We recently connected with Hailey J. and have shared our conversation below.

Hailey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to talk with you. I’ve known I’ve loved to sing for as long as I can remember. My room as a kid was decorated with photos of No Doubt and Gwen Stefani, and for fun, I’d design my future album covers and create titles for my not-yet-written songs. Later on, I studied classical singing and opera in college, but once I graduated, I found myself looking again to my childhood dream of songwriting. I began to learn how to write and sing pop songs, and eventually my music partner (and now husband) and I started our alt-pop duo JAY II (pronounced Jay the Second).

I always saw myself doing music, but I didn’t necessarily envision myself doing something creative outside of music. That is, until podcasts came around. Self-help and spirituality were interests of mine from a young age, but these passions were mostly confined to reading books. More recently, I’ve wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned with the hope of helping others. That’s why I’ve started a spirituality podcast called the Heart Frequency Podcast by Hurricane and a Feather.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a singer, a songwriter, and as of late, also a podcast host. I write songs with my husband, Jay Phoenix (Joe), for our project JAY II. Joe is the producer, and he primarily creates the instrumental music. I write most of the topline melody and lyrics, and we solidify the details together. I also write and sing on other producers’ tracks, usually in the EDM genre. In addition, I host the Heart Frequency Podcast by Hurricane and a Feather. On the podcast, music comes up as a topic, and I also discuss wellness, books, and spirituality – my other main interests!

My main reasons for doing music are to tell stories and to share relatable experiences. Making art can be very cathartic. There’s the potential to alchemize negative situations by turning them into a song, a poem, whatever your medium is – and the possibility to create something that helps somebody else, too. I also love the fun that comes with pushing your boundaries as an artist.

I’m enjoying doing the podcast, as well. It’s storytelling in a totally different way than music. My goal with the podcast is to uplift people by relaying content that resonates with the healing world.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There are many things I find rewarding about being an artist. It’s amazing when people create art using something you’ve made; for instance, when someone makes a video or film featuring a song you wrote. My friend, Valeria Sweet, is using a few JAY II songs in her upcoming movie. I love getting to collaborate with others and their art.

It’s also an honor when someone adds a song that I wrote or sang on to their personal playlist. Time is precious, so I appreciate whenever someone chooses to listen to or share my music.

Being an artist is also rewarding because it can connect you deeper to your intuition. Sometimes my song ideas and lyrics have come from needing to transmute a painful experience, but many times I find inspiration while being in more of a meditative state. Joe and I have a JAY II EP coming out in mid-November, and our new songs combine our moody alt-pop style with lyrics that are more spiritual than some of our past work.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Definitely. The past few years, I’ve been on a journey of learning how our subconscious beliefs dictate our behaviors, our sense of self-worth, how we manifest, and how we view the world. Dr. Joe Dispenza’s work teaches about how our minds have the power to transform our lives. The Expanded Podcast by To Be Magnetic dives into the neuroscience behind manifestation. The work of Bob Proctor also discussed how we can only change our lives once we have changed our paradigms (a.k.a. the habits deep in our subconscious minds). We become what we think about, and this philosophy has changed my view of how I handle my emotions and my time. If you’re interested in learning more about this, I highly recommend the authors and resources mentioned above. I also like the AG University Podcast for a fun take on spirituality – the host Anna Grace Newell often goes into topics relating to the subconscious, as well.

I’m also finding that no matter what self-help book I’m reading or spirituality podcast I’m listening to, a common theme is that meditation is important. A book called The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie says that meditation helps us open our minds and our spiritual energy to a Higher Consciousness. Beattie writes that when people think they are too busy to stop and meditate, that meditating “is no more a waste of time than stopping to put gas in our car when the tank is almost empty.” She says that “meditation can create more time and energy than the moments we take to do it.” This has been one of my favorite explanations for the significance of meditation, and it’s convinced me to meditate more regularly.

Contact Info:

• Website: haileyjmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haileyjofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaythesecondmusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCffdsODOKsmFMRODm0Su9Xw
• Other: https://www.hurricaneandafeather.com

Image Credits
Solomon Augusteyn. Jeremy Cortez.