If there's one person to watch in the music industry right now, it's LA pop star Haiden, whose ability to pair passionate lyricism with catchy tunes holds emotion like no other.
Most well-known for his 2022 single "Sorry to Your Next Ex," which garnered over 15 million global streams, his upcoming music based on relationships and coming-of-age is sure to make a statement and captivate new audiences around the globe.
Image credit: Ethan Benavidez
In this exclusive interview, Haiden opened up about his career thus far, the creative process, and his newest release "you don't even like me."
Meet Haiden
Although only beginning his songwriting journey at the beginning of the pandemic, the LA-based music artist has since been able to grow immensely.
"At this time, I was studying to be an aerospace enegineer while also recording the first 10 songs that I felt were really good (spoiler: they weren’t) with friend and long-time collaborator, Barry Fowler," he shared. "Then in Decemeber of 2020, I had my first viral moment for my song 'Can’t Hurt Me.' When it dropped, people suddenly started paying attention which led to an even bigger moment for my next song 'Sorry to Your Next Ex.' From there, Barry and I spent the rest of the summer making my debut EP, Good Grief!"
Image credit: Ethan Benavidez
What Haiden refers to as "modern pop," he described his musical style as consisting of "hooky songs that don't sacrifice story or quirkiness for the sake of digestibility."
"I want as much song per square inch as humanly possible and that means not compromising on anything. I learned this from some of my favorite and less traditional pop stars like Alex Turner and Death Cab for Cutie." —Haiden
The Creative Process
Wondering what goes on behind the scenes? Haiden's creative process begins with writing each song either by himself or in a group. Taking the time to develop deep and meaningful lyrics with intention, he is able to turn heartfelt words into upbeat music for listeners to relate to.
Image credit: Ethan Benavidez
From there, he explained that "the marketing and visuals take on a life of its own but mirrors the quaintness of the process that created the music."
"I love working with friends and locking in with a small circle of people for extended periods of time. It sorta makes the project more personal and everyone feels more invested!" —Haiden
Haiden's Newest Single, "you don't even like me"
Get ready to add a new song to your playlist because today, on June 30, Haiden released his latest track "you don't even like me," which is the second single from his upcoming sophomore EP, Choke on My Heart.
"This next song as well as the single that will follow it, kinda opened up a new world of writing for me and showed me that I could talk about myself in my songs and people wouldn’t get bored," Haiden shared.
Encapsulating the fear of being too flawed to be loved, the powerful lyricism that takes over the song, coupled with captivating background instrumentals will definitely make it a hit.
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Image credit: Ethan Benavidez
Given this approach, Haiden is setting forth his honest self and being vulnerable to another side of him that many might not be aware of.
"I’m so used to defaulting myself into a side character role that being front and center in these stories scares me a bit. In this one, I talk about my fear of not being good enough for people without all the bells and whistles of being attractive or witty. It sometimes feels like I’m to people by overselling myself so much—like they wouldn’t really like me if they knew that I was just as flawed as anyone else," he expressed.
Listen to "you don't even like me" here.
What's to Come
In the future, there will definitely be some exciting, new music in store.
On August 18, be on the lookout for the release of Haiden's EP, Choke on My Heart, which Haiden voices will cover "different shades of imposter syndrome while using darker themes like addiction, war, and desperation."
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Image credit: Ethan Benavidez
Additionally, be sure to check out Haiden's music and keep up with him on all socials @byhaiden for updates on upcoming projects.
