We caught up with the brilliant and insightful HAZY a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
HAZY, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Are you happy as an artist or creative? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a regular job?
Generally yes. I love it and as long as I can continue writing songs and sharing them with others then I’m happy. As an artist, I understand how tough it can be to constantly push out new material and stay relevant. My old band mates would agree that I had a real hustler’s mindset for years and went over the top with my workload as an artist. Looking back, this wasn’t healthy and the rewards I received for working hard as an artist weren’t large enough to make me happy. I’ve made a few small changes since then and am happier than ever doing what I do. These are the changes I made:
-Only write songs when they come to you instead of forcing it
-Be proud of the quality of work that you create, instead of the amount of people that hear it
I am an ex primary school teacher so I sympathise with the demands of a regular job. I’m glad it was part of my journey because I understand a part of life that most people experience but many creatives never do.
HAZY, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a UK based songwriter and producer under the name HAZY. I’ve released an eclectic range of music since the age of 19 and developed my style in my bedroom whilst listening to artists such as Mura Masa and Gorillaz.
I am genuinely just looking to make connections with people when they listen to my music. Whatever vibe it creates, I’m happy that it made them feel something. That’s why a lot of it varies in style and topic.
My debut was an electro pop song called ‘Dragonfly’ which premiered on ‘Highclouds’ and since then I’ve written and released Alt-Pop, Indie Rock, Synth pop and most recently melodic Hip Hop. I made a name for myself in UK (specifically Manchester) and gigged around. I’ve supported artists such as ‘Porches’, performed for Amazing Radio at ‘Band On The Wall’, and headlined ‘Gullivers’ to release my debut EP.
I am most proud of my song ‘Swimming Closer’. It was used to broadcast The CommonWealth Games in 2022 and achieved multiple national instore plays at The Co-op. I managed to capture it playing whilst doing my weekly shop. That’s the happiest I’ve felt wandering through a bread aisle.
Are there any resources that you wish you knew about earlier?
I wish I accepted AI sooner. It has a poor reputation amongst some creatives, but I can see now that it is a useful resource that can streamline the way that you work.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
It starts with ensuring that proper funding and attention is given to creative subjects within education. As an ex-teacher I’ve seen the lack of support that these subjects receive in the UK. If the government considered creative subjects with higher regard I think we’d have a better number of flourishing artists than we do now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/musicbyhazy
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicbyhazy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicbyhazy
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/musicbyhazy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDFEvbASwLLX1WNJbV34Stg
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/197UYe0F26rtUdpnc6zILI?si=ccAIFxctQmefapM7aNeNfw https://music.apple.com/us/artist/hazy/1165448972
Image Credits
First photo page pic taken by: Debbie Ellis @Debbieellis_photography as well as 2-6 on 2nd page. Gig pics taken by @henrybeach__ Stacked head pic: @recproductionsuk