23 year old Singer-songwriter is starting the next chapter of his career as Haiden Henderson. It’s clear how Haiden pours his heart out while telling stories through his songs. It’s been a long way coming since the artist dropped his first single back in 2021 but Haiden continues to be as passionate as ever about his art.
As someone who went to school for aerospace engineering was it scary making the jump from wanting to work at spacex to being a full time musician or did it just feel right?
The months leading up to making a decision were much more nerve racking than the months after. I’m such a control freak that I try to think of all possible outcomes of a situation and doing that was almost impossible when I didn’t have a background in music and didn’t know anyone even close to the music industry. So I think my torment ended as soon as I committed to music in my head.
Going from Haiden to Haiden Henderson, what does that change represents to you?
I got sucked into this world when the 15th song I ever wrote went viral and since then I’ve been experimenting finding the kind of music that feels the most like me. I’m adding my last name as a way to tell everyone that I found it.
We’ve seen you teasing your next single hell of a good time. What should we expect from your next body of work?
You expect me to have wayyyy more fun than I was having on my last project. My writing and vocal performances are a lot more vibrant and eager than the Choke on My Heart EP. I hope the new energy is infectious when you hear it.
What does the songwriting process looks like to you?
Lately, it’s been a very different process than it was for my last project and the one before that. I’m embracing collaboration for the first time in the writing process instead of my usual process of writing alone on a guitar in my room. I’ve been working really closely with a small group of people to make the new music something really special.
What are other musicians or other forms of art inspires you?
I’m super inspired by artists that cut through the industry by maintaining their quirks and individuality. People like Arctic Monkeys, RAYE, and Harry Styles come to mind. I’m also super inspired by movies and movie soundtracks. Like “hell of a good time” was made because I wanted a similar energy to a song called “Supermassive Blackhole” by Muse which is in the first Twilight movie (which I’m an unapologetic fan of haha).
In times of social media it’s so easy to get overwhelmed by what everyone else is doing. How do keep yourself focused and not get lost in the process?
I definitely suffer from the comparison game but really try to put myself in a lane of my own with my content. I like to tell myself that no one knows what they’re doing until something works, then they act like they planned it all from the beginning. I know that’s definitely the case for me and it keeps me motivated to do what I know how to do at the highest quality possible.
What advice would you give to your young self?
Don’t worry so much about how other people are perceiving you. All anyone in the entire world wants to see is someone having fun and connecting with themselves so as long as you’re doing that, attention and success will follow. Just commit fully.
hell of a good time will be out everywhere on 15th March 2024. Go follow Haiden Henderson and give him a listen.
Article and Photography by Sthefany Narciso