Hailey Whitters is proudly wearing the mantle of Corn Queen on her new album.
“Fans started calling me the ‘Corn Queen’ because I’m from Iowa,” the “Everything She Ain’t” hitmaker explains. “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,” she continues. “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.”
“High on a Heartbreak” is the latest preview of the 16-track Corn Queen, which drops June 6.
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