Joe's on Weed St
Hailey Whitters: Heartland Tour with Michele McGuire
Thu
February 10, 2022
7:45 pm
CST
(Doors: 7:00 pm )
Joe's on Weed Street
,
940 West Weed St., Chicago, IL
Ages 21 and Up
$15.00
$12.00 General Admission Advance / $15.00 General Admission Day of Show
Hailey Whitters was closing in on her first decade in Nashville, thatmythologized milestonewhen artists are supposed to finallystart reapingthe fruits of their labor. But despite 10 years of hard work, the singer-songwriterstill hadn't had her breakout momentand, fed up with pushingthe boulder uphill, she took a step back to reassess.
"I hit my 'fuck it' point," says Hailey. I felt like I was watering myself down to try and fit inwith what this town was doing, and I was looking for Nashville to define myhappiness. WhenI quit doingthatI was able to dig into why I am on this journey in the first place: to create music that I love on my own terms. And that's when I wrote 'Ten Year Town.'"
At that moment, the native of Shueyville, Iowa, matured intothe artist she was supposed to be: a probing, fearless songwriter who is more concerned with the busted and broken way things arethan the pretty and polished way things are painted to be.
"Everything is so glossy and so perfect in society," she says, "especially for women, who are getting fillers andchanging our face shape. Every single thing is so tweaked to perfection that it's boring. I'm craving something that is raw, real and imperfect."
She addresses all of that in "Ten Year Town," the song that at long lastidentifiedHailey as one of Nashville's elite songwriters and artists. Written with Grammy nominee Brandy Clark, the balladtakes a stark look at what happens when lifedoesn'twork out asplannedand how rejectioncan ultimately lead to empowerment."I didn't come this far,to only go this far," sings Hailey.
While it'sa song of frustration laid bare, Hailey isn't bitter or jaded. Rather, she's encouraged and inspired —"This next song could turn it all around"goes the final verseof "Ten Year Town"—looking ahead to the release of her newalbum The Dream, a project that she'ssplitting up into two acts. The first half, titled "The Days," looks at where she came from, while the second part, also called "The Dream," explores where she's going.
Hailey Whitters was closing in on her first decade in Nashville, thatmythologized milestonewhen artists are supposed to finallystart reapingthe fruits of their labor. But despite 10 years of hard work, the singer-songwriterstill hadn't had her breakout momentand, fed up with pushingthe boulder uphill, she took a step back to reassess.
"I hit my 'fuck it' point," says Hailey. I felt like I was watering myself down to try and fit inwith what this town was doing, and I was looking for Nashville to define myhappiness. WhenI quit doingthatI was able to dig into why I am on this journey in the first place: to create music that I love on my own terms. And that's when I wrote 'Ten Year Town.'"
At that moment, the native of Shueyville, Iowa, matured intothe artist she was supposed to be: a probing, fearless songwriter who is more concerned with the busted and broken way things arethan the pretty and polished way things are painted to be.
"Everything is so glossy and so perfect in society," she says, "especially for women, who are getting fillers andchanging our face shape. Every single thing is so tweaked to perfection that it's boring. I'm craving something that is raw, real and imperfect."
She addresses all of that in "Ten Year Town," the song that at long lastidentifiedHailey as one of Nashville's elite songwriters and artists. Written with Grammy nominee Brandy Clark, the balladtakes a stark look at what happens when lifedoesn'twork out asplannedand how rejectioncan ultimately lead to empowerment."I didn't come this far,to only go this far," sings Hailey.
While it'sa song of frustration laid bare, Hailey isn't bitter or jaded. Rather, she's encouraged and inspired —"This next song could turn it all around"goes the final verseof "Ten Year Town"—looking ahead to the release of her newalbum The Dream, a project that she'ssplitting up into two acts. The first half, titled "The Days," looks at where she came from, while the second part, also called "The Dream," explores where she's going.