diff --git a/aeson-qq.cabal b/aeson-qq.cabal
--- a/aeson-qq.cabal
+++ b/aeson-qq.cabal
@@ -1,13 +1,11 @@
 cabal-version: 1.12
 
--- This file has been generated from package.yaml by hpack version 0.32.0.
+-- This file has been generated from package.yaml by hpack version 0.34.4.
 --
 -- see: https://github.com/sol/hpack
---
--- hash: a1f241da60cf8a9d7982813256a1f34533b63be4d8adaeef03e78814369707c4
 
 name:             aeson-qq
-version:          0.8.3
+version:          0.8.4
 synopsis:         JSON quasiquoter for Haskell
 description:      @aeson-qq@ provides a JSON quasiquoter for Haskell.
                   .
@@ -57,6 +55,8 @@
 test-suite spec
   type: exitcode-stdio-1.0
   ghc-options: -Wall
+  build-tool-depends:
+      hspec-discover:hspec-discover
   hs-source-dirs:
       src
       test
diff --git a/src/Data/Aeson/QQ.hs b/src/Data/Aeson/QQ.hs
--- a/src/Data/Aeson/QQ.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Aeson/QQ.hs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 import Language.Haskell.TH.Quote
 
 import qualified Data.Vector as V
+import Data.String (fromString)
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import Data.Aeson
 
@@ -46,8 +47,8 @@
       objs2list :: (HashKey, JsonValue) -> ExpQ
       objs2list (key, value) = do
         case key of
-          HashStringKey k -> [|(T.pack k, $(toExp value))|]
-          HashVarKey k -> [|(T.pack $(dyn k), $(toExp value))|]
+          HashStringKey k -> [|(fromString k, $(toExp value))|]
+          HashVarKey k -> [|(fromString $(dyn k), $(toExp value))|]
 toExp (JsonArray arr) = [|Array $ V.fromList $(ListE <$> mapM toExp arr)|]
 toExp (JsonNumber n) = [|Number (fromRational $(return $ LitE $ RationalL (toRational n)))|]
 toExp (JsonBool b) = [|Bool b|]