Hailed as ‘the future star of country music' by Citytv and celebrated as a ‘prodigy whose star is definitely on the rise' by the Calgary Herald, Hailey Benedict is a trailblazing force in country music. Armed with her guitar and a captivating stage presence, Benedict first captured the world’s attention at just 14 years old when country superstar Keith Urban pulled her on stage for an impromptu performance in front of a sold-out arena. The unforgettable moment catapulted her into the spotlight, marking the start of her incredible journey.
2023 proved to be a defining year for Benedict. She claimed victory in the highly competitive SiriusXM Top of the Country competition and achieved a lifelong dream by performing on the main stage of the Big Valley Jamboree, a festival close to her heart as a lifelong attendee.
Her impressive reach extends beyond the stage to social media, where her quarter-million-strong TikTok following earned her a CCMA Award for Interactive Artist of the Year. Her momentum continued into 2024, earning a nomination for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the CCMA Awards. Now signed with Big Loud Records/Local Hay, Hailey Benedict is ushering in the next chapter of her career. Her latest single, ‘Things My Mama Says' showcases her powerful vocals, heartfelt storytelling, and undeniable star power. We were thrilled to catch up with her recently to talk all about it.
Thanks for your time today Hailey, we appreciate how busy you must be. First of all, how was your Thanksgiving weekend? I know Canadian's celebrate at a different time of year but did you take the opportunity to use it as a break?
I did take the opportunity to go home! I left a couple of days before it. My family was actually in town with me in Nashville and then we all flew back home together. It's so nice to be back home but I can't say that I love all the snow and ice here! (laughing)
How was your CMA Awards week? That must be exciting now that you are signed to Big Loud?
Oh my goodness! That was so fun. It was the first time I had been there during the awards week. Big Loud had a CMA after-party so I got to go and do that. I went to a couple of other things too, which was really fun. Historically, I'd just be watching it on TV! (laughing) It was cool to get to be part of the action this year.
Is it weeks and events like that that really brings home to you that you have signed to a major label in Nashville now?
Yeah, it does start to sink in a little. I signed with them around this time last year but we didn't announce it till this September so it hasn't felt quite real up to now! (laughing) Getting to be around other artists and do industry things is making it just start to sink in.
You've had a really exciting couple of years with music, awards, festivals and label signings. Is there one particular moment or event that you are most proud of or that means the most to you?
Wow, that's a great question. I've been really grateful for all the experiences – from the exciting ones, like signing with Big Loud, to the learning ones as well. The music industry can be a bit of a grind so even the times where it's felt like I've gotten knocked down a bit, it can help you to come back stronger on the other side. There isn't one specific moment really, it's all been a journey to where I am today.
What's great about Big Loud is that they genuinely really do care about music. They are very set on each artist telling their story and so they are encouraging me to push myself to create the best music that I can and explore – you never get your first debut record back, right? So it has to be exactly what you want people to hear from you.
Keith Urban seems to have played a pivotal role in your life a couple of times – tell me about your interactions with him.
Yeah. When I was 14 my sister and I got tickets to go see Keith Urban in Edmonton. We made these guitar shaped sparkly signs because we knew that he might well point out our posters whilst he was signing – that was kinda like our goal. He pointed them out and asked us to bring them up on stage: the whole thing feels very much like a dream now, even when I watch the video of it back again. (laughing)
Keith started asking us questions and he asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I said a singer-songwriter and then he handed me his guitar and I sang an original song of mine in front of 20,000 people!
He's got to do a guitar line or play on your debut album, right?
I think that would be like the most full-circle moment ever! I would love that. I did get to re-unite with him over the summer at Big Valley Jamboree, which is a festival in Alberta, Canada. I was playing the festival and got to let him in on the news that I'd signed to Big Loud, that was really special getting to share that news with him. His belief in my career at such an early age was a big inspiration to me.
I'll throw it out there in the world now…… If he wants to come and add some guitars to my album I'd be absolutely down with that! (laughing)
‘Things My Mama Says' seems like a really personal song for you and one that might not be always easy to sing or perform. Tell me about the inspiration behind writing that song.
It definitely is one of the most personal songs I've ever released. Songwriting for me has always come in different forms, whether it's been about my life or other people's lives and things that I have observed. I didn't think this one would be released let alone by a single.
The day that I signed my record deal with Big Loud was also, unfortunately, the day that my mom found out that she had stage 3 melanoma. It was a huge shock for our family and we went from celebrating to a real 180 switch a couple of hours later. My initial feelings were that I couldn't even think about moving forward with the record deal when my mom was going through such unchartered waters and difficult times. The first thing she said to me was ‘You gotta go. You can't let this get in the way of your dreams and we are not going to let this illness win.'
I wrote ‘Things My Mama Says' with my good friends Ava Sulpessa and Clara Park. It was a 10am write and I just let it all loose! (laughing) Writing has always been very therapeutic for me so I was able to process all those emotions. My mom just had a clear PET CT scan this August and so she's on her way up and I hope that trend continues.
Playing the song live has also been very therapeutic because we are not the only people or families going through something like this and people have been sharing their experiences with me, which has made me feel less alone. DMs from people and comments at shows have also been very supportive, that part has been really special to both me and my mom and has definitely contributed towards her healing journey.
You have music stretching back to ‘Clean Slate' in 2016 on Spotify. When was the last time you played that song and which of your songs, aside from ‘Things My Mama Says,' are you most proud of?
Oh man! ‘Clean Slate' was part of that whole Keith Urban story around the concert when I was 14 years old. The last time I played it live might have been on a TikTok Live earlier in the summer – people do still request to hear that song sometimes, which always kinda shocks me! (laughing) My voice sounds so young on that song now! It's kinda like a cool time capsule now, listening to it. Maybe one day I'll re-record it or something!
The most special song I've released? I will say that I have a Christmas song called ‘Freeze' that I released this time last year which is pretty personal to me. I'm really proud of how that one turned out. This is the second year that I'll be singing it around the Christmas season so I'm pretty excited about that!
Have you written with anyone cool since you signed with Big Loud? Anyone that you never thought you would be able to get in a room with?
Absolutely. One writer that I've looked up to for a long time that I'm really grateful to have worked with is Gordie Sampson. He wrote ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel,' ‘Knockin' Boots,' you know, some classic songs. He's also Canadian and the most humble and down to earth guy – his family is also so wonderful too! That's been such a highlight for me. A lot of the songwriters you meet are just the most humble and inspiring people and they teach you so much about music and also about how to act and carry yourself.
If you could get into a room in Nashville next week and write with someone that you haven't written with yet, who would you choose and why?
Yes, let's manifest that alongside the Keith Urban thing! (laughing) I'd have to say Liz Rose – I'm such a huge fan of hers, from the early Taylor Swift stuff through to ‘Girl Crush' and all these other incredible songs. I've looked up to her for a long time, she's been such a pioneer for female songwriters so that would be my number one bucket list write!
Would you consider writing for other artists? If somebody came in and wanted to cut one of your songs or are you jealously protecting what you have right now and saving everything for yourself?
I think that is the fun part of being a writer. One of my first songs that went top 25 in Canada was an outside song that I didn't write. There are so many amazing songs that get written that don't find their way to a home so If I am able to gift one of my songs to someone I think that is a beautiful thing. I've written so many songs but if there's one that is maybe not as authentic to my story but it speaks to someone else and resonates with them I would love for it to find a home with another artist.
What are the goals for next year? It feels like 2025 is going to be a big year for you. What can we expect in terms of new music as your career progresses?
Goal-wise, I'd really like to push myself out of my comfort zone a little bit. Hone in on what it is exactly I want to say and what my sound is. I've spent a year exploring the possibilities and experimenting with sounds a little and now I think it's time to really get to the heart of who I am as a writer and artist and what is authentic and meaningful to me.
I'm excited to be able to, hopefully, record some of these songs that I've spent this year writing and release them out into the world. We've got some shows in Canada lined up and I'd love to get ‘across the pond' to see you guys in the UK as well at some point, if not in 2025 then in 2026 for sure. That's always been a bucket list ambition of mine, to play some international shows in Europe and Australia.
Check out ‘Things My Mama Says' now and keep on eye on Hailey Benedict in 2025 – a talented artist that has all the potential to become an established voice within Country music.
