Whitters "Raised" the bar

The Iowa native also released the video for the first single "Everything She Ain't," directed by Harper Smith.

Whitters will kick off her headline debut Heartland Tour next month.

The 17-song album was co-produced by Whitters alongside producer Jake Gear, who produced "The Dream" and the subsequent deluxe album "Living the Dream," and was engineered by Logan Matheny. Whitters wrote songs with Brandy Clark, Nicolle Galyon, Hillary Lindsey, and Lori McKenna, and collaborating with American Aquarium for the first time on "Middle Of America."

"This song sort of fell from the sky one day writing with Bryan Simpson and Ryan Tyndell," said Whitters, who is based in Nashville. "Ryan had this cool bouncy guitar part, and I shot out the line, 'I'm everything she is, and everything she ain't.' We started spitting out verses and finished it within an hour or so. I love the girl-next-door nature of it and its quirky language."

"The music video was directed by Harper Smith and was inspired by my old high school 'Cow Pie High'... the city kids called it that because it was the school that all the country farm kids went to. I actually was the homecoming queen my senior year, so Harper and I thought it would be fun to muse on that for this video. To me, this song is about being the most authentic version of yourself despite what may or may not be popular at the moment. Whether or not you have 'a Hollywood smile,' this song is about owning what you bring to the table and being confident in your skin."

"It's been 14 years since I've lived in Iowa, but more and more I've been going back there mentally, and being pulled to the people and the places that raised me. 'The Dream' (her first album) was about my time and experience in Nashville and 'Raised' is about taking the road back home to the heartland. If 'The Dream' was my wings, then 'Raised' is my roots. This feels like the record I was always supposed to make, but it took 'The Dream' to put me on the radar of this town and this team. Now that I have it, I'm excited for my fans to connect more personally with who I am."

"This record is where I'm from, this is me. It feels like the prequel to 'The Dream'," said Whitters. "These are the people and this is the place that made that 17-year-old girl leave everything she'd ever known to pursue a career in country music, and not give up over the last 14 years."

"'Raised' is a celebration of the heartland, but I think it's a common story no matter where you're from. My experience growing up in the middle of the country is very relatable to a lot of people. We've all lived in a similar way — the only thing that's different is the scenery."

On Feb. 4, Whitters will kick off her debut headline Heartland Tour in her home state of Iowa at Wooly's in Des Moines. Tickets are on sale now at HaileyWhitters.com.

Recently, Whitters received her first GRAMMY nomination for Song of the Year for "A Beautiful Noise," which was written by Ruby Amanfu, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry and Whitters, and performed by Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile.

The track list is:
1) Ad Astra Per Alas Porci (Jordan Lehning, Pedro Palomino)
2) Raised (Hailey Whitters, Nicolle Galyon, Forest Glen Whitehead)
3) Everything She Ain't (Hailey Whitters, Bryan Simpson, Ryan Tyndell)
4) Big Family (Hailey Whitters, Cameron Bedell, Nicolle Galyon)
5) Middle Of America (featuring American Aquarium) (Hailey Whitters, Bobby Pinson)
6) Plain Jane (Hailey Whitters, Hillary Lindsey, Cary Barlowe)
7) College Town (Hailey Whitters, Nicolle Galyon, Jimmy Robbins)
8) Interlude (Hailey Whitters, Pedro Palomino)
9) Boys Back Home (Hailey Whitters, Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon)
10) Everybody Oughta (Matt Roy, Craig Wiseman)
11) Pretty Boy (Hailey Whitters, Scooter Carusoe, Tom Douglas)
12) The Neon (Hailey Whitters, Rodney Clawson, Lori McKenna)
13) The Grassman (Hailey Whitters, Aaron Raitiere)
14) Our Grass Is Legal (Hailey Whitters)
15) Beer Tastes Better (Hailey Whitters, Lori McKenna)
16) In A Field Somewhere (Hailey Whitters, Jeff Hyde, Bryan Simpson)
17) Ad Astra Per Alas Porci (Reprise) (Jordan Lehning, Pedro Palomino)

Tour dates are: Feb. 4 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly's Feb. 5 - Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads Feb. 10 - Chicago, IL - Joe's on Weed Street Feb. 11 - Omaha, NE - Barnato Lounge Feb. 12 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry Feb. 17 - Columbus, OH - A&R Music Bar Feb. 18 - Detroit, MI - El Club Feb. 19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Café & Music Hall Feb. 22 - New York, NY - The Mercury Lounge Feb. 24 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Feb. 25 - Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry at The Fillmore
March 11 - Glasgow, United Kingdom - The SSE Hydro - C2C: Country To Country Festival
March 12 - Dublin, Ireland - 3Arena - C2C: Country To Country Festival
March 13 - London, United Kingdom - The O2 - C2C: Country To Country Festival
March 25 - Decatur, GA - Eddie's Attic
March 26 - Birmingham, AL - Zydeco
April 10 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Tortuga Music Festival
April 14 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall-Upstairs
April 15-16 - New Braunfels, TX - Whitewater Amphitheatre #
April 22 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
April 23 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
April 26 - Felton, CA - Felton Music Hall
April 29 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
May 1 - Indio, CA - Stagecoach Festival
May 6 - Swisher, IA - DanceMor Ballroom
Aug. 4 - Oro-Medonte, CA - Boots And Hearts Country Music Festival

# - with Jon Pardi and Lainey Wilson