From Dawn to "DUSK": How HAYLA Set the Stage for Her Solo Breakout
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. For HAYLA, the window to strike revealed itself at a peculiar moment.
The building blocks of HAYLA’s breakout came at a time of great difficulty for most. The UK was ebbing in and out of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. During one government-sanctioned ease-up in June 2020, HAYLA reunited with writing partners Will Clarke, Eddie Jenkins and EDM.com Class of 2024 star Camden Cox.
The situation wasn’t fortuitous but it emboldened HAYLA to pen something everyone could resonate with: a song about escapism.
“It was quite an emotional time for everybody,” HAYLA tells EDM.com while discussing the release of her debut studio album, DUSK. “The message we conveyed, I hope loads of people felt they could connect with. We also felt very strongly about how we were all held up. We didn’t have anywhere else we could go.”
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HAYLA etched her name in history by lending her powerful vocals and songwriting skills to Kx5’s debut single, “Escape.” It’s not often someone is on the ground floor of something new. Something big. HAYLA and her co-writers presented the song to deadmau5 and Kaskade as the two pioneering producers prepared for a mysterious joint venture.
“Kx5—the actual project—was not in the world yet. It was a brand-new collaboration between Kaskade and deadmau5,” HAYLA says. “It was absolutely amazing to be part of that project. Considering the time we were going through, it’s incredible how many people it’s resonated with. We all needed to escape a bit during lockdown.”
“The version you hear now, the music they added turned it into a masterpiece,” she adds. “I absolutely love what they did with the vocals. To send the vocal over and receive a track back like that was absolutely incredible.”
“Escape” put HAYLA on a collision course with a song of even broader impact. John Summit had recently put his artistic touch on an official “Escape” remix. The through-line from Kx5 to Summit spurred HAYLA and her co-writers to approach him with a song called “Where You Are.”
“When ‘Escape’ happened, John did the remix,” HAYLA explains. “The same team pretty much got together again and wrote the top line for ‘Where You Are.’ We said, ‘It’s quite interesting. John is doing really well with the remix and people seemed to really like what we did there, so maybe he would like it.’ We sent it across.”
“Where You Are” exploded as arguably the biggest song of 2023, even eclipsing the broad reach of “Escape” the year prior.
“It’s genuinely been one of the quickest turnarounds of a track I’ve ever had,” HAYLA says.
HAYLA’s climb was a joint effort, an axiom that rings true for anyone who’s succeeded. No matter how prominent someone seems, there’s always a foundation of support behind them. HAYLA and her co-writers, Kx5 and Summit, each contributed crucial pieces to their acclaimed songs.
But now that HAYLA is here, she’s firmly planting her feet and paying it forward.
“I’ve found so much comfort over the years with writing as a form of therapy, as a diary and a license to experiment and go for it,” HAYLA says. “I feel like writing this, I hope it inspires people to feel like if I can do it, why not maybe the person listening to it as well?”
Her career is in full bloom after releasing DUSK and new collaborations with MEDUZA and Kygo. But if all ended after the one-two punch of “Escape” and “Where You Are,” HAYLA could hang her hat on leaving a permanent imprint on music fans.
One of music’s great gifts is how it tethers to experiences. Music and memories weave together so profoundly they meld at the seams. Try as you might, sometimes it’s impossible to separate song from thought. “Escape” and “Where You Are” were electronic anthems for 2022 and 2023, songs with enduring popularity. Their overwhelming impacts mean that HAYLA’s voice is immortalized for as long as millions of memories endure.
“From being a music lover myself, I have tracks that are integral to my life and pinnacle times in my life. To hear that people my vocals from other tracks and it’s become part of their moments that they’ll remember forever and cherish, it’s really nice to hear,” HAYLA says. “Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve really sat back and thought of that, but it’s been amazing. It means a lot.”
Fortunately, there is no need to ponder what-ifs or cling only to old memories. There are countless new ones to make. HAYLA and her intoxicating vocals take center stage for her debut headlining show at Los Angeles’ Roxy Theatre on Dec. 4th. In the meantime, watch the full video interview below and find her new album on streaming platforms here.
Follow HAYLA:
X: x.com/haylasings
TikTok: tiktok.com/@haylasings
Instagram: instagram.com/haylasings
Facebook: facebook.com/haylasings
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/41MXBgq
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