The Highway Women Are Creating A Buzz
Comprised of band mates Drew Haley, Amanda Pruitt, Heather Harper, and Kristen Kae, The Highway Women are creating a buzz in the country music scene. The Highway Women are an all female music band bringing a feminist perspective to the modern country sound. In their new single God Made Me Right, themes of women’s empowerment are celebrated through self-love and confidence. God Made Me Right is an anthem embracing body positivity and the power of womanhood. Please read our exclusive interview to learn about The Highway Women and their work.
Where are you all based?
Primarily in Nashville, but Heather is in TN so she travels to us or with us on the road.
Can you tell Jejune’s readers about how The Highway Women band came to be? Tell us about the beginnings? What is the origin behind the name “The Highway Women?”
The Highway Women was formed in 2016 by a businessman in Dallas, TX. He gave the band that name as a nod to The Highway Men. He wanted to raise up a band that honored the legacy those men left behind. He sold the record label to Jill Pavel in 2017 after disbanding the original Highway Women. Jill started the redevelopment of the band in 2018!
We love your new single God Made Me Right, and how it embraces all women. What is the inspiration behind this track?
We live in a world where there is so much pressure to look perfect. We wanted to inspire women and young girls to love and accept themselves for who they are, because God Made Us Right.
In our hyper critical world, it is so important that girls and women learn to love themselves. Can you talk about how, as a society, you would like women to have more self love and more appreciation in general? Sure thing! I think it is important for us to love ourselves and not hold our beauty accountable to what we see everyday in the media, on television and movies. Girls, especially, spend so much time trying to emulate that airbrushed perfection that is shoved down our throats and that is not reality. Our beauty should be an inside out job.
As a very pro-women magazine, we have to talk about your song “Stand Up and Fight”, which is all about female empowerment. What inspired this song?
WOW! Thank you for asking about this song, it means so much to us. The song was actually pitched to us by Sean Gasaway, a songwriter, and was co-written by 2Steel Girls and Buffy Lawson. We like to write our own material, but we really wanted a chance to record and promote this song for EVERYTHING it delivers lyrically. If you want something, go get it! Don’t let anything get in your way, stay focused and make it happen. There is nothing as women we cannot do, together or individually. We actually had a really cool movement use our song for their 2019 anthem. The Women Riders World Relay made a video of their riders using our song as the backdrop. They started this international relay that had over 19K women motorsport riders relay through the world to raise awareness for safety equipment and gear to be manufactured for women, so that they too can benefit from all the safety equipment that is available to men. It was truly an honor.
With so many songs these days just being about romance or something safe, why do you ladies find it so important to sing about women’s empowerment and acceptance?
Because we want our music to mean something and to help and inspire women. Playing it safe doesn’t get you far in this world. Our band is not just about music. We are establishing a positive movement and putting action behind our words.
Do you feel that country music is more or less receptive to pro-women music vs. other genres?
I think women in music, as a whole, have a fight on our hands. Interestingly enough, women’s music is not supported on radio, especially in country music. CMT just committed to 50/50 airplay so that is a start. We are not driven by the acceptance of the industry — our job is to gain acceptance and support from the people, especially women! Music is inspiration and we aim to inspire. To keep it real we don’t care if the industry accepts us or not, there is a big world out there and we are taking our music to the people.
Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming tour this summer?
We are building a tour right now. We have about six dates on the books and more to be added. We are not laser focused on trying to book gigs right now. We have had several talent buyers step up and offer to do it for us because they believe in our music and want to be a part of what we are bringing to the people.
What is your motto in life?
Live the words you sing.
Please list any social media and/or websites that you would like jejune to promote:
www.highwaywomen.com
Facebook: highwaywomen
Instagram: highwaywomen
Twitter: highwaywomen
Photography by Gonzalez Media Productions.
