Nicole Allan returns with ‘Used To Be’, a single that shows a softer, more reflective side of her songwriting without losing any of the connection that has already made her one of the more likeable names rising through UK country. Following the success of her Goodbye Girl EP and the momentum behind ‘Countdown’, this feels like a release that knows exactly when to stop chasing volume and start trusting the story instead.
That story is a good one. ‘Used To Be’ is built around the strange ache of looking back at an older version of yourself and realising that, however much you remember them, you cannot quite be that person anymore. It is a feeling most people recognise but rarely phrase very well, and Nicole Allan taps into it with warmth, honesty and just enough sadness to make it land properly.
A reflective turn that suits her
What is appealing here is that Nicole does not overcomplicate the idea. She lets the emotion speak for itself. Rooted in country and singer-songwriter storytelling, ‘Used To Be’ relies on raw, intimate vocals and straightforward production, which turns out to be exactly the right choice. A song like this does not need dressing up with too many tricks. It needs clarity, it needs feeling, and it needs someone who can make the listener believe every word.
That makes this a really smart follow-up moment. It would have been easy to simply try to repeat the chart momentum of earlier releases in a louder or more obvious way, but ‘Used To Be’ feels more confident than that. It sounds like an artist who knows that sometimes the songs people keep closest are not necessarily the biggest ones, but the ones that say something true at exactly the right time.
There is also something very easy to root for in the way Nicole Allan is building her catalogue. Hitting number one on the iTunes Country Chart with Goodbye Girl and following that with another strong chart showing for ‘Countdown’ already showed she can get attention. ‘Used To Be’ adds something different. It gives a clearer sense of who she is when the lights are a little lower and the writing has more room to breathe, and that is often where artists become much more memorable.
Review
I have a real soft spot for songs like this. ‘Used To Be’ is not trying to shout over everything else in the room, and that is exactly why it works. Nicole Allan just lets it unfold at its own pace, and the result feels honest in a way that is instantly appealing. It has that lovely, slightly achey quality where you can picture people hearing it at completely different points in their lives and all finding their own way into it.
What I enjoy most is that it feels properly human. Not over-sanded, not trying to be some huge dramatic country statement, just a really well-judged song about change and the weird sadness that comes with growing out of an old version of yourself. There is warmth in it, there is vulnerability in it, and there is also a quiet confidence in the fact Nicole does not need to oversell any of that. She trusts the song, which makes it very easy to trust her too.
And honestly, I think that is what makes this such a nice one to spend time with. It leaves you with a stronger sense of who Nicole Allan is, not just what she sounds like. After the chart success she has already had, it would have been easy to go chasing something louder or more obviously attention-grabbing, but ‘Used To Be’ feels more personal than that. It is the kind of song that makes you want to keep an eye on what she does next, because it suggests there is real depth behind the momentum.
You can listen to ‘Used To Be’ via Nicole Allan’s listen links here and follow her on Instagram.
