We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hayley Cass. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hayley below.

Hi Hayley, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

This is a tough one! I think being happier is relative I guess right? Without a doubt, I love to sing and write and create, it’s just in my bones so I know that being a creative definitely makes me happy, but there are costs that come with that, just as in pursuing anything worthwhile. It’s easy to want to “throw the towel in, and give up what you seek” but for me, the risk may be worth the reward in the long run and I know that being a musician is what I’m meant to do. Whether that’s in a form of a “regular” job or not, who knows, but I know that I’ll always have music in my life and it will always be a part of me and hopefully, I a part of it.

I think the doubt associated with any creative career choice is that its so easy to choose not to believe in yourself or have the self-worth to get out of your comfort zone and be vulnerable… we rely on other peoples opinions of our art and that can be terrifying. There are so many emotions surrounding your vision that no one else may see, so I think just getting out there is always key, even if you may not believe in yourself at first. That may be the difference that I feel sometimes when I just want to have a 9-5… it can be exhausting re-creating yourself every single day. It’s often a struggle because I sometimes dream of routine when I’m in the midst of chaos, but I don’t think it’s any easier to have a 9-5 job either. The grass is always greener, right? So I just try my best to be thankful for what I have, the talent that I can share, and the grit and determination to try to muster the confidence to get there. And if not, I may be on the other side of routine one day and say at least I tried… And thats okay too!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a soul, blues/jazz singer and musician from New York but started my professional music journey when I moved to Philadelphia after college. I started my career with a hip-hop band named Red Martina and released two albums with them over the period of 2 or 3 years. After going back to school to learn sound engineering and recording, I decided I wanted to write and release some of my solo music. I started recording ideas and got signed to a small local label ‘Spring Garden Records’ where I met my producer Paul “Starkey” Geissinger and began recording for my debut project titled ‘Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea’. I have been releasing that concept album over the past year-and-a-half and it features all of my original music while showcasing some of the best musicians in the USA and beyond. In the midst of that, I moved to Nashville to start pursuing a live band and start performing more festivals and shows around the US!

Over the past few months, I’ve been working on getting my live band and show together not only in the US, but internationally as well. Currently, I’m in Australia for the Fringe Festival and it’s been such a huge success and I am eager to get back home to start performing with my US band and get the shows going around the Nashville area and the East Coast USA. I’ve been focused on performing my live music and I’ve been writing new material to be released when I get back to the States in a couple of weeks so it has been a busy few months! It’s been such a journey getting to play and perform my original music internationally that I am excited for all thats to come with shows, festivals and more on the horizon. Its been such a feat putting a band together not only in the US but in Australia, teaching them the new songs that aren’t recorded yet, and actually executing them on stage. I’ve recently learned to play the piano while I’m singing and performing live and that has been absolutely crazy and amazing too! It’s definitely out of my comfort zone but I am loving it. I have one more single to be released for my solo debut album and after that, I think I am just going to be releasing music as much as I possibly can on streaming platforms everywhere. This has been the most intense project I have ever done and it I hope you will be able to find the story and concept of why I wrote it all and why it’s taken so much time and effort to get it out to the world!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Sometimes, the hardest thing to remember as an artist is the easiest thing to say and that is to just keep going and don’t give up. It is so easy but so difficult to maneuver when there is everything up against you and you feel like you just aren’t good enough or where you’d like to be. Its an artists conundrum, thats for sure! I have had so many times on this journey that I’ve wanted to quit, but at the same time, in my heart – I just know that thats not possible for me. I have never had such a strong belief in anything else and when I feel the joy of performing or writing, it just makes sense as to why I keep going. When I see the faces in the audience, it brings so much light to my life and when I see my band members enjoying the songs I’ve written while they are performing, I know I am doing this for a reason. That is the most rewarding; just sharing my music, my experiences, and my journey. Maybe I am here to make the music and lyrics that some can’t so I always hope to be that vessel for others who may not be able to express what they’re feeling.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I think the hardest about social media is… social media. I have to be honest, it is the most difficult part of being a musician and creative for me. I notice how much I compare myself with others while I’m on social apps and how I can get too involved in what others think – but then I also realize… most people may feel like that too. So I also try to just be real. I don’t post too much about my personal life and I most likely will keep it that way. Posting about daily activities in order to “convince” people you are doing what you said you would is so hard to keep up with and can be so exhausting. That being said, I have learned that in order to be real and to get more traction and attention to my art, all I have to do is be myself… which is definitely easier said than done! You have to try to walk that balance of being vulnerable but also creating a protective shield for yourself so you don’t get swept up in some of the nonsense that is social media. I’m learning to take short videos of me singing, take pictures of the crowd or shows, post some of my marketing that is around town… and sometimes show the food I’m eating (haha!). It often isn’t perfect, but it’s real for me and sometimes, all people want to see is someone doing something different than what they’re doing. I try not to get too caught up in social media, but I know that it is a necessary evil so the best way to keep that all is to set boundaries. I post when I can and I don’t when I can’t. But I still try to tell a story with each post. I notice the more people not only see your successes but also your failures is when social media becomes useful… because often, others can relate to both.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hayleycass.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hayley.cass/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hayleycassmusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ladyhayley22
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HayleyCass
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Tc1eQypagWrAIxypFIIxX?si=GhQ0PMz8Rb6miKMIfRYl9Q