Hayley Verrall is only her mid-twenties and she’s already in the Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s Hall of Fame. And you can hear her perform her country music at Ireland House Museum’s Oakridge Farm tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.; admission is “pay what you can,” with a suggestion of $5 per person. Verrall’s performance is the first in the museum’s Summer Music Series; the series will run weekly with the exception of Aug. 4 until the final performance by Dan Taylor on Aug. 25.
Verrall is a lifelong Burlingtonian, who attended Pearson High School for her first two years before transferring to Nelson High School for its music excellence major program. After graduating, she went on to study music business at Centennial College in Toronto. There, she chose to focus on the business aspect of music as she believed that understanding the business side would be valuable.
But before the official music education came the love for music. Verrall’s father was in a barbershop quartet and she was in a church choir, which is where she discovered her love for singing. She began taking piano and voice lessons. Verrall fell in love with country music after attending music festivals, drawn in by the storytelling aspects of the genre. She was a bit of an anomaly amongst her friends; even in college, she was the only person into country music. Everyone else was listening and making pop or rock music. In college, she had the opportunity to learn other genres and work with groups as well, and she found that she “love[s] a good story, an inspiring song, no matter the genre.”
Verrall says that she found her purpose in music after participating in Singing for Smiles in her third year of college, where students went to seniors’ homes to sing for residents. Then, after her grandmother suffered from a stroke, Verrall sang to her: “Her face would light up…and all of a sudden, she tried to eat again.” And that was it — Verrall had found her purpose, she wants to keep “inspiring people and affecting people in such positive ways.”
Though Verrall is a professional singer and also takes care of the business side of her career, she doesn’t do a lot of instrumentation: “I ain’t no professional guitar player!” She is focused on songwriting for now, for herself and other artists, and particularly enjoys co-writing songs. Verrall appreciates being able to bounce ideas around with someone else and finds better ideas come out of the process. Usually, either she or a co-writer will have a hook, a chord change, or a general concept in mind first, and that helps get things moving. From there, Verrall notes, the chorus is the strongest part of the song, so “you have to hear it and feel in your imagination how the audience will feel.”
Justin Bieber and Dolly Parton are cited as inspirations for Verrall: Parton for her stage presence (Verrall has seen Parton perform live) and for how humble she is; Bieber for his songwriting. Of Bieber, she says, “I was over the moon when I heard he released a country song!” (his 2020 collaboration with Dan + Shay, “10,000 Hours”).
As for her 2020 placement into the Burlington Performing Arts Centre’s Hall of Fame, Verrall remembers getting the phone call to tell she was being inducted, and saying, “Are you speaking to the right person? Are you sure you’ve got the right Hayley?” That humility was also present in recounting the story of when she won the city’s Arts Person of the Year award in 2018; she remembers having “no idea what to say” when she won, because other nominees had “so much experience…I wasn’t expecting to win!”
Verrall has also sung the national anthem at the last three mayoral and council inaugurations. She finds it inspiring to have the city’s support — “They’ve remembered me every four years!”
Her love for Burlington also comes through loud and clear when talking to Verrall; she loves being able to do what she loves in her hometown and being supported by her hometown is even better. “This is how I want to make my mark,” Verrall says.
Of course, she has her favourite places: the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (she loves “everything that’s happening there”) and Spencer Smith Park, to walk along the lake and enjoy the view. She especially loves her home, both in the literal sense and in the city-wide sense: she grew up in Burlington, found her love for music in Burlington, and it’s where she’s still making music, “where I’m continuing to write music and be who I am today…this is my safe place,” Verrall says.
So far, Verrall has released six singles and one EP; her latest single, “I Guess That’s Love,” released in Feb. 2023, can be found anywhere you listen to music. As well as continuing with her music as she moves forward, Verrall calls herself “a big rollercoaster fanatic,” and so she’d love to have a “Hayleywood” (“Like Dollywood,” she says) in the future.
Before Hayleywood comes to fruition, though, you can catch Verrall live around Burlington, including the July 14 outdoor performance at Ireland House Museum. The gates will open at 7 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. start, and guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair or blanket to sit on. Local vendors will be on hand for light refreshments, and there will be lawn games to play as well. The next artist featured in the Summer Music Series will be Sarah Church, on July 21, followed by Jeremy Guther (July 28), Warren Jones (Aug. 11), Natalie Reis (Aug. 18), and Dan Taylor (Aug. 25). Go to the Museums of Burlington website for more event details.
To find out where Verrall will be playing next, and for links to buy and stream her music, check out hayleyverrallmusic.com.
