Singer Hayley Orrantia talks country music industry: 'Time to make big changes'

For eight seasons, Hayley Orrantia has played Erica Goldberg on ABC’s 1980s-set family sitcom, "The Goldbergs," on which she often showcases her singing chops.

But in real life, Orrantia has many other roles -- including country singer, having released her debut EP, "The Way Out," in 2019.

As she continues to work on new music from her home studio, Orrantia is acutely aware of the changes taking place in the country music industry, specifically when it comes to speaking out against racism following the Morgan Wallen controversy.

“I absolutely think this is an opportunity for country music and people within country music to start having conversations that they were very hesitant to have before,” Orrantia, 27, told ABC Audio.

“I think that not only in country music, but the entertainment industry all around, has pushed things to the side or under the table that we've been able to ignore up until this point that you just can't ignore anymore," she said. "It's time to have a conversation. It's time to make big changes.”

She added that it gives her hope to see people in the industry speaking up, especially those in positions of power, because they help set the standard.

“There's a fear when you're in the entertainment industry, whether that's music or acting, to be controversial because you don't want to limit your audience,” she explained. “But at the same time, you know what's right and what's wrong. And at some point you have to be able to stand up and use your platform to be able to represent that.”

“I applaud everyone who's been able to do that during this time because we're just teaching the younger generation how it should be done,” she said.

"The Goldbergs" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.