Bailey Hefley

Interview by Celeste Lim | Photographer: Jack Guy

Bailey Hefley’s got a whole lot of passion and drive, and these characteristics translate well into her music, allowing her to shine as an emerging country artist. Gifted with talent and serious about her craft, Hefley combines her love for performing with a visceral approach to songwriting. The singer-songwriter gave Nyota insight into her intimate journey creating music as well as the integrity and fearlessness that ensures Hefley’s rise to stardom.

Your love for country music began at a young age. Can you tell us more about your roots and how you first discovered your passion for performing?

I discovered my passion for performing when I sang “Baby Take A Bow” by Shirley Temple at my school talent show in Kindergarten. My mom walked me in for the audition, complete with Shirley Temple curls, and when I finished singing I kept doing curtsies for the 10-person audience in the school gymnasium. When I got to do the real performance in front of about 500 people, I knew in that moment I wanted to keep bowing forever. The connection I felt with that entire room was so intense and unique, almost as if we were all a team and one entity. I fell in love with that feeling, and knew that was the only time I felt that way and wanted to keep experiencing that bond with humanity for the rest of my life.

How do you find inspiration to write your music?

I find it everywhere. Hooks and lines often come from the words I hear myself speak, the words others say to me, and moments when I’m alone and deep in thought. For example, I love turning a commonly used phrase to mean something else for a hook, and then interjecting personal experiences that come to me in images once I know where I’m going. I also enjoy putting a pen to paper and just seeing where the ink leads me. I have often felt as if I am not the one doing the writing because in this type of zone the words feel so fluid and effortless. It’s healing, fun, chaotic, peaceful, and intense all at once – even surprising sometimes. Those adjectives mirror the emotional journey I hope to give others when they hear my songs. I feel the most in touch with my soul and inner self when I’m writing, and just want to give listeners a three minute experience that they can feel deeply. Whether they cry or dance and show their friends in the car and blast it, it’s my hope that it feels like a gift to them in some way because that’s how it feels to me when I create these. The melodies hit like lightning out of nowhere and are effervescent. I often save melodies in my voice memos for later.