Hailey Whitters Talks ‘I’m In Love’ And ‘Spiritual’ Onstage Moment
Hailey Whitters’ single, “I’m In Love,” and her collection of music is now finally getting the attention it deserves. Backstage at the CMA Awards, the singer spoke about the song….
Hailey Whitters' single, "I'm In Love," and her collection of music is now finally getting the attention it deserves. Backstage at the CMA Awards, the singer spoke about the song.
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The New Artist of the Year nominee released her EP of the same name, I'm In Love, earlier this year. Whitters joked with our hosts Jeff Kurkjian and Jeff Franiak that she's a "15-year overnight success, y'all."
Along with the title track, "I'm In Love," Whitters' six-song I'm In Love EP also features her platinum hit, "Everything She Ain't." As Kurkjian said, she's been "grinding it out," and we think it was well worth the wait.
Whitters opened up to us after we had addressed a very emotional on-stage performance that took place this past summer in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 34-year-old had finally met Janice, the woman and inspiration behind her song, "Janice At The Hotel Bar."
"It was kind of a spiritual thing for me because my Janice passed before I wrote that song. So, and I put so many of her like things, nuances and stuff in that song, and like, I never got to play it for her," Whitters explained.
Now, Whitters is preparing to take a trek across the map next year as a special guest on Dan + Shay's 'The Heartbreak On The Map Tour,' which kicks off in February. She will also join Luke Combs on select dates in 2024 for his 'Growin' Up And Gettin' Old Tour.'
Watch the full interview with Hailey Whitters below.
Luke Combs is getting ready to release his latest album, Growing Old, later this month (3/24), and then he kicks off his world tour, which will play stadiums all over the world. That is not bad for a guy who studied criminal justice in college just over ten years ago.
As his country star continues to rise, Luke became a new dad in July of last year (2022) and has been busy helping out his wife Nicole take care of his son Tex. He also performed as a multiple nominee at the Grammy Awards show in February (2/5).
Combs celebrates his 33rd birthday today (3/2), and to honor him; we rank his 16 biggest and best songs.
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16. "Does to Me" (featuring Eric Church) (2020)
SonyA collaboration between Luke and Eric Church, who he cites as a musical hero. It was the third single from Combs's 2019 album What You See Is What You Get.
15. "Cold Beer Calling My Name" (featuring Jameson Rodgers) (2020)
SonyAnother collaboration, this time with new artist Jameson Rodgers. Rodgers served as an opening act for Combs during Luke’s 2019 "Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour."
14. "One Number Away" (2018)
SonyThis song is a ballad about a man conflicted with not wanting to break down and call his ex-girlfriend. "One Number Away" reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, giving Combs his third No. 1 country hit overall.
13. "Brand New Man" (with Brooks and Dunn) (2019)
SonyA remake of a Brooks & Dunn classic on the Country Music Hall of Fame duo’s ‘Reboot’ album. Luke is a huge fan of the duo, and when this writer interviewed him at the start of his career, one of his main goals was to meet Kix and Ronnie. Well, he did, and the rest is history.
12. "Better Together" (2020)
SonyCombs performed the song on October 15, 2020, on the telecast of the Billboard Music Awards. During the performance, he appeared in a suit, and without his trademark baseball cap and was accompanied solely by a piano player.
11. "When It Rains It Pours" (2017)
SonyThe song's music video features Luke encountering his ex-girlfriend, and then driving, celebrating with his friends, getting a phone number from a waitress (played by his then-girlfriend, now wife, Nicole Hocking), and celebrating over winning money on a lottery ticket. It was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2018 CMT Music Awards.
10. "She Got the Best of Me" (2018)
SonyCombs said that he wrote this song four years prior to its recording, at a bar in Nashville, Tennessee called the Tin Roof. It was added to his debut album This One's for You as a bonus track due to fan demand.
9. "Even Though I'm Leaving" (2019)
SonyIn the song’s first verse, Luke sings of a child who is afraid of monsters under his bed, while the second features the son as a young adult going off to serve in the military and the final verse features the son becoming emotional over his father's death.
8. "Cold as You" (2021)
SonyCombs uploaded an acoustic rendition of "Cold as You" in October of 2020 and dedicated it to his parents, wife, and fans. The tune told the story of a broken-hearted guy finding his way to a barstool.
7. "Doin' This" (2021)
SonyThis song was inspired by interviewers asking Luke what he would do as a career if his country music career didn’t take off. His answer is in this song saying that if he didn’t make it big, he’d still be “doin’ this.” He debuted the song at the 2021 CMA Awards.
6. "Six Feet Apart" (2020)
SonyThis song only charted in the top ten, but most of us related to it, as It perfectly describes what so many of us were feeling at the beginning of the pandemic.
5. "Lovin' on You" (2020)
SonyThe video for this song is epic as it portrays Luke and his wife Nicole meeting at a skating center as kids. Combs performed the song on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in July 2020.
4. "Hurricane" (2016)
SonyThis is the song that started it all for Luke in Nashville. The song reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Its second week atop that position gave Combs two distinctions: the first artist to have a multi-week number one debut single chart since Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" in 2012 and the first male solo artist to accomplish that since Darius Rucker's "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" in 2008.
3. "Beautiful Crazy" (2019)
SonyA beautiful love song. Luke first posted videos to Facebook of himself performing the song. In 2018, he re-issued his debut album This One's for You (titled This One's for You Too) with a studio version as a bonus track.
2. "Forever After All" (2021)
SonyA song that tells the tale of his love for wife Nicole. The video of the song features footage from Combs’ August 2020 wedding. The song is a continuance of "Beautiful Crazy" and "Better Together," which were both dedicated to his wife.
1. "Beer Never Broke My Heart" (2019)
SonyThis is Luke’s signature song, and what a great concept for a song. The fun song hit No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart dated August 4, 2019, which made this Combs' sixth number one on the chart. The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA on October 24, 2019.
