Hayley Withers joins Today’s Country Radio. She opens up to Kayleigh Bannon about why ‘I’m Love’ gives her butterflies, what she learned from Laney Wilson and how her big hit was never cut.
Listen to the full episode this Friday (July 21) at 7am PT/9am CT/10am ET/3pm UK or anytime on demand at apple.co/_TodaysCountry.
“I’m in love,” Hayley Withers told Apple Music about recording.
I didn’t write this song. Nicole Gallon, Cameron Bedell and Lee Miller wrote this song, but the minute I heard it, it was like, I love this. And to me, like a butterfly, it’s GD, but also, there’s an element of longevity to it. The poem is not all chronological to me. It feels like it could be different seasons, different stages, different times.
Hayley Withers spoke to Apple Music for the first time about the Pitch meeting.
The first time I went into town for a pitch session, I found it… like going shopping. You’re in this room and all these different publishers come in and bring you tapes and play you stuff. And Nicole [Galyon] It’s very involved in a lot of my process. I mean, she’s been writing songs with me for years now. She is from the Midwest. She comes from where I come from. She is also my label, songs and girls. And she was very influenced by my influence and who I am and what I say and I guess my spirit through music and stuff.
Hayley Withers talks to Apple Music about opening for Shania Twain
Going on tour with Shania Twain… that’s a dream I’ve never had. So it exceeded my expectations, and being able to do that was a total bummer. Things are happening so fast right now, and I think it was when I stood on the side stage and just listened to her and those songs in that room, that it hit me… it was so nuts. I mean, just a lot of dreams come true right now, which is pretty cool.
Hayley Withers talks about her respect for Apple Music’s Layne Wilson and other hard-working artists.
[Being an artist is] continuously. If you are working physically, you are working mentally. It is very difficult to destroy it. And I have a lot of respect for artists. There are only so many things thrown at you all the time. And I just look at someone like Lainey Wilson. I look up to her a lot. And when we were on tour last year, she was still in the van and trailer. And I was like well, dang, girl. I can also post in the van and trailer… that noise is for the birds. It’s a lot. It’s a lot. And I have a lot of respect for the people who are in it and the people who do it because it’s not all glitz and glamour. It’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
Hayley Withers talks to Apple Music about her husband Jake Gere being her producer.
It’s a lot because he’s just someone who likes to work and I like to destroy. I like to play. But yes, he is very involved. He is very invested. On the one hand, that’s the best thing in the world, because there’s someone who knows what you’re doing inside and out and is an advocate for you just like you are and is right there in the gun seat with you over a lot of it. And on the other hand, it’s hard because… I mean, I shot last night. I had a crap day and wanted to get pizza and drink wine and chill in the backyard. And he came home saying, OK, let’s dive. And I was like, no… we’re not. I’m going to get a little drunk and I’m going to sit in the backyard and I don’t even want to listen to music right now.
Hailey Withers says she didn’t offer “everything she couldn’t” to Apple Music.
I thought my record was done and that’s kind of an extra song that Yak played for the label and they flipped it, and they said we should record this or do this on the project. And I was like, okay, we can do that. And now, I’m playing these platforms and tens of thousands of people are singing it. And it’s just so crazy and so weird and so cool because to me this just came out of nowhere. you know what i mean? And I think it taught me to let yourself be surprised and not put too much pressure on a song and not put too much pressure on the recording or the writing and just let it be.
