The Sit Down with Hailey Benedict
Fast-rising country star Hailey Benedict, from St Albert Alberta, has recently released her latest single Things My Mamma Says. Written by Benedict alongside Clara Park and Ava Suppelsa, the song is a deeply personal reflection on the emotional tension between trusting a mother's advice and worrying about her from a distance – a narrative rooted in Benedict's own experience. The release also marks Benedict's debut single via Big Loud Records and its Dallas Smith-founded imprint Local Hay Records.
Hailed as “the future star of country music” by CityTV and praised as a “prodigy whose star is definitely on the rise” by The Calgary Herald, the guitar-wielding, CCMA Award-winner drew international attention at age 14 when Keith Urban pulled her on stage for an impromptu performance in front of a sold-out arena, instantly catapulting her into the spotlight. We recently caught up with Hailey to find out more about her latest release.
Are you at home in Edmonton at the minute or out and about?
Yeah, I'm home for another week and then I go back down to Nashville. We had Canadian Thanksgiving, so got to spend time with the fam and stuff and then have a couple of shows here this week, so it's been good.
Where are the shows this week? Are they to support the single launch?
A little bit, yeah, the one I had last week was part of a cabaret series, it was a theatre in Camrose, Alberta, so it's a really intimate kind of one and then the one I have this Saturday is in Calgary at the National Music Centre. It's celebrating Canadian Women's History Month, so it's kind of celebrating that with a few other artists that are really talented female artists, so yeah, it'll be lots of fun.
That's cool, you actually have another St Albert native to thank for you being on our radars - Dan Davidson.
Oh, I love Dan, he's just, man, that guy's the best! Dan produced a couple of my very first songs and he actually lives like five minutes away from me! He's been such a great mentor and he's just an amazing artist and I'm always inspired by what he does, so that's so kind.
Is it helpful to have the presence and support of other Canadian artists to help you at the early stages?
Yeah, absolutely. I wouldn't be able to do half of what I'm doing without Dan and it can be a tricky industry to navigate, so it's definitely helpful to have those mentors and, you know, they're very gracious with giving their time and resources. A lot of like people like Dan and other mentors have helped me, and they've said that there was somebody in their lives that helped them at one point and so they like to pay it forward. That's pretty cool because I think the music business is tough as it is, so it's definitely helpful to have those people to lean on.
And we spoke with Madeleine Merlot last week, we're doing the rounds of the Canadian girls it feels like at the minute.
I love it!
Lots of artists say about the tight-knit community with Canadian artists. I guess you’re finding the same?
Yeah, absolutely, it's funny, so the first song that Dan produced, or the second song with Dan that he produced, was my first top 25 on Canadian radio, Dan produced that song but Madeleine was a writer on that song. It's so funny how everything is really such a small close-knit community and it is a little bit of a small world, but I especially feel the Canadians all really tried to uplift each other, which is really cool and she's just released an awesome project too, which is awesome.
You recently just had the CCMAs up in Edmonton too. How was that experience?
Oh absolutely, yeah, it's been, I think, I could be wrong on this, but like a decade since it was like last in Edmonton. It was funny because I remember the last time it was here but I couldn't like afford tickets to go, so I watched it on my TV at home in Edmonton and so it was cool now to get to be part of it. I got to present on the award show, which is really fun, so it's definitely a full circle moment and then also every year when they celebrate the CCMAs they really do a great job of highlighting the host city, so it was cool getting to see the events at a lot of my favourite venues around Edmonton. It was a great time!
This summer you also did Big Valley Jamboree, so I always seem to go to Canada around Easter time, I haven't done a summer holiday in about 20 years to Canada.
Oh you have to come! BBJ is so much fun, you'd have to, I mean I want to come to the UK really bad, I still haven’t been and I have relatives and family and friends there, so that's like on my bucket list.
I did Stampede when I was about 18, nice and that was like 10 days I don't remember much of it.
That's the way you should do Stampede, if you don't remember you probably did a good job.
Hailed as “the future star of country music” by CityTV and praised as a “prodigy whose star is definitely on the rise” by The Calgary Herald, the guitar-wielding, CCMA Award-winner drew international attention at age 14 when Keith Urban pulled her on stage for an impromptu performance in front of a sold-out arena, instantly catapulting her into the spotlight. We recently caught up with Hailey to find out more about her latest release.
Are you at home in Edmonton at the minute or out and about?
Yeah, I'm home for another week and then I go back down to Nashville. We had Canadian Thanksgiving, so got to spend time with the fam and stuff and then have a couple of shows here this week, so it's been good.
Where are the shows this week? Are they to support the single launch?
A little bit, yeah, the one I had last week was part of a cabaret series, it was a theatre in Camrose, Alberta, so it's a really intimate kind of one and then the one I have this Saturday is in Calgary at the National Music Centre. It's celebrating Canadian Women's History Month, so it's kind of celebrating that with a few other artists that are really talented female artists, so yeah, it'll be lots of fun.
That's cool, you actually have another St Albert native to thank for you being on our radars - Dan Davidson.
Oh, I love Dan, he's just, man, that guy's the best! Dan produced a couple of my very first songs and he actually lives like five minutes away from me! He's been such a great mentor and he's just an amazing artist and I'm always inspired by what he does, so that's so kind.
Is it helpful to have the presence and support of other Canadian artists to help you at the early stages?
Yeah, absolutely. I wouldn't be able to do half of what I'm doing without Dan and it can be a tricky industry to navigate, so it's definitely helpful to have those mentors and, you know, they're very gracious with giving their time and resources. A lot of like people like Dan and other mentors have helped me, and they've said that there was somebody in their lives that helped them at one point and so they like to pay it forward. That's pretty cool because I think the music business is tough as it is, so it's definitely helpful to have those people to lean on.
And we spoke with Madeleine Merlot last week, we're doing the rounds of the Canadian girls it feels like at the minute.
I love it!
Lots of artists say about the tight-knit community with Canadian artists. I guess you’re finding the same?
Yeah, absolutely, it's funny, so the first song that Dan produced, or the second song with Dan that he produced, was my first top 25 on Canadian radio, Dan produced that song but Madeleine was a writer on that song. It's so funny how everything is really such a small close-knit community and it is a little bit of a small world, but I especially feel the Canadians all really tried to uplift each other, which is really cool and she's just released an awesome project too, which is awesome.
You recently just had the CCMAs up in Edmonton too. How was that experience?
Oh absolutely, yeah, it's been, I think, I could be wrong on this, but like a decade since it was like last in Edmonton. It was funny because I remember the last time it was here but I couldn't like afford tickets to go, so I watched it on my TV at home in Edmonton and so it was cool now to get to be part of it. I got to present on the award show, which is really fun, so it's definitely a full circle moment and then also every year when they celebrate the CCMAs they really do a great job of highlighting the host city, so it was cool getting to see the events at a lot of my favourite venues around Edmonton. It was a great time!
This summer you also did Big Valley Jamboree, so I always seem to go to Canada around Easter time, I haven't done a summer holiday in about 20 years to Canada.
Oh you have to come! BBJ is so much fun, you'd have to, I mean I want to come to the UK really bad, I still haven’t been and I have relatives and family and friends there, so that's like on my bucket list.
I did Stampede when I was about 18, nice and that was like 10 days I don't remember much of it.
That's the way you should do Stampede, if you don't remember you probably did a good job.
I understand you got to play the main stage at BVJ, which must have been quite cool again being your local festival that you grew up going to.
One of my first performances ever was at Big Valley Jamboree when I was nine and every year they had The Road to Mainstage competition, so at BBJ I've played almost every stage that's around Big Valley! Whether it be the little road to main stage which was just inside the trade show, the VIP stage, the songwriter stage, and then when I was 14 I played one song on the main stage from winning the Road to Mainstage contest. It's become such a huge part of our family summer event, that's kind of like the one place we go to every summer to celebrate country music and each other, and so it was a full circle moment to get to play the main stage.
It's also where I first met my band, a couple of my band members that still play with us today, so it was really exciting for them as well because they've been invested in this journey and that's kind of where we all met. It was a real highlight for us and then also to get to celebrate that, you know, being so close to Edmonton and having so much homegrown support there was really special and definitely a huge highlight of the summer.
Do you get those moments when playing at a festival like BVJ, where you look out on the crowd and you see you know the younger girls who are eight, nine, ten years old watching you knowing that actually you did that exact same thing 15 years ago.
Yeah, it was really special to see there are so many dreamers. They don't do the Road to Mainstage competition there, but they do a youth showcase, which is really cool because I don't think a lot of festivals do that and it’s such a great opportunity and it was special getting to connect with a lot of those fans as well after the set . I remember going to my first one as a kid and looking up to a lot of those artists and them showing that it was possible, so I hope that for those young dreamers out there in the crowd that our set was a story of perseverance and that one day I'm sure that they will be up there too from playing the trade show up onto the main stage and that it can happen.
And then you'll be the one headlining that stage as well.
Oh, I mean that would be like the cherry on top. That would be, yeah, really cool. I mean we were just excited just to be there and play the main stage but headlining would be, yeah, dream come true.
High on the bucket list then?
Absolutely, yeah, you know, and I think it was cool getting to see Lainey Wilson play the day that I played and headlined it and just seeing how she's able to captivate that crowd and the level of show that they're able to have. Obviously she's Lainey, but getting to have that headlining spot and I'm sure she has a huge crew but even just all the fun, like the stage, how the stage looked and all the technical stuff would be super cool. People like Dallas Smith headlined it last year and he's been headlining some of the Country Thunders and I think that's been a really exciting time for Canadian artists too because it definitely is a little bit more rare for Canadians to headline, but people like Dallas are kind of paving that way and showing that it is possible. So yeah, it would definitely be a huge check off the bucket list if that ever happened, yeah
One of my first performances ever was at Big Valley Jamboree when I was nine and every year they had The Road to Mainstage competition, so at BBJ I've played almost every stage that's around Big Valley! Whether it be the little road to main stage which was just inside the trade show, the VIP stage, the songwriter stage, and then when I was 14 I played one song on the main stage from winning the Road to Mainstage contest. It's become such a huge part of our family summer event, that's kind of like the one place we go to every summer to celebrate country music and each other, and so it was a full circle moment to get to play the main stage.
It's also where I first met my band, a couple of my band members that still play with us today, so it was really exciting for them as well because they've been invested in this journey and that's kind of where we all met. It was a real highlight for us and then also to get to celebrate that, you know, being so close to Edmonton and having so much homegrown support there was really special and definitely a huge highlight of the summer.
Do you get those moments when playing at a festival like BVJ, where you look out on the crowd and you see you know the younger girls who are eight, nine, ten years old watching you knowing that actually you did that exact same thing 15 years ago.
Yeah, it was really special to see there are so many dreamers. They don't do the Road to Mainstage competition there, but they do a youth showcase, which is really cool because I don't think a lot of festivals do that and it’s such a great opportunity and it was special getting to connect with a lot of those fans as well after the set . I remember going to my first one as a kid and looking up to a lot of those artists and them showing that it was possible, so I hope that for those young dreamers out there in the crowd that our set was a story of perseverance and that one day I'm sure that they will be up there too from playing the trade show up onto the main stage and that it can happen.
And then you'll be the one headlining that stage as well.
Oh, I mean that would be like the cherry on top. That would be, yeah, really cool. I mean we were just excited just to be there and play the main stage but headlining would be, yeah, dream come true.
High on the bucket list then?
Absolutely, yeah, you know, and I think it was cool getting to see Lainey Wilson play the day that I played and headlined it and just seeing how she's able to captivate that crowd and the level of show that they're able to have. Obviously she's Lainey, but getting to have that headlining spot and I'm sure she has a huge crew but even just all the fun, like the stage, how the stage looked and all the technical stuff would be super cool. People like Dallas Smith headlined it last year and he's been headlining some of the Country Thunders and I think that's been a really exciting time for Canadian artists too because it definitely is a little bit more rare for Canadians to headline, but people like Dallas are kind of paving that way and showing that it is possible. So yeah, it would definitely be a huge check off the bucket list if that ever happened, yeah
You talk of Dallas, he's also paving the way for you at the minute as well with his Local Hay Records.
Yes, yeah, it's been really fun. I've been a huge fan of Dallas for a long time and back when I was 14, kind of as a side story but Keith Urban pulled me up on stage with my sister and I ended up singing my original song in front of 20,000 people, which was really cool! Dallas actually opened for Keith that night and that was kind of my first interaction with Dallas and ever since just seeing him at events like the CCMAs and stuff, getting to connect with him and he's kind of kept some tabs on my career. I would go live on TikTok and he'd pop in and I'd sing one of his songs and so it's been really great getting to know him and then him having this venture with Big Loud which is Local Hay. It's just really unique and cool because it's such a huge support of the next generation of Canadian artists and to have somebody like him who is so knowledgeable, but has also done the full artist career in my corner is huge because some labels, not all, but some are just music lovers or people that have a business suit on and they just want to make money. Dallas really cares about the music and the people and I think it's really unique that you have somebody who's running a label that is an artist and who gets it, so I feel very grateful to have that partnership with Dallas and the whole Local Hay team. They've been amazing.
How did you feel when these talks began with Big Loud and Local Hay?
We had two years of conversations with them and having meetings. Again, it really speaks to the testament of the labels, they really want to foster artists of all levels and so on my trips to Nashville they were helping me set up with wrtes and that was even pre-signing anything. I always felt like I've been an independent artist for over a decade now and so a label has always felt like the next step, but I've always wanted to make sure that it's felt like home and feels right for my career. They really did a lot to show that that is possible and the next step and they've been so great with all of that. It just felt like the right home for my music which is really special and people are grateful.
Was there a big countdown in your head to the recent release day?
Absolutely, I've been sitting on a lot of music for a long time and I think especially now having this partnership in place is definitely different than on my last release because all my last releases have been mostly independent, so to have this team now behind my music and have this support has been really exciting. To be able to put my music in front of more eyes and connect with more people, like yourself all the way in the UK, is really cool and special. I was very eager to release it and I'm very happy it's out into the world. The anticipation is exciting, but it is a little bit like you just want it out a little bit so it's nice that it's out and I can celebrate that now.
Things My Mama Says is such a personal song to you and means a lot to you in your life. Was it kind of a no-brainer to put out as the first track of this next cycle?
You know, it's kind of funny because I wrote it originally not thinking it was even going to be a single let alone be released. It was tied to a very personal experience as the day that I signed the record deal a few hours later we unfortunately found out my mum had melanoma. She's now, as of the summer, been resected and she's she had a successful surgery and we'll still have you know treatments and stuff, but she's in a step in the right direction which has been huge. There was a lot of emotions around that and I honestly just wrote it as kind of therapy for myself and my mum. The song is very hopeful and kind of just internalising all those feelings. Sometimes, I don't always have the best words but music feels like my outlet and my therapy and I really didn't think it was gonna go anywhere until I started playing it for people and started to slowly play it live this summer. I just started to see how much it was resonating with others and whether it was based on a story similar to mine or just interpreting in their own way, I think there's just a very special relationship kind of indescribable bond between a kid and a mother. A lot of people resonated and related to that and the more I kind of saw the response and that I wasn't also alone in those feelings, that's kind of when as a team we decided that it was going to be the first single. What I really loved about the song is despite the place it came from, it's a very hopeful song and so and I'm really grateful that Big Loud helped me put out something that is so personal because it is it is a bit daunting to take that vulnerable step forward - especially the first one with the label. Sometimes, I find when you're more open and honest, the more people can relate and connect. I'm really grateful that it is out because it is so close to my heart and that that other people can now interpret it in their own ways and have it be something special for them
Yes, yeah, it's been really fun. I've been a huge fan of Dallas for a long time and back when I was 14, kind of as a side story but Keith Urban pulled me up on stage with my sister and I ended up singing my original song in front of 20,000 people, which was really cool! Dallas actually opened for Keith that night and that was kind of my first interaction with Dallas and ever since just seeing him at events like the CCMAs and stuff, getting to connect with him and he's kind of kept some tabs on my career. I would go live on TikTok and he'd pop in and I'd sing one of his songs and so it's been really great getting to know him and then him having this venture with Big Loud which is Local Hay. It's just really unique and cool because it's such a huge support of the next generation of Canadian artists and to have somebody like him who is so knowledgeable, but has also done the full artist career in my corner is huge because some labels, not all, but some are just music lovers or people that have a business suit on and they just want to make money. Dallas really cares about the music and the people and I think it's really unique that you have somebody who's running a label that is an artist and who gets it, so I feel very grateful to have that partnership with Dallas and the whole Local Hay team. They've been amazing.
How did you feel when these talks began with Big Loud and Local Hay?
We had two years of conversations with them and having meetings. Again, it really speaks to the testament of the labels, they really want to foster artists of all levels and so on my trips to Nashville they were helping me set up with wrtes and that was even pre-signing anything. I always felt like I've been an independent artist for over a decade now and so a label has always felt like the next step, but I've always wanted to make sure that it's felt like home and feels right for my career. They really did a lot to show that that is possible and the next step and they've been so great with all of that. It just felt like the right home for my music which is really special and people are grateful.
Was there a big countdown in your head to the recent release day?
Absolutely, I've been sitting on a lot of music for a long time and I think especially now having this partnership in place is definitely different than on my last release because all my last releases have been mostly independent, so to have this team now behind my music and have this support has been really exciting. To be able to put my music in front of more eyes and connect with more people, like yourself all the way in the UK, is really cool and special. I was very eager to release it and I'm very happy it's out into the world. The anticipation is exciting, but it is a little bit like you just want it out a little bit so it's nice that it's out and I can celebrate that now.
Things My Mama Says is such a personal song to you and means a lot to you in your life. Was it kind of a no-brainer to put out as the first track of this next cycle?
You know, it's kind of funny because I wrote it originally not thinking it was even going to be a single let alone be released. It was tied to a very personal experience as the day that I signed the record deal a few hours later we unfortunately found out my mum had melanoma. She's now, as of the summer, been resected and she's she had a successful surgery and we'll still have you know treatments and stuff, but she's in a step in the right direction which has been huge. There was a lot of emotions around that and I honestly just wrote it as kind of therapy for myself and my mum. The song is very hopeful and kind of just internalising all those feelings. Sometimes, I don't always have the best words but music feels like my outlet and my therapy and I really didn't think it was gonna go anywhere until I started playing it for people and started to slowly play it live this summer. I just started to see how much it was resonating with others and whether it was based on a story similar to mine or just interpreting in their own way, I think there's just a very special relationship kind of indescribable bond between a kid and a mother. A lot of people resonated and related to that and the more I kind of saw the response and that I wasn't also alone in those feelings, that's kind of when as a team we decided that it was going to be the first single. What I really loved about the song is despite the place it came from, it's a very hopeful song and so and I'm really grateful that Big Loud helped me put out something that is so personal because it is it is a bit daunting to take that vulnerable step forward - especially the first one with the label. Sometimes, I find when you're more open and honest, the more people can relate and connect. I'm really grateful that it is out because it is so close to my heart and that that other people can now interpret it in their own ways and have it be something special for them
Now you've got over the hurdle of this first release, is it now the stepping stone towards future releases and looking towards like EPs and albums
Absolutely. It's been really exciting because I actually signed the deal almost a year ago so I've been writing a ton and I've been sitting on so much music that I really love and with a lot of old collaborators but a lot of new collaborators as well. It's been a really fun time for me creatively to work on music, so I've been itching to put new music out there and we definitely have stuff in the works so I'm excited for what's next.
So are you looking at doing any like tours around Canada or anything at the end of this year or early next year - before you obviously come to the UK?
Yes fingers crossed I would love that. I mean playing live is probably one of my favourite things. I love writing and I love all things that comes with music, but performing live and connecting with people in person is my favourite part about this. I’m really excited for the new year and into the summer getting to connect with people again and definitely have some fun stuff planned up our sleeve and I can't wait to get to share some of these songs with people in person.
Well you'll have to get on to Dan later today then to find out some contacts of getting over to him. We're ready to take you to the pub anytime so don't worry.
Oh, it's awesome. He's great and he's got so many wonderful international contacts and people and I'll definitely I'll have to hit him up.
Thank you so much for your time Hailey. We really appreciate it.
Yes, thank you so much Ian for having me and hopefully I'll get to meet you in person soon.
Things My Mamma Says is out now and you can listen to it here
Be sure to follow Hailey on her socials to stay up to date
WEBSITE | TIKTOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK | X
Absolutely. It's been really exciting because I actually signed the deal almost a year ago so I've been writing a ton and I've been sitting on so much music that I really love and with a lot of old collaborators but a lot of new collaborators as well. It's been a really fun time for me creatively to work on music, so I've been itching to put new music out there and we definitely have stuff in the works so I'm excited for what's next.
So are you looking at doing any like tours around Canada or anything at the end of this year or early next year - before you obviously come to the UK?
Yes fingers crossed I would love that. I mean playing live is probably one of my favourite things. I love writing and I love all things that comes with music, but performing live and connecting with people in person is my favourite part about this. I’m really excited for the new year and into the summer getting to connect with people again and definitely have some fun stuff planned up our sleeve and I can't wait to get to share some of these songs with people in person.
Well you'll have to get on to Dan later today then to find out some contacts of getting over to him. We're ready to take you to the pub anytime so don't worry.
Oh, it's awesome. He's great and he's got so many wonderful international contacts and people and I'll definitely I'll have to hit him up.
Thank you so much for your time Hailey. We really appreciate it.
Yes, thank you so much Ian for having me and hopefully I'll get to meet you in person soon.
Things My Mamma Says is out now and you can listen to it here
Be sure to follow Hailey on her socials to stay up to date
WEBSITE | TIKTOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK | X
