Born 37 Years Ago Today in Iowa, the Grammy-Nominated Country Singer-Songwriter Who Penned Hits for Little Big Town and Alan Jackson

Known for radio-friendly hits like “Everything She Ain’t” and “I’m in Love”, Hailey Whitters hustled in Nashville for a full decade before gaining a foothold in country music. When she wasn’t keeping herself afloat financially by working one of three jobs, she was honing her craft on street corners and inside smoke-filled bars.

Finally breaking through with the 2019 single “Ten Year Town,” Whitters has released five studio albums, opened for Luke Combs and Maren Morris, and written songs for Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Alan Jackson, Brandy Clark, and more.

In 2023, she took home New Female Artist of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music.

Hailey Faith Whitters was born in Shueyville, Iowa on this day (September 9) in 1989. Today, we’re looking back at her life and career in honor of her 37th birthday.

Who is Hailey Whitters?

Growing up in a tiny town near Iowa City, Hailey Whitters came of age during the ’90s country craze. She found herself drawn to radio staples like the Chicks, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, Alan Jackson, and Tim McGraw.

After a visit to Nashville with her mother at age 15, Whitters’ path was set in stone. “When I went home after that trip I said, ‘I’m moving to Nashville when I graduate high school,’” she recalled in a 2022 interview.

At 17, she did just that.

Making it on Music Row

Upon arriving in Nashville, Hailey Whitters worked a variety of days jobs to support herself financially, including as a nanny, a receptionist at a hair salon, and a waitress. In her downtime, she booked as many gigs as she could at songwriter clubs.

That cycle lasted eight years before Whitters finally landed a publishing deal with Carnival Recording Company. She released her debut album, Black Sheep, in 2015, followed by The Dream in 2020.

Later that year, Whitters signed with Big Loud imprint Sons & Daughters. She was also part of an all-female songwriter team behind the Grammy-nominated song “A Beautiful Noise”, recorded by Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile.

After releasing Living the Dream, a re-issue of The Dream with five new songs, she dropped her most successful album yet with 2022’s Raised.

Buoyed by her radio debut single “Everything She Ain’t”, Raised reached number nine on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.

Meanwhile, “Everything She Ain’t” peaked at number 24 on the Billboard country songs chart and climbed to number 17 on the Country Airplay listing.

Whitters’ most recent album, last year’s Corn Queen, is a nod to her Midwestern roots and an acknowledgement that the road to country music stardom hasn’t been all glamour and glitz — far from it.

[RELATED: Trisha Yearwood and Hailey Whitters Dazzle at Grand Ole Opry With Special Performance]

“I’m a dreamer, and this hasn’t been no overnight success,” she said. “I’m still out here working and grinding to make my dreams come true, and ultimately that’s what I take pride in.”

Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images

The post Born 37 Years Ago Today in Iowa, the Grammy-Nominated Country Singer-Songwriter Who Penned Hits for Little Big Town and Alan Jackson appeared first on American Songwriter.