Dave
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Post by Dave on May 30, 2015 15:00:02 GMT
Hi Martin, Libby and all, You and I were wondering much the same thing Martin, about Hayley's continuing association with Decca... but the Costa Pilavachi "Like" spotted by Richard on our Facebook made me think again about that so it wouldn't surprise me now if the next album is done via Decca. They owe her (still) IMO after the financial miscalculations they seem to made regarding Pure, especially for the US release... but of course, one Like, even from the top Decca/Universal executive who originally signed Hayley, doesn't prove it either way. But I hope it is like that. Regarding the Decca contract, we learned several years ago from a previous management of Hayley that it was renegotiated (post-Odyssey IIRC) but we never discovered what was agreed, and no details were to my knowledge ever published in the media. What it does mean though is that counting albums won't help us to work out if Hayley is still with Decca or not, we must look for other clues!  Cheers, Dave |
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Post by comet on May 31, 2015 11:40:31 GMT
I wouldn't be advocating Hayley leaving Decca, In the music industry Decca are a World Power.
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Post by Libby on May 31, 2015 20:42:51 GMT
Yeah, me either. They haven't been an amazing team for Hayley, but switching would take too long and delay an album, and probably be a lot of hassle. Which is why Hayley's starting on her album barely a year after Hushabye is enough to convince me that she still has her record company.
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Post by Libby on Jun 1, 2015 23:26:26 GMT
I just realized the Summer Rain video couldn't have come at a more meaningful time... isn't this now the first week of June? Summer Rain is a song she wrote with Jeff Franzel, as most of you know, and here she is, about to write with him again.  I'm also wondering if seeing this video could inspire her to perform the song live. Someone asked Hayley in Madison about singing Summer Rain in concert, and she apparently said it was a difficult song to do live, for some reason. I'm guessing it's the instruments used, though I don't see why that would be a problem. She slowed Whispers in a Dream way down and performed it with a piano (though I didn't like it that way as much). I'm not saying she should change it up like Saskia did, I'm saying she could play the guitar and sing it, maybe a little bit slow, like Saskia, without really changing the way it's sung. Or, maybe not, she'll probably just do new songs, which is totally fine. |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Jun 2, 2015 3:09:45 GMT
Hi Libby, I think Saskia's version almost sounds like a new song altogether, it's certainly different from Hayley's original and might give Hayley something to think about... Meanwhile, back here in England, Summer Rain is what we've got tonight, that's for sure! Here's the rainfall radar image from a few hours ago... not much of Great Britain can be seen!  Squelch, Dave |
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Post by martindn on Jun 2, 2015 10:25:11 GMT
Well Dav e, I don't think your rainfall radar pic goes as far north as I am, in Upper Wensleydale, but it certainly rained (and blew) here yesterday. I got wet 3 times, and so did dog, not good when you are living in a camper van.
But then I think it is always raining in the Pennines. Wainwright certainly thought so when he did the Pennine Way for his guide book back in 1966/67.
Martin D
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Jun 2, 2015 14:44:37 GMT
Well Dav e, I don't think your rainfall radar pic goes as far north as I am, in Upper Wensleydale, but it certainly rained (and blew) here yesterday. I got wet 3 times, and so did dog, not good when you are living in a camper van. But then I think it is always raining in the Pennines. Wainwright certainly thought so when he did the Pennine Way for his guide book back in 1966/67. Martin D It goes up beyond Dundee, Martin... but you'd never know because that's obscured under the rain as well, so you can hunt for hidden "Treasure"!  Sorry about the rainy diversion, folks, but at least I've shrunk the map now! Cheers, Dave |
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Post by Libby on Jun 3, 2015 0:30:41 GMT
It's rainy here now, too, and I think a few degrees cooler. However, by the weekend we're supposed to be right back to warm, sunny weather. The Summer Rain won't last for long. |
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Jillian
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Post by Jillian on Jun 5, 2015 10:57:49 GMT
I really do think that Hayley will be trying something quite different with this next album. One of the reasons I think that is because of the protracted silence from Hayley's part. I would like to think there's some design in that -- namely falling away from the public eye so she can re-invent herself for the new release. Otherwise, I would have thought it rather risky for her to hide away as much as she has been doing. In this day and age of social media, facebook, twitter, instagram etc an artist can be as visible (or invisible) as they choose to be without any work required from management or the record company. I'm certain it's not a case of Hayley wanting exposure and not getting it. I'm not really sure what to expect from all of this and when the album will eventually arrive. Hayley has a fantastic voice, but she does need strong material as well to make an album worth people's while. Being perfectly honest, the only thing I'm afraid of is a mellow indie sounding album (which I'm gathering is where Hayley's music preferences tend to lie). I hear vocalists of that genre in bars and pubs everywhere now and every song sounds the same (i.e. whispered singing) I'm talking about a singing style this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoeMQiagyAw which is itself quite pleasant but after a while.... and it also would completely waste Hayley's singing talent. It's just quite popular now and the whole genre seems to match the aesthetic that Hayley seems to have been chasing lately. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but it's one of my big fears that Hayley will go down that route - in particular I think Hushabye was aiming for that sound. Hopefully the producers and songwriters will appreciate that Hayley has a very special voice that can't be caged into that kind of singing. John Lennon talked about 'wallpaper music' -- which is background music, music to eat your breakfast to. At all costs, Hayley should avoid making wallpaper music. I want an album that demands attention. |
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Jillian
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Post by Jillian on Jun 5, 2015 11:20:08 GMT
Hi Martin, Libby and all, You and I were wondering much the same thing Martin, about Hayley's continuing association with Decca... but the Costa Pilavachi "Like" spotted by Richard on our Facebook made me think again about that so it wouldn't surprise me now if the next album is done via Decca. They owe her (still) IMO after the financial miscalculations they seem to made regarding Pure, especially for the US release... but of course, one Like, even from the top Decca/Universal executive who originally signed Hayley, doesn't prove it either way. But I hope it is like that. Regarding the Decca contract, we learned several years ago from a previous management of Hayley that it was renegotiated (post-Odyssey IIRC) but we never discovered what was agreed, and no details were to my knowledge ever published in the media. What it does mean though is that counting albums won't help us to work out if Hayley is still with Decca or not, we must look for other clues! Cheers, Dave Hi Dave, In the past, when other artists have been dropped, their record company website, the artist listing etc just mysteriously vanish. I'll be honest in saying that I've been occasionally checking the Decca website to make sure that Hayley is still listed there. I definitely wouldn't advocate Hayley leaving Decca either. In all reality, if Hayley was going to go independent she'd have to take the driver's seat in terms of self promotion - something which she has always been very reluctant to do. I think an artist like Hayley definitely needs the reach and resources of a major record company. Once upon a time, I used to think that Hayley could do better elsewhere, but I don't think that's the case anymore. |
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Post by Libby on Jun 5, 2015 20:07:17 GMT
I really do think that Hayley will be trying something quite different with this next album. One of the reasons I think that is because of the protracted silence from Hayley's part. I would like to think there's some design in that -- namely falling away from the public eye so she can re-invent herself for the new release. Otherwise, I would have thought it rather risky for her to hide away as much as she has been doing. In this day and age of social media, facebook, twitter, instagram etc an artist can be as visible (or invisible) as they choose to be without any work required from management or the record company. I'm certain it's not a case of Hayley wanting exposure and not getting it. I'm not really sure what to expect from all of this and when the album will eventually arrive. Hayley has a fantastic voice, but she does need strong material as well to make an album worth people's while. Being perfectly honest, the only thing I'm afraid of is a mellow indie sounding album (which I'm gathering is where Hayley's music preferences tend to lie). I hear vocalists of that genre in bars and pubs everywhere now and every song sounds the same (i.e. whispered singing) I'm talking about a singing style this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoeMQiagyAw which is itself quite pleasant but after a while.... and it also would completely waste Hayley's singing talent. It's just quite popular now and the whole genre seems to match the aesthetic that Hayley seems to have been chasing lately. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but it's one of my big fears that Hayley will go down that route - in particular I think Hushabye was aiming for that sound. Hopefully the producers and songwriters will appreciate that Hayley has a very special voice that can't be caged into that kind of singing. John Lennon talked about 'wallpaper music' -- which is background music, music to eat your breakfast to. At all costs, Hayley should avoid making wallpaper music. I want an album that demands attention. Jillian... what?  I've never heard Hayley sing "whispery", not even in Whispers in a Dream or Whispering Hope! LOL Seriously, though, even Hushabye I would not consider to be whispery, or indie! Indie? Doesn't that either refer to a certain rock genre (indie rock), or an independent artist? So, what, is there indie rock, indie pop, indie country, indie jazz,... indie classical? I really have no idea what you mean. Yes, Jillian, I think you're being paranoid.  Haha I also don't think she's waited till over a year after she started work on her album to "re-invent" herself. I think you're taking the long silence from twitter too seriously. I mean, what would someone be doing to re-invent themselves that would require them to be away from twitter? Doing crazy things to her appearance? Going wild in the pubs? Of course she's not, but I mean, what on earth do you mean when you say that? I think what we've seen in her last few concerts is an example of what she's wanting to do. The way that she mainly stuck to the light pop songs from across her career. Only 2 songs in Madison were not in English, I think, which were La Califfa and Amalia. Then don't forget the Union Chapel concert. I seriously think those concerts are what we should go by as far as style... as well as her playing guitar, maybe? We've seen 2 photos of her with a guitar during this album process. But again, I'm not saying I don't think she'll add more classical songs.. just maybe classical pop. That's what Josh has mostly done, and it's worked for him, so why not Hayley? |
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Post by martindn on Jun 5, 2015 22:47:00 GMT
I think the guitar is her favoured instrument for composing songs. She told us she composed "Talk to me" that way, then transposed it for piano becuase she was more comfortable with that instrument on stage. Union chapel was the only time she reverted back to the original guitar. So if she is writinfg songs, you would sort of expect her to have a guitar in her hands. It seems to me that this album could be mainly, if not entirely new material.
Martin D
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Post by Libby on Jun 6, 2015 1:46:14 GMT
Martin, have another look at an earlier post of mine, which I've edited a bit here, in response to your last comment, in case you didn't read it the first time (or maybe you just didn't believe me? LOL): I know some of you are so sure her album will be all originals, but I am still skeptical of that. I don't think Decca does have as much confidence in her for songwriting as they should. Anyway, as I've reiterated many times, for a label like Decca, it would be hard for her to get away with a full album of originals and still be considered truly classical, unless they allow her to be more of Josh Groban-style classical crossover style. But if you recall, Hayley's been singing 3 songs in her concerts that Decca would probably love for her to include (not to mention many fans): You Raise Me Up, Bridge Over Troubled Water, and Over the Rainbow. The fact that OTR was on one of Hayley's NZ albums shouldn't matter; so was the Mists of Islay! So was the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria! In fact, even though OTR has never been much of a favorite of mine, she performs it so beautifully that I would actually like it if it was on there, at least for Decca's sake. I'm sure most of you would admit that you would love to hear a few covers like that. There are other cover songs she's done that we've liked too, though I'm not sure after all this time she'd really still include them all (I Know You By Heart and Vivo Per Lei, for example). I just think it would be too big of a leap to go from no true originals since 2009 (Paradiso songs weren't truly original), to ALL originals in 2015/2016. Even Josh Groban has never had a full album of originals, and he's not with Decca. So, there you go. Okay, let me do another breakdown of a potential album tracklist again, just to prove my point (from what we know of her songwriters and past cover songs she knows we like/liked): Jeff Franzel: at least 2 songs Stephan Moccio: at least 1 song Pam Sheyne: at least 1 song Potential cover songs: You Raise Me Up Bridge Over Troubled Water Over the Rainbow Vivo Per Lei I Know You By Heart Close to You Then, let's add: Talk to Me That would be only 6 cover songs. When you remember that most of her albums are usually 15 songs long, then that leaves potentially 9 more slots for original material! Oh, but the US usually gets fewer songs than the UK. I looked at all my US albums, and the range is 12-14, whereas, I think the UK is more like 13-15. However, they'd have no reason to eliminate any of the songs I listed from the US version, if my list anywhere near resembles the real thing. Now, remember that I Know You By Heart and Vivo Per Lei were each performed live only about 2 years ago (less for Vivo Per Lei). Considering she's done very few concerts since 2013, that's really not that long ago, not long enough to say, I'm done with that song, even though my fans petitioned for one on twitter once, and people post videos of me & Andrea Bocelli singing the other one, literally every day. LOL I literally see that everytime I do a search on twitter. And, if she could record it with Bocelli, that would be amazing, but I'll take a wild guess and choose Vittorio (not that wild, considering she's met with him twice). I hope you at least read what I put in bold (I know my post is a bit long, though I edited the original post quite a bit). I really don't think Decca is going to go from Hushabye to all originals with her. That's a huge stretch, if you ask me. With Decca, I mean, but probably not Hayley. LOL Well, do you really think Hayley's writing 15 songs? Again, I doubt it. Tell me, does Decca have any classical-leaning artists that have written every song on their album? I honestly doubt it. |
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Post by martindn on Jun 6, 2015 12:01:09 GMT
That's true Libby of course, I can't think of any CC artists on Decca that have written all their own songs for an album. But there are albums that are all original material, with the majority written by the artist, such as Mary-Jess's album Shine, which is a Decca album. So there may be songs written for Hayley by others, just as there were on Pure. And yes, a few covers gives listeners a "hook" - an album of all unfamiliar material takes more getting into than one with a few familiar songs. So if that is what the new album has, it isn't necessarily on reflection of Decca's confidence in Hayley's songwriting. The mix of familiar and unfamiliar was clearly very successful on Pure, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a similar mix on the new album.
Another issue that I don't think we have considered is whether or not the new album will have a theme, or just be a collection of assorted songs. Personally I don't mind either way, but we need to remember that Hayley has dome quite a lot of themed albums, the HSJS albums, Winter Magic, Hushabye, perhaps even Paradiso can be considered themed, so it is probably the majority. Which then raises the question of what theme theme might be.
Martin D
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Post by Sing on Jun 6, 2015 16:31:28 GMT
I really do think that Hayley will be trying something quite different with this next album. One of the reasons I think that is because of the protracted silence from Hayley's part. I would like to think there's some design in that -- namely falling away from the public eye so she can re-invent herself for the new release. Otherwise, I would have thought it rather risky for her to hide away as much as she has been doing. In this day and age of social media, facebook, twitter, instagram etc an artist can be as visible (or invisible) as they choose to be without any work required from management or the record company. I'm certain it's not a case of Hayley wanting exposure and not getting it. I'm not really sure what to expect from all of this and when the album will eventually arrive. Hayley has a fantastic voice, but she does need strong material as well to make an album worth people's while. Being perfectly honest, the only thing I'm afraid of is a mellow indie sounding album (which I'm gathering is where Hayley's music preferences tend to lie). I hear vocalists of that genre in bars and pubs everywhere now and every song sounds the same (i.e. whispered singing) I'm talking about a singing style this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoeMQiagyAw which is itself quite pleasant but after a while.... and it also would completely waste Hayley's singing talent. It's just quite popular now and the whole genre seems to match the aesthetic that Hayley seems to have been chasing lately. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but it's one of my big fears that Hayley will go down that route - in particular I think Hushabye was aiming for that sound. Hopefully the producers and songwriters will appreciate that Hayley has a very special voice that can't be caged into that kind of singing. John Lennon talked about 'wallpaper music' -- which is background music, music to eat your breakfast to. At all costs, Hayley should avoid making wallpaper music. I want an album that demands attention. Jillian... what? I've never heard Hayley sing "whispery", not even in Whispers in a Dream or Whispering Hope! LOL Seriously, though, even Hushabye I would not consider to be whispery, or indie! Indie? Doesn't that either refer to a certain rock genre (indie rock), or an independent artist? So, what, is there indie rock, indie pop, indie country, indie jazz,... indie classical? I really have no idea what you mean. Yes, Jillian, I think you're being paranoid. Haha I also don't think she's waited till over a year after she started work on her album to "re-invent" herself. I think you're taking the long silence from twitter too seriously. I mean, what would someone be doing to re-invent themselves that would require them to be away from twitter? Doing crazy things to her appearance? Going wild in the pubs? Of course she's not, but I mean, what on earth do you mean when you say that? I think what we've seen in her last few concerts is an example of what she's wanting to do. The way that she mainly stuck to the light pop songs from across her career. Only 2 songs in Madison were not in English, I think, which were La Califfa and Amalia. Then don't forget the Union Chapel concert. I seriously think those concerts are what we should go by as far as style... as well as her playing guitar, maybe? We've seen 2 photos of her with a guitar during this album process. But again, I'm not saying I don't think she'll add more classical songs.. just maybe classical pop. That's what Josh has mostly done, and it's worked for him, so why not Hayley? Hi Libby, I think Jillian means (and I could be completely wrong haha) that with Hayley being pretty quiet on twitter and other forms of social media recently she isn't really creating much attention which means that a lot of people may 'forget' about her previous work and could create a new/er image of herself- and that it's not that re-inventing oneself requires you to be away from twitter. In fact I think it would help to be more active on twitter to keep her in people's minds. That's not to say twitter is completely necessary for that . It does seem a little strange (to me) to be so quiet on twitter sometimes given that most well-known people spend a lot of time on social media and this really helps to promote themselves. However, I think a lot of 'celebrities' over-use social media, so there's definitely a need to balance it. I'm sure though that when she has finished her album there will be much more for her to say That probably wasn't a very good explanation at all though haha.  |
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