Hayden James | How LIFTED Brought Us Back to Life

If you’re looking for a reason to get off the couch and explore springtime as it slowly pokes its head out at all of us, look no further than the summery vibes provided by Aussie producer and purveyor of positivity Hayden James and his new album, LIFTED. 

Released on Future Classic earlier this month, Hayden James stuns us once again with his sophomore LP. The album is thoughtful and well placed. Every track has its own touching tale and the meaningful collaborations speckled throughout from the likes of Cassian, Elderbrook, Jem Cooke, Boo Seeka, and more only elevate the project to new heights. It’s an album of hopefulness and friendship, dedicated to family during a time where we all found ourselves with more time at home with the ability to really reflect on the relationships that are important to us. James does just that with LIFTED - consciously pairing catchy house beats with emotive and vulnerable lyricism. 

For James, the album aligned perfectly with his first performance at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival; and we couldn't think of a better place for him to have debuted it. Under the mid-afternoon desert sun, the Gobi tent burst at the seams, as movers and shakers piled in to experience James leave it all out on the dancefloor. Surprise performances from the likes of GRAACE, Running Touch, Boy Matthews and more let us witness his relationships in real time and feel the LIFTED project come to life right in front of our eyes. 
We caught up with Hayden James to dig deeper into this monumental time of his career, just before he sets off on a 20 date US tour. It’s a show you don’t want to miss!

Photo by Pat Stevenson.

Can you take us back to your first album and the feel of it/anticipation of it before it was released? How did you feel the night before release day, and how does that feeling compare to this album? 

I think I feel very different compared to the first album. The first one [Better Together] feels more intense because you only get one first album release - you never get that chance again. With the second album, I felt a bit more pressure because of the success of the first. You don’t want to let people down, and you want to give that impression that you're growing as well. You can’t sit on what you’ve done in the past and think that’s the way forward - you have to expand your sound, production, songwriting skills... For me, you have to decide what is core to your project and consider what it means to be ‘Hayden James’? I feel I’ve done that with this album more so than the first - this album feels more like a Hayden James album. 

We all experienced the pandemic, but it’s interesting to understand it from an artist/performer’s point of view. From what we can tell, there was a fork in the road for how to approach this sudden lack of live music opportunities. Many artists went dark, took time to regroup and refresh, whereas others like yourself went hard in the studio and prepared; imagined what life would be like beyond the pandemic. Was this an easy decision for you to make? To keep creating and come out stronger on the other end? 

Very easy decision, it didn’t even feel like a decision. This is what I do, I don’t feel like this is a job, so even if I didn’t have shows to play and perform at, I’d still do this. I’d still create music because it's what I love to do. I got a lot of messages from people saying I helped them and gave them hope. It was amazing to give that to people. It gave something for me and my family to look forward to doing - continuously creating and knowing that one day we were gonna get out of this. 

And so LIFTED was created! It’s one of the grooviest house records we’ve heard so far this year and is a true collaborative project. From Elderbrook, to Cassian, Jem Cooke, SIDEPIECE and more…Do you find that you prefer to have multiple artists working on a track together? What are the benefits of both?

It’s always difficult to be a solo artist. I’m a very social person, I love interacting with people through music and other hobbies. The more I collaborate, the more I get out of myself. It makes me a better artist. We all worked together really well, yet we work very differently. Elderbrook and Cassian are long term friends/colleagues who I’ve worked with in the past. It’s always exciting to work with new people. I feel the record’s better because of the collaborators on it and I really enjoy finding new people to work with. 

How did the collaboration come about on ‘Lights Go Down’ with SIDEPIECE? It gives us massive LA vibes, could listen to it by the pool all day. 

This one is really special because it was one of the last songs I wrote for the album. I met Dylan at a studio in Hollywood - we were both locked out because we got there early. We started writing a bunch of ideas in the courtyard of the studio. Once we got into the studio, Dylan (Party Favor) and I zoomed with Ricky (Nitty Gritty) and went from there. I had a vocal recorded from Boo Seeka who I was working on another song with, so I suggested we put the acapella over the top of what we were doing in the studio and it just fit so we wrote to that. Dylan and I got in the recording booth and sang what you hear as the chorus now and then we didn’t touch it. It was one of those moments where the track came together so quickly and easily. Nothing was forced, so we left it where it was! 

Who were some artists and other influences for you growing up? Have they changed much as you’ve gotten older or are those core influences the same?

They are all the same actually. I do keep up with a lot of new music, but I don’t listen to a lot of new dance music, which is probably a bit weird for a dance act to admit to. But my early influences are definitely some of my favorite albums still, like Daft Punk, The Beach Boys, Queen, and Moby - those artists and their albums shaped the way I write. That’s why for me, it's more about the songwriting than the production. They’re still my biggest influences to this day. 

You’ve just come off your first ever Coachella live performances, you must be ecstatic! Coachella can be quite daunting, it's a bucket list item for many. Did you view it that way and how did you prepare? What sort of new things can we expect from the live Hayden James performance? 

I was verrrry excited, it’s definitely a bucket list item and I couldn’t be happier about how it turned out. I also got a surprise set in at The Do LaB which was wild! I was supposed to play it two or three years ago so to be back on the lineup is amazing. And being back with a brand new album feels so great. I’m so lucky that I can play a lot of festivals and that I’ve played so many around the world, but this feels different. It’s not so much pressure as it is excitement. I’ve been preparing for this moment since we got the first call in 2019. As an artist, there aren’t a lot of festivals that make you feel that way.

A 20 date US tour follows the stint in the desert as well - thanks for spending so much time with us over here! Do you have any touring rituals that get you through those intense months on the road? I imagine it’s hard being away from family for so long? 

For me, it’s about sustaining some kind of normality while on the road, whether that’s making sure that you eat healthy or that you're working out. Because you're playing a different city every night, it can be mentally draining so you gotta make sure you look after yourself in every aspect of your life. I’m excited to bring Cassian on the road as he’s a gym nut - there should be a lot of great gym content coming out of the tour. And yes, being apart from family is very hard. I always try to work really hard when I’m over there and do the best that I can when I’m not with my kids; so when I’m with my kids, I can really be with them and be present. 

Well, your US audiences thank you :) You’ve definitely got a packed 2022, I’m sure it feels great to be back on the stage. Before we let you go, is there anyone you want to dedicate LIFTED to? 

I dedicate LIFTED to my wife Jenn and my two beautiful kids, James and Matilda. Also, my whole extended family and my management team. Everyone helps make what I do a great experience and show as many people around the world my work.

Stream the album and find tour dates here.