Victoria G Interviews HALIE

Victoria G: What inspired you to become a singer?

HALIE: I always grew up around music, my older brothers had a band when I was around 8 years old. My entire family sings, it's definitely a generational thing because it runs deep. I am a descendant of Jimmie Rodgers, whom is also known as the father of country music.

VG: What is your favorite thing about singing?

H: I think my favorite thing about singing is the fact that it's just very therapeutic for me. I would consider myself a very loud outgoing person and singing is definitely a way to get all that out. haha

VG: Who are your musical inspirations?

H: I look up to a wide variety of people in the industry. And it's not necessarily their music that inspires me, but what they have been through and seeing how they still remain strong. Justin Bieber is probably my number one inspiration. He has been through so much in his career, and yet still is making music. My older brother, Michael Tyler, was always someone I looked up to while pursuing music. He has written songs for major artists like Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley etc.

VG: What is your songwriting process?

H: My songwriting process is always different. It can start with an idea, melody, or if I'm writing with others, it might be one of their ideas. Sometimes I can show up to a write, bring an idea, and then have a conversation and pick something said from that conversation. But most of the time it starts with a topic or idea I've recently been feeling in life.

VG: What messages are important for you to express through your music?

H: I haven't ever had a particular message necessarily, but a feeling. My favorite thing about music is listening and being able to relate. I want others to feel like I wrote exactly what they were feeling into the song. So I guess you could say relation is my message, but that can be interchangeable with each idea. It really just depends on the song and what I'm singing about.

VG: Do you play any instruments?

H: I do play many instruments. I can play guitar, piano, drums, and a little bit of fiddle. But I haven't picked up a fiddle in awhile so I'd definitely be rusty! Usually, I have an ability to pick up any instrument and figure out something in 10-20 mins. I also have learned all the instruments by playing by ear. I'm not very good at reading music.

VG: Back in 2020, you were chosen as the winner for your song, "Girls Like Me" on the NBC series, Songland. What was it like being on the show?

H: Being on Songland was a dream come true. They made me feel like I was right at home. Everything was smooth sailing and they had a great team of people working on that show. I never once felt like I didn't belong there or felt like I wanted to go home. Matter of fact, I was really sad leaving LA after the filming.

VG: What was the inspiration behind "Girls Like Me"?

H: My inspiration behind Girls Like Me was I really wanted a girl power song to sing while I was performing. I hadn't ever written one beforehand and when my brother showed me the idea I immediately knew I loved it. So I brought it to my producer at the time and got it finished. I was so happy when Songland chose that song for the show.

VG: Last year you were on another NBC series, American Song Contest representing the state of Missouri with your song, "Better Things". What can you share about your time on the show?

H: I think being on that show was honestly fun, but a little stressful. I actually wasn't supposed to be there initially, but when the first contestant dropped out they called me and I said yes. We got (I think) 6 months worth of paperwork and filming done for me in 2 weeks. I didn't make it past the second round on the show, but being flown out to LA again, and being on TV, was the most fun I had in awhile. So I wouldn't take anything back from that experience. I learned a lot, and also got a picture with Snoop Dogg!

VG: What was the inspiration behind "Better Things"?

H: The inspiration at the time for Better Things was I had gotten out of a 2 year relationship recently, and I felt like I had to get my feelings out into that song. Some of the lyrics were just made up for rhyming reasons but there is some truth to it.

VG: How would you describe yourself in three words?

H: The 3 words I would describe myself using is outgoing, goofy, and smart.

VG: Do you have any hidden talents?

H: My hidden talent is yodeling. I was very secretive about it up until this year. But now that I started practicing it a lot and actually posting clips on TikTok, people ask to hear it a lot now.

VG: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

H: I see myself in 10 years being happy, doing what my heart desires, and successful. I'm the person that follows my heart no matter what goes on in my life. One of my favorite quotes to say is "do what makes you happy."

VG: What are your social media handles?

H: You can find me on every social media platform by @halieofficial. And on TikTok it's @halieofficial1.

VG: What advice do you have for an aspiring singer?

H: My advice to an aspiring singer is to always do what you believe is best for yourself. To be cautious of those around you, and make sure you are focusing on your goals as much as you can and not get distracted by anyone or anything. You also can't have a plan B... I heard that from Ryan Tedder when I was on Songland. It stuck with me and I will always go by that.

VG: What advice do you have for an aspiring songwriter?

H: My advice to any young songwriter is that you just need to write almost every day if you can, and write by yourself in the beginning. It depends on who you are writing for in the long run, but learning who you are as a writer first will help you get structured, and also teach you what you like and don't like about yourself. Learning what your patterns are as a person will help you once you get in the room with other people.

VG: What's next for you?

H: I never really know what's next for myself, I've been greatly shocked a lot lately... but I do know 2 things, and that it's success, and working towards happiness.

VG: RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS What's your favorite genre of music?

H: My favorite genre of music is country.

VG: What is your favorite pastime?

H: Scrolling mindlessly on TikTok unfortunately...

VG: Who's your favorite superhero?

H: Spider-Man

VG: What's your favorite candy?

H: Jolly Ranchers, or gummy bears... hard to decide between them to be honest...

VG: What's your favorite movie?

H: James Cameron's Avatar.

VG: What is your biggest fear?

H: Probably having to give up on music and move back home.

VG: Do you have any pets?

H: I used to when I lived in Missouri, but now that I'm in Nashville they aren't with me anymore. But I had a yellow lab named Zeus, and a cat named Milo.