Hailey Whitters Shares Five-Song Studio Series

Hailey Whitters wrapped up a gripping live video series this week, making the best of a summer without concerts.

The rising singer-songwriter wanted badly to hit the road this year and perform the tunes off her acclaimed album, The Dream, but with shows out of the question due to COVID-19, that didn’t seem possible. Country girls know how to make do, though, and where there’s a will there’s a way. So the Iowa native settled for a five-week long Live In Studio Session series.

It culminated Wednesday (September 2) with her performance of “The Faker” — a disappointed diary entry which finds her quietly venting about a pretender of love — helping give her new fans a taste of what they’re missing.

“I miss the road and my band immensely,” Whitters explains. “The Live In Studio Sessions were a way for us to all regroup and play music together (safely social distancing, of course). With COVID-19 disrupting touring, we also saw this as an opportunity to deliver these songs in a live setting to fans. I hope it helps curb the ache of live music during this strange time.”

Set up in a vibey, living-room style recording studio with her band, the Midwestern maven let her powerful vocal loose for the first time in months, beginning August 6 with the wistful “Dream, Girl.” Featuring soothing piano and soft strums of guitar, she eased into the series with a tune about holding her head high after breakup.

A week later Whitters strapped on an acoustic guitar and added her drummer for the destined-for-whatever anthem “Heartland,” and followed up with the swampy blues rocker, “The Devil Always Made Me Think Twice.” Feeling like a (half-hearted) battle against temptations of the flesh, it featured a whirring organ and soulful backup vocals, and next came her heartwarming story song, “Janice at the Hotel Bar.” Filled with wine-sipping wisdom and empowered inspiration, her character-study-of-a-true-character has turned out to be one of The Dream’s standout songs.

It’s not the same as swaying with the beat in a crowded club, but it’s about the best we can do at the moment. Whitters will be back on the virtual stage September 30 for the Country Fuzz Presents Global Live Stream Series from The Basement in Nashville, and after a breakout year filled with Best-Of lists and an engagement, she hopes to get back to in-person shows ASAP.