Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Haley Woolbright. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Haley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I first realized I wanted to pursue music professionally not long after I played in front of an audience for the first time ever. To give some context, music was something I did for years before I ever played in public, but it was a hobby I kept to myself because I was so self-conscience about it. I didn’t have any confidence in my abilities, but I was deeply passionate about songwriting, playing guitar, and singing. Part of that hesitancy to play in front of people stemmed from never having any formal training or lessons, so I didn’t feel my talents were valid. At the beginning of my junior year of college I was going through one of the darkest times of my life, and I ended up dropping out of college for a bit because of it. I moved back home with my parents and all the sudden I had no school, no real job, and no huge responsibilities, all so I could take the time I needed to heal. During that time of isolation is when my patience began to dwindle in regards to my fear of sharing my music. I was throwing myself into music and rediscovering who I was by songwriting; it was incredibly healing. I had a moment where I said to myself, “What is the point of writing all these songs if they’re just going to live in this notebook forever?”. So I worked up the courage to perform at an open mic for the first time ever, and that night is when I became completely addicted to performing. I began performing at open mics all around town, multiple nights a week, just practicing and learning everything I could. It was during those few months that I realized it was going to be hard for me to ever want to pursue anything else that wasn’t music. Ever since then, I’ve been pursuing a professional music career and have no end in sight as far as I’m concerned.
Haley, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a singer-songwriter and independent artist based out of St. Louis, Missouri—creating songs infiltrated with a blend of acoustic, indie, and pop. My appeal lies within the honesty and authenticity to which I fill my lyrics. Since 2017, I’ve released my first full length studio album Hindsight and 4 singles, one of which in 2021 was my hit single, Long Game. Long Game has been played on dozens of radio stations worldwide, and was named “Song of the Year” for 2021 on Markskin Radio.
Music started out as a closet hobby for me, serving as an outlet for creativity and escape. Self-taught on guitar, I began playing at 17 years old and soon started experimenting with singing. Too embarrassed to share, singing and guitar remained a secret passion, but it was not until my junior year of college that I began to gain the confidence to share my passion. Late 2017 consisted of frequenting open mics all around town and gaining credibility for my talent. Writing had always been a hobby and strength of mine growing up, so once music was involved at the onset of learning to play guitar I started dabbling in songwriting. Songwriting is what opened the floodgates to my musical endeavors, and it resulted in beginning to make a name for myself around St. Louis by playing shows and booking any gig thrown my way. I’ve released a variety of musical projects since 2017, including my first full length album Hindsight, which was recorded at Sawhorse Studios in STL with local producer Chris Turnbaugh, and released in November 2019. Lyrically the album expresses the difficulties of heartbreak, and sonically favors acoustic elements. Then after getting married in 2020, I released Long Game in 2021, which served as the perfect contrast to Hindsight. Inspired by the old school Soul and Motown sounds, Long Game added a modern pop flare, and its lyrics were redeeming in the name of love.
My goal is to keep it real and authentic with any endeavor I pursue; sharing my heart through music is my main avenue for that goal. I take what life throws at me and I make sense of it through song, writing about anything and everything that generates inspiration. I love experiences and I love people, so the cool thing about music is you can connect with a total stranger or someone completely different from you when it comes to shared experiences, and I love using music to reach people and connect. I never want to compromise my lyrics for a catchy beat.
I am currently in the midst of finishing up a new single to release later this fall!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Hands down the best part about being a songwriter and artist is when people tell me how much they relate to a certain song of mine, or that it made them feel a certain way. Living in a world of so much division, it can be really hard to connect and relate with different types of people, but I’ve always believed music bridges that gap time and time again. All I want to do is make music that makes people feel things, no matter what the feelings are. So, when listeners share with me how much it struck a cord with them, there is no better feeling for me. Everybody just wants to be seen and heard, and I’ve certainly felt seen or heard by other artists music throughout my life, so my goal is to provide the same for others.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I always tell people that almost once a week I have a moment where I am convinced I need to quit pursuing music and sell all my gear and go back to a normal job. Imposter syndrome is so prevalent when pursing a career in the creative industry. There is frustration and burnout and sometimes I’m unhappy with where I’m at, so non-creatives at times don’t understand why I don’t just quit and move on with something else. They’ll say, “Well if you think about quitting every week, then just quit??”, But what they don’t understand is the paradox of being a creative. Yes, there are times where I am so frustrated I just want to give up, but I also know that giving it up is just not an option. I couldn’t live without it. It’s a passion and drive so engrained in who you are as a person that no matter how ‘impractical” it may be at times, or how scary the possibility of wasted time is, the thought of giving it up is so much scarier.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.haleywoolbrightmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleywoolbrightmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haleywoolbrightmusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HaleyWoolMusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_F1Dce3GhKGRI4LTizIP1A
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1cH54oiDntmMp3B3uyUxGg?si=ec9H6mugSS2cwx3reFCF4A Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/haley-woolbright/1200479841
Image Credits
Photos taken by Jenee Mack Photography