The seeds of Gavin Haley’s appreciation for music were planted young. “I’ve always loved songs. I’m from Louisville, Kentucky, and I grew up in church. I think that, looking back, one of the main things that helped me get through those long services when I was younger was that I loved the music element. And I grew up in a church that was very big, so the bands were always high production. And yeah, I just fell in love with songs early. I was always listening to songs, especially Christian music, and I got into a choir when I was about 12 years old, and I just fell in love with singing. But at the time, I was doing a lot of cycling, and that kind of took over my life. I kind of chased that career for a long time. I moved over to Europe for the winters. From ages 16 to 19, I would spend the entire winter there racing a sport called cyclocross. I picked up a guitar during that period, between 15-16 years old, and that would be my downtime. It was therapeutic for me. So, over time, the passion for music just grew and grew and grew and I started branching out with my musical tastes and listening to a lot more artists. I think in the back of my mind, I knew I kind of always wanted to do music, but I didn’t know I wanted it to be a career. The closer I got with writing, and my personal journey in understanding myself, I knew that I had to chase it. I stopped doing athletics for some multiple reasons, but music was always the main driver.”
He feels as though songs serve as a portal to feelings and memories. “I mean, it just lets me feel…It allows me to escape what I’m feeling or feel it more. I think that music is special in a way where you can use it to escape pain, or you can use it to remind you of people and moments. I think that it’s timeless, in the way that you could just hear it and be back in that moment. it’s something that’s always been with me, you know? I can’t imagine life without songs. Whether I’m getting through something, or just enjoying it more, it’s always been part of my everyday life, even if it’s just humming along or whistling and makes my quality of life better. And it allows my soul to really connect with being here.”
Nostalgia is the central theme of Gavin‘s new single, “Mine.” “This song is a blast. It’s fun. It’s great driving music. I cannot wait to perform it live. I really connect with the message of it, with what I’m currently going through in my life, and I think that it’s something that a lot of people feel but don’t really talk about. Sometimes walking away from a bad situation is not easy. Sometimes it’s harder to have a connection with somebody and recognize that it doesn’t feed your soul or that it’s not compatible for a long-term thing. When you walk away from bad situations, often you only remember the good parts, because that’s what we like to do as people. We’d like to fantasize or romanticize things. And ‘Mine’ is about that feeling.” This tendency to romanticize people and places is a natural human habit. “I believe that we want to believe the best in things. I think that humans also always create ideas of what things are rather than what they are because we always want to imagine that things are best for us. And we want to imagine that somebody we find physically appealing or cool, will also be able to fill the void of a lot of things we didn’t get growing up. I think people like to imagine that places are better than they truly are because if it wasn’t, there wouldn’t be anything to look forward to. I think human nature is looking forward to things because we get bored very easily. And that’s why we’ve evolved a lot. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing. But I think that people are always looking towards the future or the past and have a lot of trouble being in the present and being aware of what’s happening around them.”
However, wanting to hold on to things can make a situation sticky when it’s time to move on from a relationship. It’s best to lean on your support system and look for ways to healthily process emotion. “I say talk to your friends, talk to people around you. Do your best to focus on yourself for a little bit. spend a few days alone, truly alone, and see how you feel. You know, I think that when people are in a bad situation, oftentimes you’re just exhausted. If you can go a couple of days to focus on yourself and see how much energy you have, there’s a possibility you’d be physically and mentally healthier. To me that’s a sign to let go. I think writing is another big thing. Not even a pros and cons type thing, but just write the way that that person makes you feel. And write how they make you feel bad. Write how they make you feel good. Write the things you love about them. Do you want to be with this person when you’re older? Do you want this person to be part of your family? I think ask yourself bigger questions, because when you put it in perspective like that, I think it’s easier to make a tough decision.”
Gavin’s upcoming album, i hate you don’t leave me, revolves around self discovery and the anxiousness that that process often entails. “I think it’s just me being more introspective. Not just in terms of relationships, because a lot of my writing in the past has been strictly relationships. My last project, ‘Bike Rides Alone,’ was more introspective also into things in my life. But I think I did this from a manner – not just asking questions about the world but honing in on things I struggle with. The song ‘Heroes’ is a song I really am asking my idols, my heroes, and people I look up to, if they feel like me. Do they feel like they have trouble finding balance, or being patient, being motivated? It’s being more specific with my own insecurities with the world and relationships. And I chose different concepts too. I’m proud of the versatility of concepts on this album. I think there’s something for everybody on it, and, you know…you have dancing music, you have stuff in the feelings, which is the norm for me. I’m proud of this body of work.” The tracks are a stream of consciousness.”I wrote these songs in real time. I would truly be in a fight with somebody, or I’d be going through something and go to the studio and talk it out. I think in the past, I’ve written things before they’ve happened or way after they’ve happened. So this was something where I was like, ‘No, I’m going to the studio and writing about this immediately,’ which is hard because you have to trust the people you’re creating this with. I’m not somebody that likes to share my information with everybody, especially when it comes to names and situations and people you’re close to. But I really trusted my writers with this album.”
Outside of music, he also wants to explore fashion more in the future. “I’m looking forward to really hopping more into the fashion world. I’m looking forward to getting back on the road and performing the songs on the album. The last few years have flown by, but in another sense, it’s just been so long not being able to do what I love. I got to go on a brief tour with Tate McRae this year, which really revamped my love for music and made me realize I need to get back out there, like, immediately. It’s all I live for truly. Yeah, and just continuing growing and my artistry in different lanes. I really found a new love for style in the past year and a half/two years and just trying to see where that takes me. I’d even be open to acting. I really am just looking into everything that allows me to express myself the most as a human being and feel fulfilled. Most of all, I’m just looking forward to this album coming out and seeing how the world receives it.” We can’t wait to see what Gavin does next. Pre-save i hate you don’t leave me HERE!
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Gavin Haley Romanticizes a Bad Relationship in New Single, “Mine.” Photo Credit (in order): Brandon Jordan and Khufu Najee.
