I was SO hoping this new Hailey Whitters song was gonna make the next record.
Back in December, she teased a track called “Everything She Ain’t”. And now, she’s officially putting it out as the first single for her upcoming album, RAISED, which is slated for release on March 18th.
A co-write with Bryan Simpson and Ryan Tyndell, she says the inspiration for the song and video came from her real life experiences growing up in Iowa:
“I love the girl-next-door nature of it and it’s quirky language. The music video was directed by Harper Smith and was inspired by my old high school ‘Cow Pie High’… the city kids called it that because it was the school that all the country farm kids went to.
I actually was the homecoming queen my senior year so Harper and I thought it would be fun to muse on that for this video.”
Hailey’s another one who always puts out high quality music videos, and though she doesn’t have a ton of them, this one is no exception:
The entire album is essentially a prequel to her fantastic 2020 record, The Dream, as she reflects on the people and places that made her the woman she is today.
While many of the songs and themes will focus on her growing up in the Midwest, they truly are universal experiences for so many people no matter where you come from:
“It’s been 14 years since I’ve lived in Iowa, but more and more I’ve been going back there mentally and being pulled to the people and the places that raised me. RAISED is a celebration of the heartland, but I think it’s a common story no matter where you’re from.
My experience growing up in the middle of the country is very relatable to a lot of people. We’ve all lived in a similar way — the only thing that’s different is the scenery.”
The 17 song album was co-produced by Hailey alongside Jake Gear, and she’s bringing back another group of stellar co-writers including Brandy Clark, Nicolle Galyon, Hillary Lindsey, and Lori Mckenna.
The song I’m most excited to hear, though, is one called “Middle Of America” that features one of my favorite band’s, American Aquarium.
RAISED tracklist:
She put a cool new teaser out for the album the other day, too, that was narrated by the only and only Luke Grimes (AKA Kayce Dutton) that’s worth checking out if you haven’t seen it yet:
