A QUICK CHAT WITH HAYDEN CALNIN

Photo: Bri Horne

What is the inspiration for your new EP, A Turning of the Tide: Side B?

My environment always seems to shape and inspire the music. When I wrote this collection of EPs I was living by myself right on the edge of one of my favourite beaches in Australia, and I’d spend a lot of time taking that in, exploring, meditating, and trying to capture and translate that within the music. It’s definitely reflected that for me and feels like I’ve created a little time stamp for myself which will always remind me of that period of my life.

Is there a theme or central point within this record? Where did it grow from, and how did it come about?

This EP is a continuation and closing to “Side A”, which explores starting a new direction in my life and finding new focus. I’d come out of a big relationship and was feeling extremely lost and unsure about what the future would look like, and I spent some time down on the Southern coastline of Australia living by myself, contemplating the bigger things, such as philosophy, spirituality, and the general idea of being a human and what that means. What I ended up with was a two-sided collection of EPs which follow me along that road.

What was the creation of this record like? Take us through the process!

I’d set up my house where one side of it was where I would live; the classic bedroom for sleep, lounge for down time, kitchen for cooking and that’s really it. The other side of the house I converted into a studio, with a tracking room, writing room, and a production room where I pieced it all together. 

My day went a bit like this: Wake up, coffee, morning run along the beach, followed by a swim or skimboard, head home to write and record, take what I’d been working on down to the beach at sunset with some headphones, sit in my usual spot and listen back to the day’s work while the sun was setting, take some notes, head back home and continue to work on the music till late at night. And repeat. 

I did that for about nine months, and although I wrote about 20 or so tracks, only so many can make the record, so I’m sitting on a lot more music too – I’m not too sure if I’ll release them later down the line or not.

What is your favourite memory from writing and creating the record?

Definitely my routine as mentioned above. It’s so important to have that with a brain like mine. I need a routine, or I can get lost in the creative process, so being very strict with that isn’t tedious, it’s essential. My favourite part of my day was sitting down at the beach every sunset and taking in the days work and letting my mind wander off. 

Who/what are your influences/inspirations? (don’t have to be just musical)

When I write I close myself off from any real influences. I stop listening to music, stop watching tv, read a lot less, and really just focus on what I’m making. I find my inspiration from nature. The beach, the stars, running and bush walks, adventures around the area, and spending time with people. I think I owe my environment the award for biggest influence on this record. It helped shape me, and in turn shaped the record.

What do you love about making music?

Everything. It’s the way I express myself artistically. I’ve tried other mediums of art, but none have the same impact on me that making music does. I’ve never found it too overwhelming or found myself getting stuck. It comes very naturally. 

Seeing how it helps other people is definitely one of the main reasons I’ve continued it for so long, too. I forget that people listen and connect with it, and then I’ll go and check my socials and be overwhelmed with people reaching out and expressing to me how it’s helped them in their own lives. It’s a pretty great way to contribute to society.

If you had to summarise the record in one-sentence, what would you say?

I think it can be summed up really well in this quote by Alan Watts: 

‘There is no other reality than present reality, so that, even if one were to live for endless ages, to live for the future would be to miss the point everlastingly’.

You’re launching the record with a show you’ve described as a “music, dance, and a visual exhibit” – what can the audience expect from the show and why have you decided to bring it to life in this way?

Movers have always connected with my music since I started writing it. I wanted to celebrate collaboration in art across mediums. Watching and experiencing someone move in real time to music is rare, brilliant, and powerful – so it seemed a given for this record launch to combine those worlds. We’ve also teamed up with an incredible lighting artist to help bring the music and dance worlds together seamlessly.