Hailey Whitters has been one of the brights spots in mainstream country for some years now, with plenty of fans in independent and traditional country circles also digging on her music.

She’s not afraid to write and sing an actual country song, while earning some worthy mainstream recognition, including a trophy for the ACM’s New Female Artist of the Year in 2023, as well as CMA and Grammy nominations.

Now she’s readying her latest release to be called Corn Queen out June 6th on Pigasus Records / Big Loud Records. The 16-song album produced by Jake Gear includes collaborations with fellow Big Loud artist Charles Wesley Godwin, as well as Molly Tulle on the already-released “Prodigal Daughter,” and a song with Texas music supergroup The Wilder Blue.

Whitters might be on a major label, but that doesn’t mean she’s not willing to get down and dirty in service of her music.

“Fans started calling me the ‘Corn Queen’ because I’m from Iowa,” Whitters says. “At first, it seemed kind of silly, but the more I thought about it, the more I loved the duality of it. Corn is this simple, humble crop, and ‘queen’ implies royalty passed down through blood. I come from a long line of blue-collar farmers and construction workers. I’ve been out here for over a decade brushing my teeth in truck stop bathrooms, sleeping on hotel floors, driving myself from gig to gig. It’s not glamorous, but I’m proud of it. I like the idea of a queen with a little grit and elbow grease.”

Multiple songs have already been release from the album, including the impeccable “Casseroles” that explores loss and grief through the giving of casseroles to the bereaved. She’s also released the super country opening track “High On The Hog,” as well as the more contemporary-sounding “High On A Heartbreak.”

Whitters says about “Heartbreak,” “I wanted to write the antithesis of a heartbreak song, one about a heartbreak feeling good vs. feeling bad – almost like a guilty pleasure. This song feels like something you’d put on to get ready for a fun night on the town after a breakup. It feels like owning the heartbreak rather than feeling sorry for yourself.”

TRACK LIST:

1. High On The Hog (Hailey Whitters)
2. Prodigal Daughter (feat. Molly Tuttle) (Hailey Whitters, Paul Sikes, Bryan Simpson)
3. Shotgun Wedding Baby (Hailey Whitters, Brad Warren, Brett Warren, Caroline Watkins)
4. Helluva Heart (Hailey Whitters, Trannie Anderson, Paul Sikes)
5. High On A Heartbreak (Hailey Whitters, Jessie Jo Dillon, David Garcia, Hillary Lindsey)
6. It’ll Do (Hailey Whitters, Chris LaCorte, Hillary Lindsey, Jon Nite)
7. Hearsay (Hailey Whitters, Trannie Anderson, Paul Sikes)
8. Anything Like Me (Hailey Whitters, Trannie Anderson, Paul Sikes)
9. I Don’t Want You (feat. Charles Wesley Godwin) (Hailey Whitters, Jon Nite, Gordie Sampson)
10. The Nail (Hailey Whitters, Bryan Simpson, Ryan Tyndell)
11. Casseroles (Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, James Slater)
12. Wagon (Trannie Anderson, Ben Hayslip, Seth Mosley)
13. Wholesome (Hailey Whitters, Luke Dick)
14. White Limousine (Hailey Whitters, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jesse Frasure)
15. Corn Queen (Hailey Whitters, Bobby Pinson)
16. DanceMor (feat. The Wilder Blue) (Hailey Whitters, Nicolle Galyon, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)