Western Pop Artist Kat Velasco Releases “Shutting Down Midtown” Today, Continuing Build Toward Debut Album Cowgirl Complex

Kat Velasco continues building momentum ahead of her debut album Cowgirl Complex with her new single “Shutting Down Midtown,” out today on all major streaming platforms.

Credit Justin Hammond

LOS ANGELES, CA – May 22, 2026 – Western pop artist Kat Velasco releases her new single “Shutting Down Midtown,” out today on all major streaming platforms. The track is a vibrant, story-driven celebration of Nashville’s Midtown nightlife, offering a portrait of the city’s late-night culture beyond its renowned Broadway strip.

While Nashville is best known for its honky tonks on Broadway, “Shutting Down Midtown” turns its attention to another iconic pocket of the city, one defined by its mix of locals, visiting party crowds, and the artists who call it home.

Written alongside close friends and collaborators Johnny Gates and Joey Myron, the song brings Midtown’s nightlife to life with vivid detail and name checks to local staples including Losers and Red Door, positioning the track as both an anthem and an unofficial guide to a night out in Nashville.

“Nashville gets painted as this one thing but if you live here, you know it’s so much more than just Broadway… There are all these different corners of the city that feel like their own world and of course, Midtown is one of them. This song is about those nights, blended with all types of people… I think the majority of locals have been caught ‘Shutting Down Midtown’ if I had to guess,” Kat Velasco shares.

Kat Velasco’s music reflects a shift toward self-definition, shaped by stepping away from expectation to fully embrace her voice as an artist. After initially pursuing a more traditional career path, she ultimately committed to songwriting full-time, developing her sound in Nashville through collaboration and self-driven storytelling.

Now over half a million streams into her career with early support from Spotify and CMT, she is carving out a distinct lane in Western pop through her self-described “complex cowgirl” identity, rooted in Southern upbringing, shaped by Nashville, and defined by a modern, unfiltered perspective. That evolution leads into her debut era, anchored by her forthcoming album Cowgirl Complex and a series of releases expanding her narrative world.

Blending country storytelling with pop and rock influences, Velasco’s music is grounded in real-life experience and emotional honesty, earning early comparisons to Stevie Nicks and Maren Morris. Her recent releases, including “You’re Drunk” (2026), “I Should Quit Drinking” with Johnny Gates (2026), and “Show Pony” (2025), build a catalog defined by vulnerability, attitude, and sharp observational songwriting ahead of her debut album.