade on and I’ve tried all of the technology they have available, and they have all helped. But at the end of the day, it just requires me slowing myself down and just being brutally aware that I do have a speech impediment, but I’m not going to let it slow me down from, from doing what I feel like I’ve been put on this earth to do, and that’s to make music and to spread a positive note of country music.”

In an era where artists seem conditioned to always present themselves in an ideal, and often unattainable, light, Munsick is proud to speak about his own struggles.

“I’m always comfortable talking about it. It just kind of adds to who I am,” Munsick insists. “The first time I knew that I had a speech impediment was in third grade. I was able to speak fluently up until then. I’ve been singing ever since I was three years old. So that was one thing where I was always able to be fluent, was through music. And that probably adds to why I love it is because it really is the only time where I’m able to just be 100 percent fluent and not have to concentrate on the words and the message that I’m trying to spread.”

Munsick is always working on new music, which he is eager to share with his fans.

“I love to spend my time in the studio, because there’s just so much music out there that I’m in love with, and that I want to steal pieces from in my music,” Munsick says. “I hope that the audience hears my love for all music, but can always come back to the lyrical truth of country music.”

Download, purchase or stream Coyote Cry at IanMunsick.com.