Hazel English Q&A
by Jamie Hampton // August 2022
Photo courtesy of Grandstand
An excited energy filled the Lodge Room in Highland Park, California as everyone waited for Hazel English to take the stage. Her newest single, “Hamilton” played overhead with the lights low, and once it came to an end, English sauntered to the middle of the stage and kicked off a night of beautiful melodies and welcomed the crowd into her dreamy world.
English hadn’t played a live show in nearly three years, but was back on the stage to promote her newest EP, Summer Nights. I was able to ask English a few questions over email regarding her experience as an artist, how the pandemic has effected her and even got a little peek into her creative process.
Can you recall the moment you knew you wanted to make music?
Tell me about it.
I guess I always had a love for making music from a young age but it wasn’t until started learning guitar at age 16 that I decided I wanted to write songs. It kind of just felt natural and like an enjoyable way to express myself.
What does being a woman in the music industry mean to you? Can you share more about your struggles and triumphs?
I would say there are a lot of struggles that come along with being an artist and in general it’s just a difficult journey to navigate but that’s what also makes it rewarding when you reach the goals you set for yourself. I have wanted to give up many times but my
obsession with music always keeps me coming back.
How do you approach the creative process? Is it the same every time or do you adapt based on the idea you have?
I try not to always have the same approach because I get bored pretty easily so if I can change things up I will. That being said, I almost always come up with melody before lyrics, that’s probably the most consistent thing about my process but everything else
can change depending on who I’m working with or how I’m feeling.
If you could collaborate with any artist, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Probably Carole King!
Can you compare and contrast your experiences with making/putting out your EPand making/putting out your first LP?
Making the EP as opposed to my previous album was a much quicker endeavor and involved less people. It was a nice streamlined process, I just wanted to do something of
the moment and generally when I work with Jackson it comes together fairly quickly.
Personally, I’m obsessed with your song “Nine Stories” and have it on repeat. Can you walk me through making that song and what inspired it?
Thank you! "Nine Stories” came about because I hit up my friend Jackson and asked him to send me a track that I could write to - this during lockdown so we couldn’t do a session together in the studio. He made an instrumental track on Twitch and then sent it
to me and I came up with the melody and lyrics, recorded them and sent them to him and he mixed and mastered the track. I think it’s the only time we’ve ever done a song in this way, completely separately but it still worked really well!
How would you say you’ve changed as an artist through the pandemic, if at all?
I think I’ve started to try and seize the moment a little more, be more open to opportunities when they come up. You just don’t know if you will get the same opportunities
again, so it has caused me to be more grateful and appreciate the things I have.
Do you have a track that you are most proud of making? If so, what makes you so proud of it?
It’s hard for me to answer this because I feel differently at different times but I guess if you were to ask me what song I’m most proud of on the Summer Nights EP I would probably say “Blue Light” because I really like the lyrics for that one.
What’s your favorite part about performing live?
My favorite part of performing live is connecting with the audience and feeding off their energy. Sometimes releasing music can feel a little anticlimactic these days because
you never actually get to witness people listening to it but when it’s live you get to experience that in real time.
What advice do you have for new artists just starting out?
My advice would be to make music as a practice, not just when you feel like it but as a
habit so you can hone your skills. I would also say just make music for you and not for everyone else or you will no longer feel inspired. You have to stick to the things that make you love making music, the reason why you do it. That will keep you going when things get tough.
What’s to come for you in the near future?
More music! More shows hopefully. I feel like I’m just getting started.