Hayden Dupuy Interview
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: I've been singing basically as long as I could walk haha! I think I wrote my first song when I was like seven or eight years old. I'm sure it was terrible; as you can imagine any child's creative writing could be. I didn't really take writing seriously until I was about 15, and for my 16th birthday I got some pretty basic recording equipment. I instantly fell in love with recording, though I was not too skilled at it. I never realized how much hard work goes into the recording process. It's definitely taken a lot of research and time to learn what I know now about mixing and mastering a song. I probably haves hundreds of terrible quality recordings and unreleased songs on my old computer. Without sounding too conceited, I like to think I'm a pretty skilled musician. I can usually learn any instrument pretty quickly, which I find is a pretty unique gift. I played the trumpet all throughout middle school/Jr. high, and have played the piano for over ten years now (thank God for my aunt Robyn for the piano lessons).
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: I feel like my creative process has been a little different for each record I've released. Most of the time a song comes pretty naturally to me, and I can finish writing it in about 15-30 minutes. It just depends on how I'm truly feeling in the moment. My song "Calling All Angels" from my first EP Into the Deep End was actually recorded all in one take. I was dog sitting for a friend of mine a couple of years ago, and the phrase "I'm calling all angels" just popped into my head. I liked the melody, so I just recorded the first line so I wouldn't forget it. The next day I was home so I just hit record and sang whatever I was feeling at that time. I haven't been that lucky with my songwriting in quite some time!! Sometimes I like to sit at the piano and record anything/everything that I can think of and the lyrics will usually find themselves at some point. But like I said before, most of the songs I write do come naturally to me. I think it's because I can be quite an emotional person on the inside. Almost all of my music is based on personal experience and can be pretty emotional for me.
Q: I was wondering how you would explain the themes and concepts on your latest release As I Am?
A: It's a little difficult to find just one main theme to focus on with As I Am. I do like to think it has the most positive message I've put out there. You kind of just have to read between the lines. I can be pretty sarcastic and dramatic in my writing. There's definitely a pretty big theme of heartbreak, but I also think it gives out the message of healing as well. I don't want it to seem like I'm saying "I'm depressed, so please pity me!" because that's not the point of the music at all. I think a lot of people go through these same feelings and might find it reassuring that they're not alone in feeling that way. This album is almost like a rollercoaster, except the rollercoaster is stuck at the top, and you're just waiting for the big drop and it doesn't quite get there until the end with my song "I Wish (I Could Cry).” That song was a huge eye opener for me personally. It's the longest song on the album, and there's a huge change in the entire theme. I can finally accept how I'm feeling, realize that it's normal to feel that way, and move on. That's when the healing can begin. I kind of get that same feeling with my song "I Try" because it's like I'm almost over this person, I'm trying to give them space, but I see them everywhere so I'm pulled right back to the top of the rollercoaster. And let me just say that sucks lol.
Q: What is your recording process like?
A: My recording process is actually pretty simple. Especially for this album since it was mostly just my guitar and my voice. The only thing that I find difficult is myself sadly. I'm such a perfectionist with everything I do. I know most people would probably record their guitar first and then add vocals, but apparently I like to make things difficult for myself so I record both at the same time. For the record, I go through MANY takes and make lots of mistakes! I'm also a huge sucker for harmonies. Especially weird ones that definitely should not work but somehow do. I think you'd find a lot of that in my music. Just a lot of chords and harmonies that sound awful when separated, but sound amazing when it's all put together. I also love big choir sounds so I like to use my voice as much as I can to fill empty spaces. Needless to say I usually end up with well over 30 tracks with just my voice, which I'm sure my sister loves to hear, as I repeat the same lines over and over again in the middle of the night haha.
Q: Since you first started writing music do you feel like you've drawn inspiration from different sources?
A: Oh for sure! Growing up I loved musical theatre, so I've always been into big dramatic ballads. That's always a good way of showing off your emotions, but one of my biggest writing inspirations lately has been Matt Maltese. There's just something so tragic yet almost comical about his writing. I don't know if comical is the right word to use, but sometimes you just have to laugh to get through. Which is where I like to draw inspiration from. Like in my song "I Try" I say something along the lines of being a fish, and the person I'm singing about is a fishing hook and I'm stuck on them even though I'm trying to get away. It's comical yet tragic, which is just what I want. Another big inspiration for me is Lana Del Rey. I am nowhere near her caliber of writing, but it's the way she shows off her vulnerability that really inspires me. She gets put down a lot because of how "depressing" her music is, but for a lot of people it shows just how relatable she truly is. We are all going through something in life, and if there's a way for me to show people that they aren't alone in how they feel then I'm going to do just that. No matter how vulnerable it makes me feel, because I know that someone out there is listening to my music going through the same struggles I'm going through. I can find inspiration from anything in my day to day life, it's just a matter of whether or not I'm putting it to use; may it be in my music or in learning to better myself.
Q: Have you started playing shows or virtual shows?
A: I actually have not played any shows. I really want to though! I'm not sure how many people would actually show up for that kind of thing.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: Something you should know about my music is that it's made for everyone, and it's truly made from the heart. I'm not a professional musician in any way shape or form, but I do believe I'll get to that point someday. My music is like my diary. I feel every word that I put out for the world to hear. Which is crazy because literally anyone can find my music at any point, and that's something I can't really wrap my head around. I'm very grateful for the outlet that I have, because if I didn't have music I'm not sure where I would be right now. You should also know As I Am is not my only album. It's actually my fourth self-made album. I also have two EPs and (possibly) one on the way!
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: I've been singing basically as long as I could walk haha! I think I wrote my first song when I was like seven or eight years old. I'm sure it was terrible; as you can imagine any child's creative writing could be. I didn't really take writing seriously until I was about 15, and for my 16th birthday I got some pretty basic recording equipment. I instantly fell in love with recording, though I was not too skilled at it. I never realized how much hard work goes into the recording process. It's definitely taken a lot of research and time to learn what I know now about mixing and mastering a song. I probably haves hundreds of terrible quality recordings and unreleased songs on my old computer. Without sounding too conceited, I like to think I'm a pretty skilled musician. I can usually learn any instrument pretty quickly, which I find is a pretty unique gift. I played the trumpet all throughout middle school/Jr. high, and have played the piano for over ten years now (thank God for my aunt Robyn for the piano lessons).
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: I feel like my creative process has been a little different for each record I've released. Most of the time a song comes pretty naturally to me, and I can finish writing it in about 15-30 minutes. It just depends on how I'm truly feeling in the moment. My song "Calling All Angels" from my first EP Into the Deep End was actually recorded all in one take. I was dog sitting for a friend of mine a couple of years ago, and the phrase "I'm calling all angels" just popped into my head. I liked the melody, so I just recorded the first line so I wouldn't forget it. The next day I was home so I just hit record and sang whatever I was feeling at that time. I haven't been that lucky with my songwriting in quite some time!! Sometimes I like to sit at the piano and record anything/everything that I can think of and the lyrics will usually find themselves at some point. But like I said before, most of the songs I write do come naturally to me. I think it's because I can be quite an emotional person on the inside. Almost all of my music is based on personal experience and can be pretty emotional for me.
Q: I was wondering how you would explain the themes and concepts on your latest release As I Am?
A: It's a little difficult to find just one main theme to focus on with As I Am. I do like to think it has the most positive message I've put out there. You kind of just have to read between the lines. I can be pretty sarcastic and dramatic in my writing. There's definitely a pretty big theme of heartbreak, but I also think it gives out the message of healing as well. I don't want it to seem like I'm saying "I'm depressed, so please pity me!" because that's not the point of the music at all. I think a lot of people go through these same feelings and might find it reassuring that they're not alone in feeling that way. This album is almost like a rollercoaster, except the rollercoaster is stuck at the top, and you're just waiting for the big drop and it doesn't quite get there until the end with my song "I Wish (I Could Cry).” That song was a huge eye opener for me personally. It's the longest song on the album, and there's a huge change in the entire theme. I can finally accept how I'm feeling, realize that it's normal to feel that way, and move on. That's when the healing can begin. I kind of get that same feeling with my song "I Try" because it's like I'm almost over this person, I'm trying to give them space, but I see them everywhere so I'm pulled right back to the top of the rollercoaster. And let me just say that sucks lol.
Q: What is your recording process like?
A: My recording process is actually pretty simple. Especially for this album since it was mostly just my guitar and my voice. The only thing that I find difficult is myself sadly. I'm such a perfectionist with everything I do. I know most people would probably record their guitar first and then add vocals, but apparently I like to make things difficult for myself so I record both at the same time. For the record, I go through MANY takes and make lots of mistakes! I'm also a huge sucker for harmonies. Especially weird ones that definitely should not work but somehow do. I think you'd find a lot of that in my music. Just a lot of chords and harmonies that sound awful when separated, but sound amazing when it's all put together. I also love big choir sounds so I like to use my voice as much as I can to fill empty spaces. Needless to say I usually end up with well over 30 tracks with just my voice, which I'm sure my sister loves to hear, as I repeat the same lines over and over again in the middle of the night haha.
Q: Since you first started writing music do you feel like you've drawn inspiration from different sources?
A: Oh for sure! Growing up I loved musical theatre, so I've always been into big dramatic ballads. That's always a good way of showing off your emotions, but one of my biggest writing inspirations lately has been Matt Maltese. There's just something so tragic yet almost comical about his writing. I don't know if comical is the right word to use, but sometimes you just have to laugh to get through. Which is where I like to draw inspiration from. Like in my song "I Try" I say something along the lines of being a fish, and the person I'm singing about is a fishing hook and I'm stuck on them even though I'm trying to get away. It's comical yet tragic, which is just what I want. Another big inspiration for me is Lana Del Rey. I am nowhere near her caliber of writing, but it's the way she shows off her vulnerability that really inspires me. She gets put down a lot because of how "depressing" her music is, but for a lot of people it shows just how relatable she truly is. We are all going through something in life, and if there's a way for me to show people that they aren't alone in how they feel then I'm going to do just that. No matter how vulnerable it makes me feel, because I know that someone out there is listening to my music going through the same struggles I'm going through. I can find inspiration from anything in my day to day life, it's just a matter of whether or not I'm putting it to use; may it be in my music or in learning to better myself.
Q: Have you started playing shows or virtual shows?
A: I actually have not played any shows. I really want to though! I'm not sure how many people would actually show up for that kind of thing.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: Something you should know about my music is that it's made for everyone, and it's truly made from the heart. I'm not a professional musician in any way shape or form, but I do believe I'll get to that point someday. My music is like my diary. I feel every word that I put out for the world to hear. Which is crazy because literally anyone can find my music at any point, and that's something I can't really wrap my head around. I'm very grateful for the outlet that I have, because if I didn't have music I'm not sure where I would be right now. You should also know As I Am is not my only album. It's actually my fourth self-made album. I also have two EPs and (possibly) one on the way!