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ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Hayley Belcher, who performs under the name Hayley Nicole, started her journey to compete in the iHeartRadio Next Music Star competition in April. The competition offered artists the chance to submit their music and enter for an opportunity to win $10,000 and perform as an opening act at iHeartRadio’s KIIS-FM Wango Tango 2025.
The singer-songwriter grew up in Harwood, Maryland, and now lives in the Annapolis area. Her connection to music began with singing and playing piano at age 6.
“I picked up guitar when I was about 8 or 9 after my sister and I got acoustic guitars for Christmas from our parents,” Nicole said. “Not long after that, I began taking some lessons and started performing at school talent shows, local sports events, and sharing covers and original music on social media.”
Nicole balances her music career with her role as a music teacher. “I love working with students who are passionate about music, and helping them grow as musicians has been one of the most rewarding parts of the job,” she said. “I had a few teachers growing up who had a huge impact on me, both personally and musically, and I strive to be the same kind of mentor for my students.”
In April, Nicole was accepted into the competition and made it to the top five in her group during the Next Music Star competition. The competition was split into multiple rounds, starting with the “Top 20” round, where the different competing groups received public votes to stay within the top 20 of their group. The competition required artists to promote themselves to the public and gain enough votes to advance. Hayley managed to make it through to the top five round to compete in the group finals, where only one member of each group would be chosen to compete against the other group finalists to become the Next Music Star.
Nicole described the experience as “fun and rewarding,” despite the pressures of competition. “There were definitely moments when it felt a bit stressful, especially when trying to advance through the rounds,” she said. “But overall, I am very grateful that I got to be a part of it. I made some new connections and even became friends with some of the other artists along the way. It really pushed me outside of my comfort zone in the best way, and it helped me to grow not just as an artist and a performer, but as a person, too.”
Nicole said the experience really highlighted the importance of a solid support system. “My friends, family, former teachers, and even some of my current and past students were incredibly encouraging throughout the entirety of the competition.”
Though she didn’t end up winning, Nicole was enthusiastic about the winners of the competition, Sorelle, an Italian American sister trio from Ohio. The sisters — Madi, Ana and Bella — performed alongside artists including Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani, Meghan Trainor, David Guetta and Katseye at iHeart’s Wango Tango concert in Huntington City Beach, California, as part of their prize.
“I am so happy for Sorelle!” Nicole said. “I actually had been following Sorelle before I even knew about the Next Music Star competition from watching them on The Voice a few years ago, and I really love their music! Their vocal harmonies are incredible, and I think they bring something really fresh and unique to the music industry.”
Nicole says her next step is to try and become a full-time performer. Fans can find Hayley Nicole’s music on YouTube and Instagram, where she posts regularly: https://linktr.ee/hayleynicoleofficial.
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