Haylie Davis Drops Stage Name and Cowboy Hat for New Album

Singer Haylie Davis, 26, has abandoned her stage name Lady Apple Tree and her cowboy hat for her new album "Wandering Star." The name change reflects a desire for authenticity and freedom to experiment across genres beyond folk. Davis cites her hometown Healdsburg and childhood listening to country radio with her mother as early influences. The album draws heavily on 1970s music, particularly Joni Mitchell, whom Davis listened to obsessively during the writing process. In the song "Golden Age," Davis inverts the phrase "Eat the rich, feed the poor" to "Feed the rich, eat the poor," expressing anxiety about wealth inequality in America and global political tension. She describes the current era as a hard time with an out-of-control government and an uncertain future.