“Be yourself unapologetically. Eat a cheeseburger, drink too much, be loud, and speak your mind. Don’t let anyone tell you who you are and how to act.”
It seems that words like that are few and far between, in a world where being accepted seems to outweigh being yourself. But, for Hailey Whitters, these are the best words of advice to those out there wanting to chase their dreams.
Hailey Whitters — maybe you’ve heard the name, if not, I bet you’ve unknowingly heard some of her hits on country radio; Little Big Town’s “Happy People” being the most recent. Not only is the song itself special to Whitters, but, coining it with co-writer Lori McKenna adds even more spark.
“She is such an inspiration to me as a writer. To see her work with such humility and honesty for her craft was something I’ll take with me forever.”
It’s not just big time songwriters like McKenna and Matraca Berg that Hailey credits as her inspiration, however, as she notes that her mom was pretty influential throughout her life. “My mom took me on a trip to Nashville when I was 15 and I instantly fell in love with the city, I knew I had to move there; she always encouraged me to chase my dreams and never look back.”
And although Whitters says there wasn’t necessarily a defining moment that led her down this musical journey, that trip to Nashville poured extra passion into her love for country music; the live music, and honkytonks on Broadway were like the yellow brick road leading to her career path.
And that road has lead her to some pretty cool opportunities, including a tour with Martina McBride.
“Growing up having heard her voice on the radio, that was a pretty surreal moment for me. I set side stage every night after my set and watched her show. I learned a lot about how to captivate an audience. She has so much class and has been able to endure several generations of changing genre without losing her musical integrity and fan base. That was pretty eye-opening to me.”
And you can quote me in saying that Hailey Whitters is well on her way to gaining that dedicated fan base and household name just like Martina.
She is currently in the process of working on some new music, hoping for a release later this year, or early 2018. In the meantime, you can check out her current record..
You can also catch her out on the road this fall with some Midwestern tour dates.
My Oklahoma crowd — don’t miss out on joining me in catching Hailey as she opens up for Cadillac Three at the historic Cains Ballroom on September 7th.
Be sure to keep up with Hailey Whitters by clicking and following below…
Hailey Whitters Offical Website
Until next time…
Everyday a HollyDay 