Photo By: Lizelle Van Den Berg
As The Y Life continues to celebrate the power of our Y DREAMS and their intrepid value, we take this moment to introduce you to a Millennial Dreamer who is Steeling the Nashville Country music scene!
First and foremost, I must admit, I am quite the Country Music fan… so when I realized I had the opportunity to share some Country Loven with our readers, I jumped on it!
Miss. Hailey Steele has been dreaming of sharing her voice with the world since she was just a tot, but we wondered what makes her sound, so magically hers?
“My sound is like its own little potion of what I listened to growing up. The stuff I listened to in the 90’s and early 2000’s made the biggest impact on me – the ladies of Lillith Fair, Sheryl Crow, The Eagles, The Dixie Chicks, Shania, Def Leppard. I think you can hear these influences in my music, but what makes it mine are the melodies and the subject matter. I write all my songs, so they are all deeply personal.”
As you listen to Haileys lyrical poetry, you know her words were strung together by more than just musical dictation, having grown up in small town South Dakota influenced her story both on and off the page…
“Growing up in a small town directly influenced what I listened to… Madison, SD wasn’t exactly full of music snobs like my hipster corner of Nashville, so what I listened to was my parents’ classic country, 80’s rock, and top 40 radio. Growing up in a small town also means that I carry my small town values with me everywhere, and you can hear it in my writing. I co-wrote a song called “Small Town Soul” that a friend of mine, Gwen Sebastian, released last year, and it’s all about taking those values with you no matter where life takes you.”
That is precisely where Hailey takes us on her latest journey, in her new record where she dotes herself ‘Just A Blue Eyed, Certified Singin’ Fool’… Steele is inspired by the magic of her dreams, which she has been pursuing tirelessly in Nashville for the past 7 years. Writing away her time, has not only allotted her a treasure chest of songs to choose from, but a trove of priceless experiences to inspire those songs…
“This is the first solo project I’ve released since I was 20, and now I’m 26. I think just experiencing life has inspired me to write my feelings and tell stories… For this particular project, my producer Relli and I decided to go for the 5 songs that were the most relatable and accessible to people. I’m a sucker for fun pop, and that’s what a lot of this is, like ‘Getaway Car’ and ‘Boyfriend’. There’s also some struggle and heartbreak on the record that takes you a little deeper, like ‘Diamonds’ and ‘You Made It That Way’.”
Hailey says that writing, takes just the same constant perseverance, to attain success in general… ‘Diamonds take patience and pressure and time’ she went on.. This seems to be one of her life mottos, so we had to ask what this phrase means to her, for which she debuted one of her singles with that same title?
“This song came out of a friend of mine telling me that in order to be a diamond, you have to go through the refining process. You have to go through the fire because there’s no way around it! All of the ups and downs that I’ve experienced have hopefully only refined me and made me stronger, and I think that’s something most people can relate to.”
I too agree with Hailey, in each and every one of those coals, hangs a diamond in the ruff, with some hammering and polishing, we are all worthy of flawlessness wishing upon our hearts!
Lyrics are such a vital form of self-expression… Millennial’s are defined as the pioneers of social Self-expression, so I wondered how important Hailey found mediums such as the Internet to be for artists like herself. Where she is allowed to bond with her listeners on a whole other level…
“The Internet is so amazing for artists, because it makes it so easy for us to be accessible on so many social media platforms. I love being able to connect with fans on social media; It makes you feel a deeper connection with them than just another person who came to a show or bought your music on iTunes. I also love being able to record a video or a snippet of a new song and post it that day. I’ve really enjoyed doing interactive shows on StageIt – it’s basically a chat room where a person can not only buy a ticket to watch you play online, but they can chat with you, request songs and make comments. It’s so important these days for artists to be making a continuous connection with their fans.”
Steele’s refreshing view of music, shines her magical sprinkling of Hailey dust on the wings of which Millennials are paving their own path of music row. No matter the years that pass, the forum where records are distributed and/or the way lyrics are virally circulated- Music continues to play a vital role in the unraveling of a generation .
“There’s a quote that says “Music is how feelings sound.” I believe that to be true – a song can define a moment. It can bring you back to how old you were and how you felt the first time you heard it. I believe today’s music is extremely definitive of our generation and our culture.”