The Difference a Year Makes: An Interview with Singer-Songwriter Hayley Marsten

Just last year, I spoke to singer-songwriter Hayley Marsten regarding her single, Money Can’t Buy Class. At the time, plans for a debut album were seemingly a long way off. Now, she’s released a new single called Wendy and is celebrating a successful Pozible campaign to fund her long-awaited debut record. In this interview, we reflect on how far she’s come in such a short time and what people can expect from her new music as well as plans for a tour later this year.

 

Congratulations on the release of your new single Wendy, the latest from your upcoming debut album. What’s the reaction been like so far?
Thank you! It’s been really wonderful and a bit overwhelming. I obviously hoped it was going to be well-received but to see it picked up by CMC and country radio stations so quickly was really exciting and something I’ve never had happen before!

The song is written, in part, about your mother. Were you nervous about sharing something so personal in the public domain?
Well it’s not the first time I’ve written about personal things, I think that’s the bravest part of being an artist, being able to be honest.

But I think releasing a song with her name as the title, I really wanted to make sure it was very good so to do her justice! It is about Mum in a lot of ways but it’s also about a breakup and how we deal with them.

What did your mum think of the song when she first heard it?
I think she was very shocked and I think she felt a bit funny like, ‘Oh everyone’s gunna know my name now.’ when I told her it was going to be the lead single. But she liked it when she first heard it, so that was a big relief, unsure how she’s gunna feel when she has to listen to it for the rest of my career! (laughs).

Is she the first person to hear your new material?
No, not really ever. She used to get a pretty good preview when I lived at home, hearing everything that came out of my bedroom. But now it’s usually my friends in the industry that I send voice memos to because we’re never in the same place! So, if you like stuff on the new album you can thank Arna Georgia, Imogen Clark and Ryan Daykin for their choices!

 

This was the second time you worked with Lyn Bowell (the other time being when you wrote your last single, Coming Home). What do you enjoy most about working with Lyn?
WHAT BLOODY DON’T I?! I love Lyn so much, she is such a wonderful songwriter, she could sing the phonebook and it would make me cry and to top it off she’s one of the sweetest most supportive people I’ve ever met.
I think we work so well together because we are good friends and she knows me so well then when we write she can say, ‘Well, that’s not really what you mean. If we’re gunna be really honest, you’d say this’. I love that.

 

You recorded Wendy with Matt Fell, who’s worked with a number of well-known musicians and you worked with him when you recorded your last EP, Lonestar. Can you talk me through the process?
It was great, we did two songs at the same time and it was so great getting back into the studio with him. I think also being the second time and the fact that we already knew each other it made it even better and easier to make something great!

What has he taught you in regards to what it means to be a musician?
That it’s okay to stuff up in the studio on the first go.

 

You’ve embarked on a Pozible campaign for the funding of your debut album, something you did for your last EP, Lonestar. In our last interview, you said the whole process was stressful and you didn’t know if you’d do it again. How are you finding it this time around?
Even more stressful! I don’t know why I do these things to myself! But I think more than that, it really showed me the support I have for my music and that a lot of really great people have my back and believe in me. It’s made me even more determined to make an amazing album because I don’t want to let them down!

 

 

How does it work? Have you started recording new material as yet, or are you waiting until the campaign comes to an end? So Wendy and another song were recorded last year so I would have some new music to release even if it didn’t work. But I’ll be going into the studio to finish the rest of the album in June!

 

Why did you decide to use Pozible, as opposed to other crowdfunding platforms such as PledgeMusic or Kickstarter?
I think just because I’d used them before, and the team was very quick to respond to my emails and I really feel like I had a community behind me to help me out.

 

Would you encourage others to use Pozible when looking to fund their upcoming projects? Definitely! I think, for one, it’s a really great way to test the market and see if you have enough people who want to buy the thing you’re trying to make!

It’s a lot of work and you have to do a lot of hustling to get in people’s faces, which I hated but when you’re an independent artist, you’ve gotta push your own wheelbarrow!

 

Do you have an official release date for the album yet, regardless of how successful your campaign is?
I do, but I’m gunna keep it a secret for now …

 

How will the sound of the upcoming album compare to your previous EPs, Lonestar and Even?
I think it will sound like a natural progression. I think my music, especially Lonestar, has always been towing the line between alt and contemporary and I think that’s what’s going to continue.

I think the album sounds a lot more mature lyrically and even more honest. I feel like as I get older, I just want to sing about what is true and real for me.

 

Do you have a particular approach when it comes to song writing? What usually comes first – the melody or the lyrics?
It’s usually lyrics or lyrics with a melody line. I have a phone full of voice memos and notes for new songs that I’m constantly working through.

You’ve achieved a fair bit since we last did this, including opening for Fanny Lumsden’s only Tamworth show, successful singles and a collaboration on Ryan Daykin’s new EP, Keeping Secrets. What were those experiences like?
(Wow, I just went back and read it and it seems like a lifetime ago! But it was only about a year ago!) So amazing, I’ve been a big fan of Fanny’s since she released her debut album, so getting to open for her this year in Tamworth was really special! Ryan and I wrote that song, Like Wildfire when we first met in 2015 at the DAG Songwriters Retreat. It was really cool to get to feature on it all these years later and on such an amazing EP!

Would you like to do more collaborations in the future?
Definitely! I love collaborating. I think music is really one of the only truly collaborative art forms, and what’s more special than that?

 

You’ve recently started Songwriting Sessions in Brisbane. Can you tell me a bit more about that?
I love songwriter shows where you hear the inspiration and stories behind each song and we have such an amazing music scene in Brisbane, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to shine a light on that.

 

Every second month myself and a special guest songwriter go song for song and talk about how we wrote them, why we wrote them, who we wrote them about sometimes! It’s at one of my most favourite bars in Brisbane, Can You Keep a Secret? The next show is 12th of June!

What do you want people to take away from these performances?

Getting to know the songwriters and building that relationship between the audience and you. I always feel like I’m a bigger fan of an artist after seeing them in that kind of intimate space, so I hope that’s what people take away from this.

 

 

You are taking part in the Brisbane City Council’s QUBE Effect. Can you tell me a little bit more about how you got involved?

It’s a really great program that takes 24 young, emerging artists and gives them mentoring opportunities, performances and then there are industry-judged awards as well as some amazing prizes!

 

How was it being the only country musician to take part?

I’m very proud of it! I think country music is slowly but surely being accepted into mainstream music and I’m very excited to see it happening!

Is your schedule always so busy when it comes to your music?

I think I just get very anxious when I’m not super busy, like I need to be doing something. So, I start another project or set myself a song writing challenge or something.

 I hear you’re also planning on touring the new album once it’s released. Do you have anywhere in particular that you’re looking forward to visiting?
Yes! I always love going home to play a Gladstone show. But on the road last year Arna and I visited so many amazing venues that I’m really looking forward to going back to as well as exploring some new places!

 

You’re also performing at Norfolk Country Music Festival and VDM, aren’t you? What are you most looking forward to when performing there?
Yes! I’ll be performing with a band for both of those shows which is always so much fun, so I’m really looking forward to that and getting to play brand new stuff with a band too!

A lot of musicians head to Nashville to write with big name artists over there. Is that something you’d like to do in the future?
Definitely! I wouldn’t be a musician if I wasn’t a songwriter first so I would love to see how they do it over there. But at the same time, we have some really amazing songwriters right here and I love working with them.  

What’s it like being an independent artist in today’s music industry? It’s a lot of hard work. You have to be the manager, the booking agent, the admin person and then also write the music and perform it so it’s a lot of hats to wear. But you also have the freedom to do whatever you want and release on your own terms, which I love. I think there’s good and bad with every style of releasing music but for the moment, I’m very happy being independent.

 

In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception about starting a career in the music industry?  That all you do is play music. It’s a lot more than that, a lot of emails, phone calls, report writing, driving, late nights and early mornings to get to the stage, but it’s worth it to me.

 

What music are you listening to at the moment? I am crazy obsessed with the Kacey Musgraves and Brooks & Dunn collab of Neon Moon on the new B&D Album. And have also been listening to Taylor Swift’s Red album that came out in 2012.  It might be time to take some suggestions on new music haha

What does the average day look like for you when you’re not working on music?

If I’m being honest, every moment I’m not working on music or on tour, I’m at my day job at Sunglass Hut. If I have a full day off, no music or day job I nap (am I actually an old woman??) or if time works for all of us, try and organise a wine and cheese night (the best kind of night off in my opinion)!

What have you got coming up for the rest of the year?
Now that the Pozible campaign has met its target I’m continuing to write non-stop to make sure we make the most amazing album possible. Once it’s recorded, I’ll be working on the release stuff and finishing booking the tour.

I’m hoping to be on the road non-stop until about November and then I’m planning to take some time off to take a nap before I have to do retail Christmas. It sounds a bit crazy now I’m saying it, but I know if I was having too much down time, I would be bored out of my mind!