Hailey Whitters Happily Returns to High School in “Everything She Ain’t”

Hailey Whitters grew up in the small town of Shueyville, Iowa (current population 731) before moving to Nashville with dreams of becoming a country music star. After years of hard work, Whitters recently has enjoyed some success. That includes receiving her first GRAMMY nomination for Song of the Year for “A Beautiful Noise”, which was written by Ruby Amanfu, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry, and Whitters, and performed by Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile. But as the video for the first single, “Everything She Aint” from her forthcoming third album (Raised, 18 March) shows, you can take the girl out of Iowa, but you can’t take Iowa out of the girl.

“Everything She Ain’t” is a fun song, full of pop energy and country spirit in the vein of early Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves. The big difference is that Whitters doesn’t criticize others as much as make fun of herself. The video takes place at a high school. She’s older than the students. She doesn’t poke fun at the cool kids like the cheerleaders or over glamorize them ala Swift and Musgraves. As the song suggests, she’s confident about her charms. Whitters knows she’s just like they are—and more.

The video shows Whitters being crowned Homecoming Queen of Cow Pie High. That was the actual case. Whitters was voted Homecoming Queen during her senior year. The school she went to was nicknamed Cow Pie High by locals because it’s where the farm kids went. Whitters offers a sweet, nostalgic memory as a counterpoint to the many mean girl stories that have become a trope of popular culture during the 21st century. Director Harper Smith keeps the colors bright, and the action uncomplicated to show the simple pleasures of rural adolescent life.

Hear this song on the PM Picks Spotify playlist.

On 4 February, Whitters will kick off her debut headline HEARTLAND TOUR in her home state of Iowa at Wooly’s in Des Moines.

TOUR DATES

2/4 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s

2/5 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads

2/10 – Chicago, IL – Joe’s on Weed Street

2/11 – Omaha, NE – Barnato Lounge

2/12 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry

2/17 – Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar

2/18 – Detroit, MI – El Club

2/19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Café & Music Hall

2/22 – New York, NY – The Mercury Lounge

2/24 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

2/25 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry at The Fillmore

3/11 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – The SSE Hydro – C2C: Country To Country Festival

3/12 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena – C2C: Country To Country Festival

3/13 – London, United Kingdom – The O2 – C2C: Country To Country Festival

3/25 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic

3/26 – Birmingham, AL – Zydeco

4/10 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Tortuga Music Festival

4/14 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall-Upstairs

4/15 – New Braunfels, TX – Whitewater Amphitheatre # 

4/16 – New Braunfels, TX – Whitewater Amphitheatre #

4/22 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios

4/23 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern

4/26 – Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall

4/29 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent

5/1 – Indio, CA – Stagecoach Festival 

5/6 – Swisher, IA – DanceMor Ballroom

8/4 – Oro-Medonte, CA – Boots And Hearts Country Music Festival

# – with Jon Pardi and Lainey Wilson