Hailey Whitters

Born and raised in Shueyville, Iowa, Hailey Whitters moved to Nashville at 17 and spent much of the next decade grinding it out under the radar as an artist and writer. She released a well-received debut, Black Sheep, in 2015, and garnered early industry attention landing cuts with big name artists like Martina McBride, Alan Jackson, and Little Big Town, but it was Whitters’ 2020 sophomore effort, The Dream, that truly began opening doors. The Washington Post called it “the year’s deepest country album,” while Rolling Stone declared it “the type of record that could propel an artist as talented as Whitters in a million different directions.” Whitters delivered on that promise two years later with her third album, Raised, which earned her performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Today Show, and Kelly Clarkson alongside profiles everywhere from NPR’s Weekend Edition to The New Yorker. Festival dates at Coachella, Stagecoach, and Bonnaroo followed, as did tours with Luke Combs, Shania Twain, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, and Luke Bryan. Rolling Stone proclaimed Raised the top country album of 2022; lead single “Everything She Ain’t” went platinum and cracked the top 20 at country radio; and Whitters took home the ACM Award for New Female Artist of the Year in addition to garnering her first CMA and Grammy nominations.

“Fans started calling me the ‘Corn Queen’ because I’m from Iowa,” Whitters explains. “At first, it seemed kind of silly, but the more I thought about it, the more I loved the duality of it. Corn is this simple, humble crop, and ‘queen’ implies royalty passed down through blood. I come from a long line of blue-collar farmers, construction workers, and bootstrappers. I’ve been out here for over a decade brushing my teeth in truck stop bathrooms, sleeping on hotel floors, driving myself from gig to gig. It’s not glamorous, but I’m proud of it. I like the idea of a queen with little grit and elbow grease.”

Whitters more than lives up to the crown on her highly anticipated fourth album, Corn Queen, showcasing not only her relentless work ethic, but also her undeniable talent and charm. Recorded once again in Nashville with longtime collaborator (and now-husband) Jake Gear, the collection is a rousing reflection on Whitters’ midwestern roots and the joys and struggles of small-town living. The writing is whip smart, full of clever wordplay and evocative storytelling, and the performances are utterly intoxicating, walking the line between classic and contemporary country with a healthy dose of bluegrass energy thrown in for good measure. Whitters has long been recognized as a master craftswoman, but Corn Queen solidifies her status as a genuine star, one with the wisdom—and the guts—to trust her instincts as she blazes her own singular trail through the industry.