It is a good time for country music in Canada. New artists and great tunes are breaking out and making us bob our heads and tap our toes as we get to know them and their music.
Hayley, just Hayley, is next up. Lately she has been playing and touring with Chad Brownlee and Dierks Bentley, making her Fender Telecaster sing, and leaving grinning new fans in her wake. She describes her music as “whatever comes out. Usually sounds rockish, popish country.” Her website bio says Hayley is "the quintessential chick-with-guitar." Both are true of this young singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Hayley is coming out of the gate with a fun, upbeat, summery tune great for the beach and holiday driving that, to me, is also a metaphor for where she’s going with her music; nowhere but up.
She talked to CBC Music about "Feelin' California," being the official face for Fender Guitar's new visitor centre and playing in Chad Brownlee's band.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: A big portion of my younger years on a sailboat all over the Pacific side of North America [before] we settled in Horseshoe Bay, B.C. I've been a bay girl ever since!
Q: So where does musical life get started for this "chick-with-guitar"?
A: My dad was a big fan of ’50s, ’60s and Motown music, and my mom was into classic rock and the blues. At my earliest memories, I honestly can't remember ever starting to sing … it just always happened in our family, especially with my two older sisters and I. We'd be doing our chores on the boat and be singing Beatles songs or nursery rhymes in three-part harmonies. My dad had a great ear and a knack for picking up songs on the spot. He taught me the most valuable lesson I will ever learn in music: how to learn. I started picking up the guitar when I was six while our family was in Mexico. It was the Beatles and the Eagles albums that I first started playing guitar to.
Q: How did your current and first single, "Feelin' California," come about?
A: I'm a big fan of the radio … both country and pop; the science behind a three-minute story that people want to hear again and again will never cease to fascinate me!" says Hayley. "‘Feelin' California’ was a blast to write. It was one of those songs that came out easy, as if it all was just meant to be. Mitch [Merrett, musician, producer] came up with the title in the car on the way to the session and I had a melody to match to it; once the framework was down, the rest of the pieces fell into place naturally. I love playing and singing this song … something about it just resonates with me.
Q: And what was it like shooting the video?
A: We shot it all around southern California over three days from the desert, to the Fender factory, to the beach," she responds. "It was my first video shoot so the whole process was an adventure; it took a while to get used to the cameras but luckily for me, the director, Mark Maryanovich, is not only a huge talent but a really laid back and awesome guy, which takes almost all of the pressure out of it.
Q: At 24 years of age, you have an artist endorsement with Fender Guitar, and are the official face of the company’s new visitor centre in Corona, Calif. You've shared the stage with the legendary Los Lobos and blues giant Buddy Guy. What's been most memorable for you?
A: Playing in Chad's [Brownlee] band has been one of my most favourite experiences yet. It’s a great situation for me, as I get to play for big crowds and learn how it all works without having the pressure of the spotlight at all times. Easing into something is always more pleasant than … well, not easing in.
With that kind of horse sense, polished productions, and great original tunes that continue to overflow with genuine joy and energy, Hayley can’t help but make it to wherever she wants to go.
You can catch Hayley this summer, playing guitar with Brownlee at festivals across the country, including Saskatchewan’s Craven Country Jamboree, at Bothwell, Ont., for the Boot Hill Country Jamboree, and at the Capital Hoedown Country MusicFestival in Ottawa, Ont.
Related:
Chad Brownlee: CBC Toques Session with Hayley