HAYLEY MCLEAN
Acclaimed for her remarkable guitar chops, Hayley McLean has recently celebrated being listed #1 of the Top 10 Guitar Goddesses by Fender as "the notable Canadian beauty [who] is positively bursting with talent."
The quintessential chick-with-guitar, Hayley (born Hayley Rita McLean) throws a striking and dramatic silhouette on stage while cradling her Fender guitar, cross-referencing Bonnie Raitt roots-vibes with Keith Urban virtuosity. Time and time again, following each performance filled with her dazzling guitar fingering, she leaves awestruck audiences asking one simple question: where'd she come from?
In 2010 Hayley won $50,000 in a national radio talent contest. She was awarded studio time, video / photo shoots, a trip to Nashville for a songwriting session, guest appearances at both the Canadian Country Music Awards and the British Columbia Country Music Awards. Soon thereafter, Hayley was signed to MDM Recordings Inc., an international country music distributor and record label. A killer guitar slinger, Hayley has been busy ever since, rocking the country music scene; signing a new deal with Fender; travelling nationwide on tour with Dierks Bentley as Chad Brownlee's guitarist (also joining Brownlee's band performing on the national CBC Canadian Country Music Awards [CCMA] televised broadcast) and previously releasing her first 3-song EP I Am Hayley.
Since then, Haley has opted to reinvent herself, extending her guitar-driven music to songs that are synth- and electronic driven. While McLean may wish to avoid definitions or labels, there's no question that she's helping to re-define what blues, roots, and now electronic / electro-rock sound like.
