Wyatt Flores Fans Thought He Wrote This 2005 Hit—He “Definitely” Did Not

Oklahoma singer-songwriter Wyatt Flores has been candid about his mental health struggles. In December, the 22-year-old dropped a cover of The Fray’s 2005 hit “How to Save a Life.” Its Dec. 26 release date was intentional, as Flores acknowledged the holidays aren’t necessarily the merriest time of year for everyone. “[W]ith 25 days of ongoing ‘happiness,’ ‘Christmas Spirit,’ and ‘holiday cheer,” the 26th of December can leave you in the dark when you wake up in the same world it’s always been,” he wrote on social media..Flores definitely made the song his own, and it has clearly resonated with his fans. So much so, in fact, that many have credited him for coming up with the tune all on his own.

Wyatt Flores Clarifies: “I Definitely Did Not Write That Song”

A TikTok user who goes by the moniker of “Bayker Blankenship Music” was inspired to release their own cover of the song on the platform. “Little Wyatt Flores for you guys,” the fan captioned the March 26 video.

On Monday (April 15), the “Please Don’t Go” singer set the record straight in a video of his own. “So I appreciate y’all listening to the cover that I did,” he said. “But I definitely did not write that song. That was definitely all The Fray.”

The original user abashedly replied. “Bro I messed up so bad Wyatt called me out,” they wrote. “love your stuff man means a lot.”

Others had fun continuing the joke. “Can’t believe the fray covered your song that’s massive,” one user wrote.

Some non-Gen Z fans were less amused. “Please tell me there’s not a generation that thinks Wyatt wrote this song,” another user wrote.

(For the record, Flores was just 4 years old when the song first hit the airwaves.)

[RELATED: Wyatt Flores Reflects on the Unifying Power of Music and Sharing His Experiences Through Songs]

Tapping Into His Emotions

That’s not to say Flores isn’t capable of writing a tearjerker. In fact, The New York Times dubbed his knack for tapping into difficult emotions as “his superpower.” In 2022, the country up-and-comer released “Please Don’t Go,” a searingly emotional plea to a loved one not to take their own life. The single exploded on social media and garnered 50 million streams across all streaming services. 

During a recent interview, Flores spoke of “hearing 3,000 people sing back to me” during a Dallas show.

“It was the craziest thing ever,” he said. “Also, it was just realized that you touched every single heart and they have felt that same emotion.”

Featured image by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Spotify