I Wish I Was: An Interview with Zander Hawley
an interview with Los Angeles raised singer/songwriter Zander Hawley
As an avid activist and Amandla Stenberg devotee, I discovered Zander Hawley through their duo act “Honeywater”. Since that day, Zander has evolved into a solo singer/songwriter whose powerful and moving vocals and lyrics have taken me to the brink of tears alone on a Saturday night. Not only does his voice and talent have the ability to take him far into the Nashville (and wherever else his career takes him) music scene, his vibrant, witty and amiable personality will take him far in life. Zander, it was an honor to interview you. Chatting with you was one of the best times I’ve had in awhile.
Love,
Zoe
MSM: Hi Zander! Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? What you do, what your favorite things are, and your background?
ZH: Well, I’m Zander. I’m 18 and from Los Angeles, and I’m currently living in Nashville. The things I love to do? Well, obviously, music. And I love films and TV. Some of my favorite artists are Noah Gundersen, Phoebe Bridgers, The Lone Bellow.
MSM: In terms of genre, most people describe your music as folk. Is that what label you would give yourself? How do you classify your music and your art?
ZH: Folk isn’t wrong. In college, people in the music major are so desperate to know your genre. I would tell them that my genre was “alt folk”, which doesn’t exist. It was just a bullshit answer. If I gave myself a genre it would probably be singer/songwriter, you know, like James Bay. I’m a singer/songwriter.
MSM: In 2015, you released your EP, “I Wish I Was”. Tell me a little bit about the process of making it. What was the inspiration behind that?
ZH: It was my first structured recording experience. I actually did the whole thing in three or four days, all in a row (I interjected and said, “wow, that’s impressive). I had to keep going back in because I’m fucking particular about the little things. So much credit for “I Wish I Was” goes to Marshall Vore, my producer. He was great. I think why I love that EP so much is because it’s honest. I mean it when I write it. The people who loved it could tell that.
MSM: Before you released your EP, you were half of Honeywater with Amandla Stenberg. How was that and what was that like? How is making solo music different to making music with Amandla? Which do you prefer?
ZH: Honeywater was my introduction to music. It took us a year and a half to come up with the name, Honeywater. We went through some pretty bad and boring ones. The first show I ever played, [Amandla] played with me. That girl means the world to me, I love that girl. Making that EP was really different from making mine. We made it in Sebastian Jones’ garage with our other friend Aron. They’re both really talented, you can tell in the sounds on that EP. We just sort of did everything ourselves, whereas my EP was more semi professional. For that, I played drums, and I don’t play drums. I was listening to the Honeywater EP maybe three months ago, just after I put out my solo one, and it is a completely different feel, which I didn’t think it would be. That’s why I think there’s value to keep them both going, which is definitely not impossible. I made an album, actually, last week, a solo album. And going through that and figuring out my own sound is really different from Honeywater. I just think [those differences] are so valuable to me, besides how much fun it is and how much I love that girl. It helps me stay diversified and get really specific with each project. [Despite living in different cities], you might hear some more Honeywater sooner than you think.
MSM: Who do you look up to for inspiration? How did you get into music?
ZH: There were two moments, really. The first, in ninth grade, I heard a song called “Winter” by Noah Gundersen. I had been trying to write songs for awhile, and I did not like any of them, and I heard that song, and thought “what is he doing that makes that song so good”? I think it was the simplicity. It was very straight forward, “here’s what I’m feeling”. I heard it, and I was like “wow, here’s what I want to do”. I’ve listened to that song probably a thousand times. It still gives me new inspiration every now and then when I listen to it. That was the moment that made me want to write. The second moment was the moment that made me want to play, around a year later. I went to see a friend of mine named Jackson, who played with this girl named Phoebe [Bridgers]. I went to go see their show at a weird place in Hollywood. The seats are like little pews, and it reminds me of the Korean Church from 21 Jumpstreet. I went with my dad, and I was talking with him on the way over, trying to decide if I was good enough to play live. Well this Russian guy opened for Jackson, and his first song was about unicorn sex and the next was about mushrooms. And I was like, “maybe I can do this”. Then Phoebe went up and played her song, “Georgia” which is one of my favorite songs. It was raw and honest, and it was incredible because she fucking felt it. I’ve seen her play that song maybe 2 dozen times, and every time I think “fuck, how can I get that good.” After that performance, I was like “I don’t just want to play, I need to play”.
MSM: You split time from Nashville and LA, correct? Do you miss either of the two while you’re gone? What are your favorite things about both?
ZH: I miss both when I’m in the other one. It’s sort of similar to the solo vs Honeywater thing. It’s different but in a way where one isn’t better than the other. LA is my first home, where I grew up, where my family is, where all of my formative musical experiences are. But Nashville, I’ve only been here six months, but it’s already become a place of good relationships and music. Right now I’m in the process of deciding between living in Nashville or LA. On the one hand it’s where you came from, and on the other hand it’s like deciding where you need to go.
MSM: I love these little anecdotes. What is the coolest experience you’ve ever had because of your music?
ZH: I have a few. The first one is when Amandla and I played (pre figuring out Honeywater) at a benefit show for a charity. It was a really good organization for kids with cancer and they write a song for them that incorporates elements about their lives, like their favorite food and sports teams. We played at a benefit for that organization and the acts who opened for us was this band, Player, (the hair was exactly what’d you expect, the outfits were exactly what you’d expect.) Next was Frank Stallone, Sylvester Stallone’s brother. Not only did I not know that Sylvester had a brother, I didn't know he wrote all of the music for the movie Saturday Night Fever. And he was basically just Sylvester Stallone [the actor most notable for playing boxer Rocky Balboa in the Rocky series] singing. It was awesome. Then Amandla and I went up and played a few songs, including a Mumford and Sons cover. And then we walked off, and Frank Stallone said “you did good up there, son”. And to this day, I remember that I am a member of the Stallone family.
The second is just that it’s just cool when people start to know you. I was at some sort of round table type situation with a guy named Larry Kloess, who puts together secret shows in Nashville. He sets up Noah Gundersen shows. He came into this round table that I was at with some other songwriters, and he sat down, and then we all introduced ourselves to each other. I said my name and he goes, “oh! I was listening to your EP earlier”. And I was like, “oh, that’s really cool!” Very minor but very cool Nashville moment.
The third is that two weeks ago, Phoebe and our other friend Harrison Whitford and me played a show together where we each played a set. I had played with each of them separately but never with both of them together. We all went up in each other's sets. When we all went up during Phoebe’s set, we all used the one mic, corny as it is, and we sang “Say Yes” by Elliott Smith. It was surreal--those are two of my songwriting heroes--and now they're my friends.
MSM: What is it like performing live? Do you have any pre performance rituals?
ZH: Performing live is my favorite part of music as a whole. In the studio, you have to be very careful and particular, or at least I am. At a show, I can let go. At a show you can go ten times what you do in a studio. You can just fucking go. The song that I get the most climax from is (Zander laughed and said, “that’ll sound weird on paper) is “Drops of Jupiter” by the band Train. (Zander and I then spent a lot of time discussing how underrated Train is, and about Taylor Swift’s live cover of the same song).
MSM: Your most popular song is probably “Hid in the Little Things”. Throw aside popular, what song do you want people to listen to when hearing you first? What song has the most meaning to you?
ZH: I did [“Hid in the Little Things”] with my dad on Garageband, in my room. It was really cool. My dad played drums on it, which was cool. The songs on this new album, that I’m in the process of finishing, each one really means alot to me. [From what’s been released] It’s gotta be “Daylight”. That was the first song I wrote where I was like, this isn't a Honeywater song, this is for me. It’s easy to tell from the song what inspired it. I had that sort of experience that inspired it. It’s one of those things where it wouldn’t feel right singing it or putting it out anywhere with anything other than my name on it.
Images courtesy of Zander Hawley
