We first got the opportunity to talk to Jackie Hayes TWO YEARS AGO. That is so crazy to me. It's been amazing to watch the Chicago based artist grow and come into her own sound. Hayes released her EP take it, leave it back in July, and it gives us a glimpse of what's to come from this great artist. Check out our interview with Jackie down below.
Rapidfire questions
1. I recently grew out my mustache. What are the pros and cons of me keeping it?
To be honest I have no clue. I’ve never seen a mustache in my life
2. Do you think Shrek can do a kickflip?
No
3. Is it true that you were scheduled to play at The Gathering of the Juggalos this year before covid hit?
That is blatantly untrue and you know it
4. What have you been listening to lately?
I’ve been listening to a lot of Jack Stauber recently
5. What are you most excited about right now?
I’m excited for the day I will be able to go back on tour
6. If you had to steal the declaration of independence, what would be your game plan?
I would simply walk in and take it
7. If we started a duo, what would we be called?
The music twins
8. How many bees do you think Macaulay Culkin can eat?
I don’t know. Why would you ask me that?
9. On a scale from 1-10 how much do you regret agreeing to do this interview?
4
10. What’s the worst advice you can give me?
Become a musician
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The last time we spoke was back in June of 2018. It’s been a while! What have you been up to since then?
So much. I’ve spent the last two years working with my manager and trying to find my own sound.
It’s been really exciting to watch you work on new projects over these past couple of years. Do you feel like your view or approach to making music has remained the same, or has it changed at all?
I think my view on making music has changed drastically. When I first started pursuing this as a career I was flailing around in the dark. Now I have a much better idea of how things work.
What has been the most important thing you’ve learned so far, as far as music goes?
I’ve learned to manage my expectations and be more patient with things. I’ve gotten a lot better at pinpointing the sound I’m going for.
What have you done to help keep you sane during these hectic times?
Honestly, I can’t say that I’ve done much. I’ve mostly just been working on as much music as possible.
Talk to us about your latest EP take it, leave it
My EP , take it leave it, was written in a very uncertain time in my life. I was reaching a breaking point with my relationship with music. A lot of this EP was written about self reflection, isolation, frustration, and my career going forward. I can say with full confidence that this is my favorite piece of work I’ve released (so far)
Were there any specific inspirations for this EP?
I was listening to a lot of 90’s and early 2000’s music
How was working on take it, leave it different from your previous work?
Working on this new EP was different because I did it in in my old living room. The whole writing and recording process took about a month. I would come home after work each day and get right to it. The ep itself was an accident - It was a product of me and Billy (who I live with) just messing around and having fun. There was a moment where we made headache and it was just like “oh shit, I actually want to release this”. There wasn’t a plan originally. This ep was also more “me”, if that makes sense. When it came to writing my older music, I was more focused on trying out different genres and trends. This time around I just did whatever I wanted.
Do you have a favorite song off of the EP?
My favorite song is definitely headache. To be honest, there aren’t a lot of songs of mine that I still enjoy or feel proud of, but headache is one of them.
Who came up with the cover art?
I worked with these two visual artists who live in Nashville - Adam and savannah - who helped bring this moment to life. Adam originally was going to come up and take a photo of me, but then covid-19 hit. We agreed to postpone the meeting and try out something remote. He asked his creative colleague savannah to make a paper mache Jackie head. When I first got a photo of what she had made I was thrilled.
Is there anything that you want for your listeners to take away from your ep?
There’s not a specific reaction I’m looking for. I think it just excites me that a lot of new people got to listen to the ep.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about pursuing music?
That is a very difficult question. There are so many things I could say. If I had to choose one, I would say: create what makes YOU happy, and people will gravitate towards that. Authenticity is very important.
I know that touring artists took a huge hit with everything that is going on this year. Is there anything that we as fans can do to show support?
One of the easiest ways to support an artist is to show a friend who might like their music. Or share a song online. If you share something with five friends maybe they’ll show five friends and so on.
What are you currently working on?
I am working on [redacted] :) (you’ll see!)
One of the things you mentioned when we talked a couple years ago was what your view of success was.
What would you say your view of success looks like now?
I rage quit olive garden a few months after our first interview. I am working at the moment because tour just...doesn’t exist right now. I can’t say much about what’s happened the last couple of weeks but I wish I could go back and tell younger me that it was going to be okay.
Nowadays, I try to not put a definitive answer on what I think is successful. Really all I want is to be able to make a living off doing what makes me happy and see steady progress in my art. Things are unpredictable. That’s all you can hope for.
To wrap things up, Is there anything that you want our readers to know?
I just want everyone to know that this new ep is just the beginning, and a lot of new music is going to be coming out that I’m very excited about
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