After performing for millions of viewers as a finalist on season 19 of The Voice, singer-songwriter Ian Flanigan has found that his favorite stages are much smaller. On Sunday, Aug. 9, Flanigan will make his first Delaware appearance at The Listening Booth in Lewes, where an audience of about 100 people will hear the stories behind his songs up close.
"I think venues that are about 100-room caps are my favorite," Flanigan said. "They're listening rooms where you can get into the story, and you can make relationships and friendships that way. Sometimes the more intimate the room, the closer the friends you end up leaving with."
Long before national television, Flanigan built his career traveling to folk festivals with little more than an acoustic guitar. He says those early experiences continue to shape both his performances and his songwriting today.
"When I first came up in upstate New York, it was a lot of acoustic, a lot of folk," he said. "My roots will always be that way. So it's very comfortable for me."
Those roots remain evident as Flanigan begins a new chapter of producing his own music. After years of learning from musicians and producers in Nashville, he's now taking a more instinctive approach in the studio.
"My biggest difference this year is... I'm just kind of letting everything come out, and it is what it is," he said.
Fatherhood has also changed the messages he hopes to leave behind. Raising twin daughters has shifted his writing toward optimism, a theme listeners will hear in his upcoming single, "Throughout the Darkness," releasing Aug. 14.
Rather than scripting every moment of a show, Flanigan says he prefers performances that unfold naturally.
"I look at it the same way where it's like I'm coming into somebody's house, and we're going to just hang out," he said.
Flanigan performs Sunday, Aug. 9, at The Listening Booth in Lewes. His new single, "Throughout the Darkness," will be released Aug. 14.
