Owensboro native Hayley Payne has loved singing and writing songs for as long as she can remember. She just released her first single titled Dumb Blonde with a Nashville producer. The song sheds light on some entertainers’ insecurities during their music career.
Payne described herself as the opposite of the Barbie doll type, with dark hair and fair skin, and that it’s easy to fall into the “comparison game” with other girls. She brought the idea for the song to her college classmate Caitlin Eadie, and the two immediately began working on a storyline.
“I got the idea from when I was feeling insecure one day. Being in Nashville and as a female artist in country music, sadly, looks matter,” Payne said. “The story is about a girl who’s not all the things a particular guy is looking for, and how he never looks at her like he does someone else. The story didn’t technically happen, but we could both definitely relate.”
Payne traces her musical beginnings to when she was 5 and 6 years old, playing with a toy microphone in front of friends and family.
“I wanted to be the center of attention at a young age, and I’ve always loved music,” she said. “I wrote my first song when I was 8 called Star in the Sky. I liked the idea that I could talk about feelings in ways that others could understand.”
Taylor Swift continues to inspire Payne, even though she’s well on her way in the music industry.
“I’ve always wanted to be her. She loves her fans in a way that I don’t think any other artist does,” Payne said.
Payne graduated from Daviess County High School in 2017 before attending Middle Tennessee State University and graduating with a degree in songwriting. Her program at Middle Tennessee introduced her to a range of genres and people and professions in the music industry.
“My junior and senior year classes were just songwriting classes. They would give us various topics with songs due at the end of each week. We were even challenged to simulate songs for famous artists,” she said.
While she calls Nashville home, Payne also frequents the Owensboro music scene during the summer. She hasn’t hit the honky tonk scene on Broadway, but regularly performs at hotels, restaurants, cafes, and the airport.
“Greater Nashville isn’t just country; there are all different kinds of music, which is really cool,” Payne said. “It’s nice to be around like-minded people. Sometimes it can be tough because you’re only playing for tips since there is no shortage of people that want a stage to play on.”
Payne and company are releasing an accompanying music video in the coming weeks.
Discover Payne’s music on all streaming platforms and learn more about her by searching haleypaynemusic on Instagram and TikTok.
