“Sweetheart, I ain’t playing second fiddle.”
It’s the opening declaration on emerging country artist Hayley Marsten’s brassy second release and a statement you’d be a fool to doubt. The Australian singer-songwriter goes bold and personal with her recent EP, Lonestar.
Marsten has moved past the heartache that permeated her debut release, Even. Collaborations with artists such as Lyn Bowtell and Aleyce Simmonds have brought a more mature songwriter and performer to the surface. The marriage of feisty tracks like opener “Second Fiddle” and the stark reflection of “Coming Home,” proves a potent combination.
Life experience has ultimately imbued this collection of songs with a more intimate yet worldly view, with the support of fellow songwriters giving Marsten the confidence to be direct with her audience. The title track exemplifies her determination, the desire to forge a career in the face of a doubter. “You said I’d never make it to the top, girls like me they always stop, and I just listen to your big talk… I’m in a Lone Star State.”
Playful defiance, strength, fun, and resilience flow throughout each song. This emotional diversity was a key aim for the burgeoning music star. “I actually knew what the new record would be like after I wrote ‘Lonestar’,” Marsten explains. “It was a turn in the right direction. I knew the other songs would fit around that song and I knew it would be the title track too. Even was filled with a lot of break-up songs and didn’t really have a lot of different emotions or stories, and that’s one thing I wanted to be different on this record.”
Born for the stage, Marsten has been writing and performing since age seven. Though her parents were accountants, they loved and collected music, ultimately exposing their daughter to an inspiring library of classics. “I’m an only child and I spent a lot of time listening my parents’ records, making up dances to them, forcing my parents’ dinner party guests to watch me put on little shows. I’m a show pony from way back. With writing songs it just became something I did on a regular basis. Even then I knew it was something I was supposed to do.”
Enjoy Hayley Marsten’s official “Second Fiddle” music video below!
Lonestar Track List
“Second Fiddle”
“Lonestar”
“Coming Home
“Cash”
“Money Can’t Buy Class”
“Until You”
Enjoy what you hear? Snag Hayley’s music here and share this new artist with other country music fans!
