Interview: Bailey Hyneman’s Latest Release “Better Days”, Her Hopes For Listeners & New Beginnings In New York
- Monica Soriano
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
The soulful songstress Bailey Hyneman shared with us the songwriting process for “Better Days”, musical collaborations she would love and more.
Article Contributed by Monica Soriano
It is not often that one can stumble across a song that states “not all bad days have silver linings” but feel a sense of joy while listening to it. “Better Days” by Bailey Hyneman portrays life perfectly, allowing a bad day to be a bad day but knowing that’s all it is. We had the lovely opportunity to interview Bailey and learn about her as an artist and person.
“It Felt Like Purpose”
We asked Bailey if there was a specific moment she realized she wanted to become a musician and to our surprise she stated that it was at the age of 4 when she knew. She went on to say “I was in the back seat of the car singing along to “The Little Mermaid” sound track. It was the part when Ursula is taking Ariel's voice - the ‘ahhhhs’, and I remember how good it felt to sing along to that. I think I sang it over and over.” She said that at that moment she knew “....there was nothing else I wanted to do in my life but sing. From then on there was no question what path I would try to take in my life. I think it felt like purpose - which I realize is a really wild thing to feel at such a young age.”
Hyneman’s journey is filled with personal experiences and musical inspirations that shaped her to be the artist she is today. Because Bailey grew up in a household where artists like Al Green and The Manhattans were on rotation we had to ask her what her dream collaborations are. She said “I would LOVE to collaborate with Al Green, John Legend, and Alicia Keys. They are top top top for me. An absolute dream.” She let us know she was going to start manifesting it and continued “And Cleo Sol. I just love her. Kojey Radical is also someone I would love to hop on a song with! I have really loved his work for a long time and think that would be so cool.”
“New York Challenges You To Dig Deep”
The Memphis born singer made her way over to New York City. Since New York is a popular hub for artists we had to ask about this change musically and personally. Bailey stated that “Memphis to New York is definitely different. Luckily I had a few stops along the way. I went to Berklee College of Music in Boston right out of high school, and for someone from the south who has never lived in a big city, Boston was the perfect landing spot. It was small enough, but had that fast city feel. I learned to use the train, I discovered new cuisine, it was great. Then I spent quite a bit of time in Nashville and from there NYC.”
She proceeded “I am very much influenced energetically by the environment around me, and while I enjoy the slower paces of Memphis and Nashville on occasion, I really need that push of city life to keep me moving and inspired! Knowing that made the transition feel like a breath of fresh air rather than a challenge.”
We had to ask if New York inspired her musically differently than Memphis and she responded “New York has allowed me to explore more parts of myself. Being in Memphis gave me a great musical foundation, but living in New York challenges you to dig deep and encourages you to get out of the confines of self imposed margins!”
“Better Days” Was Really Therapeutic
“Better Days” not only has Bailey’s beautiful voice but also lyrics that will grab the listeners attention and make one reflect. This was a personal song for Bailey, knowing that, we had to ask what the writing process was like. She explained how the song came about. “This was really personal. It was also the first time I didn’t have anyone helping lead the direction. Meaning, I didn’t have a producer working on it. I wrote it during a time when my identity was shifting, the world around me was changing, and I needed to earn my own trust - in so many ways. So it was really therapeutic.”
She continued with “I enjoyed being in charge, and it also helped me see where I may lack and do need to lean on people. Luckily, I have incredible musicians and friends around me who helped guide me. Like my friend Jovan, he gave extensive and really detailed notes - something that would typically be expected of a producer or someone who would benefit from giving those notes - but he did it out of the kindness of his heart, because he is a really exceptional friend, and cared about me and the song. The actual writing of the song felt pretty simple, it was pushing myself to finish it and believing in my vision that taught me the most.”
New Music & Hopes for Listeners
We brought up her release of the AGAIN EP last year and asked about a possible new EP or Album release this year. Bailey went ahead and confirmed for us that there will be a new EP stating “I am working on it now. Slowly, but surely. By the end of the year there will be a new EP and I am really excited. It will be a sort of new-ish sound. New explorations. Same me, just expanded and explored more.” It made us excited to hear that she will be expanding her horizons sonically.
Lastly, we wondered what she hoped listeners would take away while diving into her music. Hyneman said “I hope people just feel good, or feel seen, or feel connected. I hope they feel hope, I hope they feel that they have a place to go and be who they need to be when they listen.” An honest sentiment from someone who includes fragments of her heart and life into her music.
We enjoyed learning about Bailey’s journey in New York and her songwriting process for “Better Days”. We look forward to hearing her voice reach people everywhere and follow her career as it reaches new heights!