Hayley Orrantia brings a true sense of Southern sass and class to her new single, "Strong, Sweet and Southern."

The 22-year-old country singer stars on TV's The Goldbergs as Erica Goldberg, a teenager who aspires to be a professional singer. She was actually a singer before she ever considered acting, growing up steeped in R&B and pop influences and making a move into country when she competed on The X Factor in 2011, where she got put into a country girl group called Lakoda Rayne.

"Strong, Sweet and Southern" draws on all of those influences, marrying a funky groove in the bed track with horns and backing vocals for a Southern-style soul-country rave-up that provides a showcase for Orrantia's well-developed, blues-inflected voice.

Orrantia co-wrote the song with Mark Bright and Kevin Kadish, who also produced the track. The resulting track is up-tempo and fun, and quite unlike anything else that's at country radio right now. The lyrics warn potential suitors that Southern girls are not easy conquests.

"Boy, pick me up / Open my door / Buy me dinner / And show me that you're working for it / 'Cause I like my men like I like my tea / Strong, sweet and Southern," she sings.

"So excited to release my new song, 'Strong, Sweet and Southern!'" Orrantia enthuses. "It's a fun song about wanting a guy to step up, be a gentleman and court a girl they way she deserves. I hope it resonates with my generation. It's a fun song to dance to."

Orrantia has been working on her debut EP — also titled Strong, Sweet and Southern — with Bright as her producer. No release date has yet been announced.

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