One of the hardest working artists in the Aussie music scene…
The Aussie music scene has plenty of heroes, plenty of OGs that have consistently put out quality tunes time and time again, all the while paving the way for up & coming artists. There are far too many to name, but Sydney producer extraordinaire/ overall good bloke Hayden James is getting our affections today.
Even lockdown hasn’t been able to slow him down, the homegrown star keeping the nation dancing in isolation by dropping weekly DJ sets. Not to mention, he’s got a kick-ass collab ‘Right Time’ out with Swedish Electropop duo Icona Pop. Does the man ever sleep?
But for real, ‘Right Time’ is just a continuation of Hayden doing what he does best: delivering immersive bangers that perfectly walk the line between pop hit and EDM thumper. If there was ever a tune we could choose to keep the fire of live music burning forever, ‘Right Time’ would be it. As you can see we’re proper fans of the track, and if you’re in love with it as much as we are, EDM veteran Ferreck Dawn has recently put his own spin on it. It’s a proper masterclass in the art of the remix. You can check it out here.
We were lucky enough to catch up with Hayden to get the deets behind ‘Right Time’, suss how he’s been faring in lockdown & even took a trip down memory lane to the good old days.
Check it below.
I wanna start this off by saying happy one-year anniversary for Between Us coming out! How does it feel to see so many fans loving it just as much a year later?
Thanks mate! I’m excited people are still discovering the album. I get a bunch of messages each week from legends telling me a personal story about how this album helped them in some way, or just that they love the vibe of the whole record… always feels great to hear. I’m very proud of the record and happy it still feels fresh one year on.
I also want to thank you for ‘Right Time’. It’s really helped to keep the spirit of live music burning in our living rooms. Was that the intention behind it?
It’s obviously been an insane year for lots of people… still feels like we’re in a movie with this pandemic… but I wanted to release something fun and energetic for everyone. Being stuck at home suckkkkks but we have to do the right thing. I was on the fence about if it was the right time to release music but ultimately it’s about connecting with people. If we can’t do that for a while face to face, we’ll find other ways to fill that void.. mine is releasing music for you guys x
The tune has this gorgeous summer-pop vibe that’s completely infectious. Was it hard to capture that feeling when the world was essentially stuck in lockdown?
We actually finished the record early this year right before it all went to shit. Vibes were still high.
Icona Pop straight up murdered that instrumental. I honestly can’t picture anyone else on it. How did you link up with them?
The Icona Pop girls are infectious I feel. Probably not the right word to use but you get me. They have such a great energy to them. We linked up in LA in Jan 2020 and just had one session. It was pretty immediate.
Coming from more of a housey sort of background, was the lean into more pop territory at all intimidating for you? How did you and Icona Pop mesh creatively?
Honestly I really love writing pop music. I think I started heading that way from ‘Just Friends’. It’s 100% intimidating when you try something new. There’s that voice in your head asking if it’s the right decision but I feel if I’m happy with where I’m headed and I’m doing it for the right reasons, we’re on the right track.
Being someone who thrives on connection and being in a collaborative setting, was working on the track from opposite sides of the globe at all jarring? How did that affect the creative process?
A lot of my creative thinking and process takes place solo in my studio. It’s always great to have a session or two with other artists but once the big ideas are formed I like to sit with it myself and just write, come up with other random ideas for the demo etc. Having always had a pretty hectic touring schedule I’m never really home to do this and now that I am, I feel really good. I’m taking full advantage of it.
Speaking of connection, I wouldn’t feel right not mentioning your set at Splendour last year. What was it like seeing the amphitheatre packed full of adoring fans dying to see you?
One of the most incredible moments of my life. It’s hard to describe. I feel it was almost a dream. I started going to Splendour as a punter about eight years ago and if you told younger me that I would be performing on the main stage on the Friday night at sunset there’s ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I would believe you. I hope I get the opportunity again.
The production for your set was otherworldly. After all of this time off, do you have any ideas for the live show when you start playing shows and festivals again?
My team and I put in so much time and effort making the album show unique and as special as we could. I feel the next time we build something like that again will have to be alongside a new album ;)
I wanna go back in time a bit. I think it’s so dope how you, Alison Wonderland, Golden Features, What So Not, Rüfüs etc all played the same venues in Kings Cross when you were first starting out. What’s it like to see each other achieving such huge success now, on the world stage?
It’s wild right?! It was a really special time to all be coming up together, supporting each other and figuring out what kind of artists we wanted to be. Seeing where everyone is now is incredible. I think we all encourage each other to be the best versions of ourselves in a way… because we all kind of grew up together.
Do you have any stories from those days you can share with us? I can imagine being around that many talented people so early on would’ve been incredible.
We weren’t that talented hah. You know what the best nights were.. when all of us were playing the same club on the night and we all had set times but nobody would really pay attention to that and we would end up all just playing music together for hours and hours. You can’t manufacture a vibe like that. It’s all in the moment.
(P.S. We actually shot Haydens reunion with a bunch of those very artists at Candy’s Apartment way back in 2017. Check out the full gallery here for a gorgeous dose of nostalgia)
Has doing your backyard DJ sets the past couple of months at all taken you back to those days? Minus the fact that your backyard is probably a lot less packed than a Candy’s Apartment or World Bar at 3am.
Hahah less packed and a lot cleaner. It’s been fun sharing music with people who want to tune in. Such a weird situation and I never thought I would do that tbh but it was soooo much fun! Glad so many legends looked forward to those sets every week.
You started those sets almost immediately after the lockdown started. Did you feel a sort of responsibility to help fans to continue to feel the magic of live music while in lockdown?
It was for fans, yes, but also for me. I’ve played shows for about five years constantly and never really had a break before. I really, really miss the energy of a crowd.
Just capping off, how do you think you’ve grown throughout all the madness? Not just as an artist but as a human being?
Look, I would like to say I have but who knows hah. I think I’m a lot more patient and love in-the-moment a lot more. That’s something.
Lastly, even though the world is so unpredictable right now, what else can we expect from you in 2020?
I’ve never been busier in the studio having to stay at home the last few months. It’s allowed me to finish lots of music for you! Next single is dropping in July!!
‘Right Time’ is out now and you can buy/ stream it here. You can also buy/ stream ‘Right Time’ (Ferreck Dawn Remix) here.
