INFOCUS: HAYD IN THE CLOUDS
Up, Up, and Away
American singer Hayd looks back on “Head in the Clouds,” his sentimental chart-topper on the pain of growing up
Tweed Jacket by CRUZ
There’s nothing like losing a friend. Friendship breakups are a universal experience but films and television would have you believe that everything needs to blow up in a dramatic fashion when that simply isn’t true. 21-year-old singer Hayd, like a lot of us, can attest to this at length and has expressed as much through his hit single Head in the Clouds released back in 2020. In talking about the song, he explains it simply: “We were naive and we had our head in the clouds. We were telling ourselves, ‘Oh, we’re gonna be best friends forever!’ because we were really close but we didn’t understand how life works, you know.”
Maturity soon let him come to a conclusion, “It’s very rare that you have someone who’s always there for you throughout all the different seasons of life. Sure enough, when we got to high school, we were on different life paths and we slowly started to drift apart.” There was no crescendo of events, rather, it was more of a slow burn. “There was no big argument, no big fight, or anything like that. We just started hanging out with different friends and we were on different paths and we kind of accepted that.”
Lilac Jacket and Grey Trousers by Zara It was through this sentiment that Hayd found the song’s emotional center. “It’s sad, right? We were so close for so long and now we’re not? But it’s also like acceptance. Now that we’re older, I guess that’s how life works and so the song is just reminiscing back to when I was young. So yeah, I wrote it for my childhood best friend.”
Pink Jacket by Zara
White Mock-neck shirt by Bershka
Now, while this might sound devastating for any younger fans who might be scared of what the future might hold, Hayd offers some sound advice. “I think there’s a statistic I read that you make, like, 500 close friendships in your life, and six last your entire life. With that in mind, I’d say just be grateful for the friends you do have now and cherish those moments together because you never know what could happen. Do it now before it’s too late and just understand that that’s part of life. People come and go and it’s best to be present in the moment.”
Future and Beyond
“I went on a North American tour a few months ago and now I’m in Asia, so it’s been awesome.” In the time since the release of Head in the Clouds, Hayd planted his roots in Los Angeles where he’s happy to have finally settled. “I’ve been working on a bunch of new music. I’m so grateful for all the love that song has gotten and the success that it's seen and it just spurs me on to write, to keep being vulnerable, and to keep writing deep, introspective music.”
With plans to release new music early next year, Hayd is already excited at the idea of coming back to Manila. “After the holidays, we’re releasing, oh gosh, like, at least six new songs. The plan is to come back to Asia early next year, hopefully, around April, give or take a couple of months, but the plan is to come back so people can get a chance to see us again because we’re going to do proper shows and, yeah, lots of new music and I’m so excited at the idea of playing them in front of a live audience.” --- Art Direction Fatima Esmero
Interview and Story ANDREA LAM
Styling by Rush Romano, Assisted by Regine Aldaba
Location ANGELES CITY FLYING CLUB, PAMPANGA
Managing Director ENZO VALDEZ
Senior Marketing Manager LUIGI MALLARI
International Marketing Manager IRIS MATABANG
International Marketing Executive JOHN BALBIN
Special thanks to:
UMG Philippines
Universal Music Southeast Asia Regional
Interscope Records
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Listen to HAYD here.