Los Angeles–based singer/songwriter Haylie Davis will release her debut album, ‘Wandering Star’ via Fire Records on June 5, 2026.
Today she shares her latest single “Horns of Time” which taps into a plaintive cosmic country palette. About the track she comments, “I’ve been going to a woman’s gathering in Northern California since I was a young kid. There’s a woman there who goes by ‘Stargazer Lee’ and she holds group stargazing out in the field at night where she teaches astrology and astronomy. She’s truly a genius in her story telling and knowledge of the cosmos. One thing she taught us is that when you hold your fingers in a “rock on” form against the sky, the distance in between your pointer finger and pinky accounts for about an hour of time on earth- and it can help you tell how long it will take for a star to set below the horizon. This measure is called ‘Horns of Time’ because your fingers look like little horns and they keep time. But I think it stuck with me because it also points to how tiny we really are under all those stars.”
Davis’ coming-of-age debut unfolds like a Townes Van Zandt tale set in a deserted diner off a re-routed interchange—intimate, cinematic, and quietly fearless.
Haylie Davis channels the spirit of the early ’70s, when Carole King and Joni Mitchell redefined songwriting. That time-travelling sensibility is celebrated on “Wandering Star,” the album’s title track – a piano-led meditation steeped in longing, the song carries the eerie shadow of Karen Carpenter, buoyed by a luminous, aching sub-melody.
“I left home and everything I knew to follow my dreams. It’s the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, but the most important.”
Davis found a home within a burgeoning West Coast scene—alongside Sam Burton, drugdealer, Alex amen. Davis comments, “I believe everyone has a calling, a whisper in their heart. Deciding to listen to it might feel like an impossible choice, or at least it did for me. It also takes a lot of courage to be a wandering star. To be lost and find the will to keep going is a very difficult thing to do.”
About her LA music community Davis comments, “we share a deep love for similar music, but we all approach our craft in our own unique way. I’m so grateful for the people who have believed in me along the way. Without them it wouldn’t be possible. This album was a hard-earned group effort. Thanks to Sam Burton and the band. These people are all closely woven into my story of becoming the artist I am now.”
‘Wandering Star’ is a culmination of Haylie’s life, the wins, the losses. all the people she has met, the places she has been, and her life in Los Angeles up until this point.
Elsewhere across the album “Give Me a Rainbow” follows—a lo-fi folk reverie recalling Clairo, as if filtered through a back-porch-reclining, wide-eyed Dolly Parton in awe of her own roots.
Rolling Stone has hailed Davis’ earlier recordings as “gently hued Laurel Canyon folk-pop songs,” and on ‘Wandering Star’ her compass swings wider still. Her maturing worldview and distinctive vocal at times evoke Lana Del Rey and Weyes Blood crafting an ode to Gram Parsons—a hybrid on full display in the self-examining passion of “I Was Wrong.”
A fresh take on modern pop, ‘Wandering Star’ is infectious brimming with hooks, soaring choruses, and storylines that tug at the heartstrings. Haylie Davis emerges as a Carly Simon for post-Gen Z—timeless in feeling, unmistakably of the moment.
Davis concludes, “Even though I feel like I am a part of something, I am doing things my own way. I’ve made friends and I’ve made enemies; I’ve gotten lucky and I’ve struck out. It’s important to remember who you are so you don’t get carried away in the era of algorithms and followers…Writing songs is one of the few things in this world that makes sense to me. It’s been my North Star when I’m wandering.”
Haylie Davis comes from a small Agricultural town in Northern California about an hour north of San Francisco. In her formative years, the sound of her mum singing along to the country radio station Froggy 92.9 rang in her ears and inspired Davis to sing. Both her parents are blue collar workers therefore Haylie never considered art as more than a hobby and was taught to work hard and hustle.
After dropping out of school at the age of 19 to chase her dreams, Davis spent most of her time working in restaurants and playing shows in dive bars, recording whenever and wherever she could, learning by trial and error. After making friends in the LA scene, Davis pursued her writing and recordings and finally put together material for her debut full length, ‘Wandering Star’ – a culmination of the love, heartbreak, searching, discovery, hardship and victory.
Across the album, Davis ventures into the world of rock n’ roll and pop while still touching on past influences from country and folk. Haylie Davis’ voice can also be found on many other projects in the scene such as “Dear Departed” by Sam Burton, “Hiding in Plain Sight” by Drugdealer, “California Blues” by Alex Amen, and more.
On the back of some stellar appearances at SXSW last month, Haylie Davis has just confirmed some UK and US live appearances.
Haylie Davis Live
29th May: Theatreship Canary Wharf, London, UK (presented by Broadside Hacks)
6th June: Rough Trade New York, NY, US (acoustic instore, 3pm)
“A cross between Emmylou Harris and the cult psychedelic folk singer Linda Perhacs, with melodies that beam through like Laurel Canyon sunshine” Rolling Stone
“Gorgeously melodic, soft-focus confessionals that land with emotional precision” Rough Trade
“One of California’s brightest apparitions…A beautiful diorama that tries to contain the many divergent thread of folk, all bound by her soaring voice.” Shindig ★★★★
