Sometimes an artist finds themselves in the middle of a cultural moment, in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that moment is on its way to being movement. Sometimes the artist helps create the movement. With her second album, Girlhood, Hayley Marsten has created something that is both moment and movement, and an excellent piece of work as well. It is about self-conception and misconception, about power and powerlessness and the fortitude forged by both. Mostly it’s a great ball of wondrousness, a collection of infectious songs and mostly not country music but because Marsten has come from the country lineage I’m not resisting the opportunity to cover it. Nor was I going to refuse the opportunity to talk to her about it.
For those new to her music, Hayley Marsten released her first EP, Lonestar, in 2017 and her debut album, Spectacular Heartbreak, in 2019. That album would garner several award nominations, including for the Golden Guitar for Alt Country Album of the Year. Girlhood was preceded by singles including ‘Drowning Myself’ and ‘I Am a Rich Man’, and produced by Dan Sugars, Kieran Stevenson, Michael Muchow and Cody McWaters. Marsten will be back on the road touring it later this year.
You can watch our chat on YouTube (below), or listen in Soundcloud (below) or on the podcast.
https://www.hayleymarsten.com | Listen to Girlhood on Apple Music
https://soundcloud.com/country-music-blog/hayley-marsten-and-her-triumphant-girlhood
One response to “Hayley Marsten and her triumphant Girlhood”
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