Redwater’s Hailey Wright wows judges on NBC’s The Voice

A young lady from Redwater, Texas has burst onto the national music scene following her stirring rendition of a country music classic on The Voice. While many in Northeast Texas know of her talents, after more than a million views of her performance, the whole world now knows Bowie County’s own Hailey Wright.

Wright’s soulful cover of Freddy Fender’s Before the Next Teardrop Falls earned her chair turns from music superstar judges Michael Buble and Kelsea Ballerini, and the young star chose to go forward on the show on Team Ballerini.

Wright is relatively new to the music industry. She started singing just four years ago after a life-changing softball injury at 16 sparked her musical journey. A bad slide into 2nd base and a broken leg gave her a lot of idle time. It was then that she picked up a pawn shop guitar and taught herself how to play. She found music as a powerful outlet for her emotions. Her first open mic performance was a hit, with the audience recording and sharing it on social media.

But music is just one of the facets of Wright. Alongside her musical awakening, Hailey discovered her Choctaw heritage, embracing her Indigenous roots through powwows. Now, she honors both her musical talent and cultural identity, growing her mid-thigh-length hair – a symbol of spiritual significance in Choctaw culture – and learning the Chahta language. Hailey continues to pursue her musical career while deeply connecting with her heritage.

Hailey told us in an interview this past week that she has been singing since she could talk and her foray into professional music was born from a love of the audience. She said, “I just love the audience and making that connection. Even if there is only one person listening, there is a connection.”

When asked why she chose such a classic song for her blind audition on The Voice, Hailey quickly expressed her love for old school, classic country music with a love for past greats like Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells and Linda Ronstadt.

She noted, “I love classic country, and that is one of my fav songs ever. I love Freddy Fender and I wish more people knew him. I want to be a classic country artist. That is who I am and that was the perfect song.

Wright said when she got the turns from Buble and Ballerini it was a moment she will never forget.

“I am still in shock over it. It was like a now I made it moment. I went out there and didn’t expect a turn and tried not to get my hopes up, but then it was wow I am really here, I really did this.”

The rising star says that her choice to go with Team Ballerini was simple. She said, “I went with her because she was able to recognize the yodel immediately. I knew when she had me sing Blue I knew she was the right one.”

Wright’s plans after her stint on The Voice are simple. She plans to eat, sleep and breathe music in search of achieving her dream and the dream of all country music performers, and that is the stage at the Grand Ol Opry in Nashville.

If you would like to follow the career of Texas’ newest country music star Hailey Wright, look for her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Official-HaileyWright If you would like to see her live on stage, Hailey has performances scheduled in the near future at Fat Jacks, The Wild Hare and Hopkins Ice House.

Follow her progress on The Voice on Monday night’s at 7 p.m.on NBC.