We recently had the chance to talk with rising duo Haley & Michaels, to talk about their brand new EP and more. Featuring Shannon Haley and Ryan Michaels, the duo has scored major airplay on SiriusXM's The Highway channel with "Just Another Love Song" (which hits your local radio stations on November 17). and now they've released a second single to the satcaster with "500 Miles," a song that was a big hit in the 1990s for folk/pop duo The Proclaimers. Haley & Michaels worked with Kyle Jacobs and Matt McClure for the recording of their EP and the songwriting duo behind Lee Brice's "I Drive Your Truck" helped give Haley & Michaels an edge. Get to Know Haley & Michaels below and then take a listen to their EP before heading to iTunes to pick up your own copy!
Roughstock: What can you tell us about "500 Miles”?
Haley & Michaels: When we first started singing together, before we had ever written songs together, we had a lot of fun coming up with our own take on our favorite songs. When picking cover songs to sing, we always tried to choose songs that took on different meaning when a guy and a girl sang them. We would spend hours on our vocal arrangements, trying to play off of each other as much as possible, without having a lead singer. We heard "500 Miles" driving in the car one day and really listened closely to the lyrics. To us it felt like a love song, and we thought it could be cool to have two people sing it to each other.
Some friends of Shannon's worked on the ABC show Nashville and they heard us play the song live and offered to make a simple acoustic video of us singing the song. We put it up on YouTube and started getting tons of requests from people asking if they could have a copy for their first dance at their wedding. Our producers Kyle Jacobs and Matt McClure heard our version of the song and wanted to record a full band studio version. It's just been picked up as our second song on Sirius XM The Highway this year, and it's also on our new EP!
RS: How did you choose the five songs on your EP?
H&M: We have been writing songs together for over two years and we promised ourselves we wouldn't release an EP until we felt like we had a group of songs that showed variety, but that still had a through line that defined us as an artist. We wanted to choose the songs that showcased both a male and female perspective, and allowed us to exchange vocal parts, as though we are having a conversation in the verses and then joining together in the same sentiment during the choruses.
RS: How has SiriusXM's acceptance of you helped expand your career?
H&M: Having songs played on Sirius XM The Highway has made such a huge difference in our career because their listeners tend to be real music enthusiasts! It has connected us and exposed our music to so many people who we wouldn't have had access to before. We felt the impact almost right away and it has been growing ever since. We are just so grateful for The Highway's support!
RS: Have you seen more fans come out to the shows since they've played your music?
H&M: Absolutely! We've also started to experience crowds singing our songs back to us. That is the most amazing feeling!! We were shocked when it first happened, and we can't imagine ever getting used to it!
RS: What one word best describes country music to you?
Shannon Haley: "Lyrics" - To me, what makes a county song different than songs of any other genre is the lyrics. Lyrics in a country song tell real stories and paint amazing pictures about real life. When I think of country music, I think of songs that I can understand or could have lived... songs that touch on something very universal.
Ryan Michaels: "Life" - I always think about songs that talk about real life when I think of country songs. That's the through line of all of my favorite country artists, and what will keep country music being definable from all other genres.
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