Hayla’s voice has been heard by tens of millions. Her hovering, operatic vocals are important to among the largest songs in fashionable dance music.
Over the previous few weeks alone, the Liverpool-born, London-based artist has dominated the stage at world-famous festivals and venues. She sang Shiver with John Summit to shut out the Sahara tent through the second weekend of Coachella. Then, throughout the next two weekends, she carried out deadmau5 and Kaskade’s charting single Escape on the Hollywood Bowl and the Brooklyn Mirage as part of deadmau5’s 25-year celebration, restro5pective.
Within the years prior Hayla, actual identify Hayley Williams, carried out these songs at different main venues corresponding to BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, the digital mega fest EDC Las Vegas, and Kx5’s set on the LA Coliseum. The latter was topped “the most important single-day live performance headlined by an digital music artist in North America,” based on Pollstar.
However Hayla is a lot greater than a headline DJ’s accompanying singer. On prime of the acute energy of her voice, she is a songwriter who co-writes all of her main vocal collaborations. She can be including “producer” to her resume, as she continues to experiment with making music from scratch.
Now, together with her debut (at present untitled) album dropping this 12 months, she is standing agency in her identification as a solo artist.
“It’s my time to attempt one thing for me. I’ve discovered the boldness,” Hayla says in a robust and expressive Northern English accent. “It’s so good to have full inventive management over one thing.”
I’m sitting with Hayla within the dimly lit and effortlessly stylish foyer of the Moxy Lodge in Downtown Los Angeles. We’re chatting within the days main as much as her debut efficiency at Coachella. She was in Southern California for a few weeks earlier than the present, working in studio classes throughout city.
When Hayla works on a monitor, she’s within the room constructing the music from the bottom up, whether or not she’s the featured vocalist or the first artist.
“The great factor about this album is I’ve been within the room precisely once we’ve been creating it from nothing,” Hayla explains. “It’s nice to be within the room and have that electrical feeling.”
One artist with whom Hayla has shared that spark is the UK dance DJ and producer, Will Clarke. Hayla and Clarke first linked once they wrote Escape, which was initially going to be Clarke’s track however, by way of the character of the business, ended up within the palms of Kx5. Since then, they’ve had a number of classes and written 20 songs collectively.
“The factor I really like about Hayla is each session is sort of a remedy session. I’ve a very good relationship together with her. We are able to each open up and speak about life, which for me, in a studio session in music is tremendous vital,” Clarke says from his studio in London. “Meaning even for those who come out of the session and the document’s not that nice, you’ve had one of the best day. There’s no strain — that’s vital for once I need to write for folks.”
“[Will is] so nice at what he does. Working with him is nice as a result of we will bounce concepts. I really feel very assured and cozy with him. That inventive power and movement—It’s very simple to work with him,” Hayla says.
As Clarke describes, he and Hayla work quickly throughout their classes. He is available in with some foundations – “like 4 or 5 concepts, and I imply concepts like very bare-bone chord progressions.” She creates the vocal melody they usually hit document. From there, they write lyrics and type up the track. The entire course of might be as quick as half-hour.
Clarke calls it customary songwriting, however he acknowledges that Hayla brings one thing to the classes that nobody else can:
“Her voice is simply fucking superb,” Clarke says. “It’s harmful as a result of her voice is so good that you may depend on the voice an excessive amount of. It may well make everyone lazy within the room on making the precise finest track as a result of her voice is so good.”
Hayla information her voice fully dry with no reverb. As soon as they’ve the recording down, Clarke provides what he calls “fairy mud” on the again finish. He does slight tweaks with a couple of plugins such because the Waves JJP Vocals and TAL Reverb 2. However for essentially the most half, he lets her sound exist as he heard it within the room.
“I need to hear the rawness of vocalists singing. I need to hear the dips of their voice. I need to hear once they exit of tune. I need to hear all of the imperfections of the human voice is gorgeous for,” Clarke says. “She’s not demanding as a vocalist. She simply will get in and will get it performed.”
Hayla was getting it performed as a singer years earlier than she was working with Clarke, deadmau5, Kaskade, or John Summit. However she by no means led her personal mission both.
For a very long time, she sang in several cowl bands in bars across the UK. She was a backup singer. She sang at weddings. She additionally spent a few years as a ghostwriter for different artists and taught vocal classes (she nonetheless teaches a 65-year-old man as she has for the previous 4 years).
All of those experiences allowed her to precise her love of various genres, however she additionally struggled to search out her personal voice.
“It took me a very long time to determine who I’m and what I actually needed to say —if there was something that I might put down on paper that individuals would have an interest to listen to,” Hayla says.
Now after writing songs that a whole bunch of 1000’s of individuals sing again to her, she is aware of past an inexpensive doubt that persons are curious about what she has to say on her album.
The 2 singles she’s launched thus far — Embers and Fall Once more — stay inside the similar melodic four-on-the-floor realm as her large collaborations like Escape, Shiver, and The place You Are, the final of which is one other co-write with John Summit (that former President Barack Obama listed as one his favorite songs of 2023).
However general, the album displays Hayla’s complete love of music.
“It’s somewhat bit eclectic, this album. It matches into the mould of who I’m. With the ability to present completely different ranges of what sort of music I’m personally into. Additionally my journey in feelings all through various things in my life. It’s gonna hopefully make folks really feel a bit nearer to me as an artist alone slightly than me as a featured artist.”
One more reason listeners will really feel nearer to her on this album is as a result of she is sharing authentic productions. She made the majority of the tracks on the album with different producers, however she produced one of many tracks totally on her personal.
She describes the track as “ethereal,” “keys-and-synth-based,” and “very vocal harmony-led.” Within the track, she layered 15 vocal tracks, recording them in her bed room with an NT1A RØDE mic into Logic Professional X.
“It’s not a track. It’s extra of a sense, I suppose. It’s a pleasant breather.” Presently, she says she will produce effectively sufficient to get an concept throughout, however she needs to enhance her manufacturing expertise; she is holding herself accountable by way of the album. “I wasn’t certain if I used to be truly assured sufficient to place it on there, however I’ve simply determined that I’m going to do it.”
Hayla provides a number of credit score to her collaborators (whom she describes as “kindred spirits”) for serving to her construct her confidence. She thanks Summit and Kx5 for his or her help in welcoming her to the stage. However extra than simply her private advantages, singing in these large venues has allowed her to attach with an viewers in a approach she by no means had earlier than.
“Being on these levels and being in entrance of that many individuals — you get hooked on that feeling,” Hayla says. “One thing that I wrote and sang in a room far, far, far-off from right here is being performed out and resonates with so many individuals. If I can share that emotion with folks and that collective power, it’s superb.”
It might need taken years, however now Hayla is able to share her most genuine feelings. She made her upcoming album with different folks, however these songs characterize who she is as an artist in her personal proper.
This interview has been edited for readability and brevity.