Home again: Country singer and UW-River Falls grad Hailey James to headline River Falls Days July 9

June 25, 2026 - Hailey James was 14 years old when she heard something on the radio that set her on her life’s path. James always loved to sing but never thought she would go anywhere with it.

“I feel like I had an aha moment when I heard Carrie Underwood for the very first time,” said James, a December 2025 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. “I thought, ‘Wow, I really love this song [Blown Away].’ Wouldn't it be so cool to be like Carrie Underwood and have my songs play on the radio?”

Jumping ahead to 2026, James recently won her sixth Midwest Country Music Organization award: 2025 Female Vocalist of the Year, released her second EP, “Dust Before Diamonds,” played her second show at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Cafe and has had the chance to meet and open for Underwood and several other notable acts. James will return to River Falls to headline the River Falls Days main stage with her full band July 9 from 7 to 10 p.m.

“I graduated, went full time as a musician, and now I get to come back to the place that helped me grow for multiple years,” James said. “It’s pretty awesome.”

Woman with long blonde hair wearing a cowboy hat and playing a guitar

James started learning how to play guitar and writing her own songs after hearing that Carrie Underwood song at age 14. Before long, she was playing open mic nights anywhere she could find them, from her hometown of Cottage Grove, Minn., to the Twin Cities. One night, after she sang at an open mic in Hastings, Minn., the bar owner offered her a weekly gig for the summer, starting the following week.

“I literally knew, probably, a total of five songs—two or three originals and a couple of covers,” James said. “I went home and learned 20 brand-new songs so I could play a whole set.”

James continued to build confidence as a performer and released her first single, “Live Your Life,” when she was just 15. After hearing her song on the radio in the Twin Cities, she started to see her future clearly.

“I said, ‘Okay, Mom and Dad, I think I’m actually serious. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life,’” James said. “It’s a little scary, saying to your parents, ‘I want to be a musician,’ but I just got the bug. And once you get the music bug, I feel like you can’t get rid of it.”

James said she is often asked why she majored in marketing communications at UWRF instead of her chosen field of music.

“One thing that is really important as a musician these days, besides being really knowledgeable in music and building your craft, is learning how to market yourself,” James said. “Marketing is crucial for anyone to build their brand, and as an artist, that is what you’re doing.”

James said her professors were very supportive of her career goals and she was able to focus her marketing projects on building her brand and promoting her music.

“Going for marketing communications was definitely, I can say now, the right move,” James said.

James got a huge boost on social media in 2021 when she was pulled out of the crowd to sing with country artist Dustin Lynch at Country Fest, now known as Hoofbeat, in Cadott. A TikTok video of her singing “Thinking ‘Bout You” with Lynch went viral and continues to draw views. James now has over 200,000 TikTok followers.

James continues to open for well-known acts, including Crystal Gale, Dylan Scott and most recently another personal hero, Ingrid Andress. James not only opened for Riley Green at Hoofbeat in 2025 but was also invited to join him onstage to sing the duet, “You Look Like You Love Me,” during his headlining set in front of the biggest crowd of the day.

One of the most powerful moments of her career came when she sang during the halftime show at a Minnesota Vikings cancer awareness game in 2023. James had written a song for her grandmother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. James said singing that song with her grandma and other cancer survivors and their families surrounding her on the field will always be one of her favorite performances.

In addition to her Midwest CMO awards, James was honored to be named Vocalist of the Year – Modern Country Female at the 2024 Josie Music Awards held at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. She said the accolades and opportunities she has received have helped keep her optimistic in the competitive music world.

“I feel like it has very much reassured me that I am in the exact place in life that I need to be,” James said.

As for her upcoming show at River Falls Days, James says attendees can expect a high-energy show with a mix of mainstream country, ‘90s country and her original songs, which can be found on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever people listen to music.

“The band is really fun and I love to get the crowd hyped up,” James said. “I think people will have a good time”

Photo: Country singer and UW-River Falls alum Hailey James will headline the River Falls Days main stage with her full band July 9 from 7 to 10 p.m. Contributed photo.