We had the opportunity to get to know the singer-songwriter Haven. She is originally from a small town in Iowa, now splitting her time in Nashville and LA. Haven recently released her new single Swimming in Your Feelings. Read below to learn more about her!
You just released your new single, Swimming In Your Feelings.What was your inspiration behind this song?
Swimming I wrote not quite a year ago but close to a year ago with The 87’s, Mike Mac and Jordan Baum. I wrote it when I just started making trips out here. I met a cute LA boy and fell for him way too fast and ended up getting into a relationship. Not the best idea, should’ve taken my time. Anyways, we started dating and you know he was like “I want a serious girlfriend”, “I want a serious relationship” but he wasn’t really showing me that.
Long story short, we ended up breaking up, it didn’t last. The best way I could explain it when I was in that session, I was like “I just feel like I’m swimming in his feelings”. He says one thing that he wants this but then he doesn’t act like that and so I feel like I’m swimming in his feelings.
I hope that other people connect to it in whatever way. I feel like people go through something like that where you feel like you care more about the other person or if it’s like a friendship or whatever, you feel like you’re just swimming in the drama. So hopefully it resonates with people.
You’re twenty now, what age did you move to Nashville and what was it like?
I started writing songs and playing shows when I was nine but then around twelve I would use my gig money and I would fly to Nashville. I would stay there probably for two weeks every month with family out there. So I started going back and forth at twelve and was pretty much half there and half in Iowa.
Then around fifteen, my mom took a leave of absence. We were in my band trailer, which was a 12 by 12 living space and 12 by 12 space to put all the band equipment. It was supposed to be just a summer then it ended up being a full year so I could be in Nashville writing, touring, and traveling. Then at sixteen my whole family moved to Nashville, it was a gradual move. Now I’m like out in LA more than in Nashville. I’m based out of Nashville but lately I’ve been out here in LA more.
What is it like living in two big cities like LA and Nashville?
It’s crazy for me because the town I grew up in Iowa is like 1,600 people, so very small town, very different. When I moved to Nashville, Nashville was like a massive city to me, to my brothers and everybody. We were like “oh my god, this is so massive”, we were freaking out because it was so big. We had never seen the interstate that had like four or five lanes.
So Nashville was a really big deal for us. Thank god honestly we moved to Nashville first because it was like a stepping stone to LA. LA would have literally felt like a whole other planet. Luckily, I went to Nashville and then LA. LA is like really big to me and different and definitely even bigger than Nashville. I love LA and I love Nashville, I just think there is a lot more opportunity, things to do. You just get exposed to more in general.
When you were fifteen, you toured with major country acts such as Thomas Rhett, Lady Antebellum, Toby Keith, and Hunter Hayes. Could you talk about that and what it was like to tour with them at a young age?
I’m super thankful, it was crazy. I had kind of just started music and there was a YouTube video that got posted online. This talent guy in Kentucky saw it and he flew out to Iowa to see a show, I think I was thirteen which is crazy. He flew out to Iowa and he was a massive fan and he just started booking all these dates. I went from playing little festivals, to opening for major acts.
Looking back on it, it was such a blessing because the odds of like getting to play dates like that, that early on and that young. So I got to open for country acts that I looked up to growing up, it was really, really cool. I’m very thankful for those experiences.
What made you change from being a mostly country artist to now being more of a pop artist?
When I started doing music, because of where I grew up, when you would turn on the radio you would listen to country. So when I started doing music, country music was like the only music that I even knew to do, I guess.
Then when I moved to Nashville, it’s funny because Nashville is like the country music capital, but I got exposed to more pop. I was like “oh my god, this is so cool”. Melodically, you can go so many places, musically, and production wise. It was like a whole new world of music that was kind of opened up to me. After experimenting in my sessions, doing more of a pop thing, it just felt so much better and it felt free. Honestly, the melodies are very natural and naturally the pop thing was just kind of coming out of me.
I was really confused because I signed a publishing deal as a country artist. I was like alright, I’m in this deal as a country artist and everything is like too pop for country and too country for pop, a weird in between. Luckily, my publisher was very supportive. He sent me on a trip to LA,
I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I was writing like country, christian, pop, like I was writing everything. Honestly I prayed about it and whatever doors opened, with the pop door ended up just kind of falling into place. It’s been amazing because musically I feel so free and I can just make whatever I want to. There’s not a box on it.
How do you still incorporate your country background into your pop songs?
I think country has always been known for like the strong lyrics and obviously pop has been known for the catchy melodies. So I hope that like transfers over. I try to have a different twist on it like “swimming in your feelings and it ain’t that deep”, like a little different way of saying things. Taking different concepts and being able to say them lyrically a little different. I think that is one thing that I definitely try to incorporate from that world.
What was the moment you began to realize this was what you wanted to do?
I grew up in a sports oriented family. My parents were both athletic coaches. I did competitive gymnastics, basketball, softball, any sport that you could possibly have your kid in. I loved music and if you asked me when I was younger, even though I was super involved with sports, if you asked me “what do you want to be when you grow up?” it was always I want to be a singer or a barrel racer. Those were my two top things.
I was really busy with sports and then around nine I bought a guitar with my birthday money. From day one, I always loved music, like it was always in me. I started playing guitar, I loved it but I wasn’t putting my full time into it. I was still busy with other things.
Then around ten, I got very sick. I was in the hospital a lot, couldn’t do sports, couldn’t walk to the bathroom. It ended up being pretty bad. Since I couldn’t do sports, I just started writing. It was kind of like my therapy through that. Music was kind of all that was left during that time period.
When I started getting better, everyone was like “oh you want to go back to sports!” and I was like “I really like music”, I was super passionate about it and it gave me something to focus on other than being sick. So as soon as I started getting better, I just started playing an insane amount of shows. It was what drove me and I loved it. My parents were super supportive of it because they just had a really sick kid and when I found something I was passionate about, obviously they wanted to support me. The illness is what made me actually focus on it and decide to do it but I always loved music.
So you’re involved in philanthropy. Could you tell us more about that and why you chose to get started in that?
Personally I went through a childhood illness and was hospitalized a lot. I’ve been through that, it sucks and no kid should be stuck in a hospital bed. When I was thirteen, I discovered this foundation called the Rally Foundation for kids with cancer. It’s based out of Nashville. I wanted to help out with it so I played a show to help raise money. I started getting more involved, helping with just anything they really needed help with while I was in Nashville.
The family I was staying with, the lady, she was part of the Rally Foundation as well. So I tried getting involved with that and I started meeting these kids, these little kids, like three year olds that are battling for their life. They’re so mature too because they have to grow up faster. I hated seeing these little kids going through this and having to go through that pain. So I just started helping as much as I could with music. I feel like music does have a healing power. Personally, for me, when I was sick and I would sing, the pain would go away for a bit.
When I went to the hospital I would tell my mom to bring my guitar. My mom would be bringing me up to the 15th floor, pushing me in my wheelchair and I would have this big guitar that she’s carrying up to my doctors appointment. Music was healing for me so at my doctors appointments I wanted to sing for them. I think for other kids too, if they can try to write what they’re feeling, just sing what they’re feeling. It’s a way of getting out what they’re feeling, what they’re going through.
Do you have any new projects that you’re working on that you can tell us about?
The single just dropped Swimming In Your Feelings ,it dropped last week. It’s on the top ten on Disney Radio, so you can request it, vote for it. Yeah so they’re playing that regularly which is super cool to hear it on the radio. We’re starting the TikTok challenge, when the song comes on you have to stop what you’re doing and start swimming wherever you are. I’ll have a new single coming out in the new year in 2020. Then we’ll be releasing every six weeks starting in 2020. So there will be a lot of new music. The acoustics video for swimming coming out. There will be lots of new music, new content, 2020 will be very fun!
What is your dream venue to perform in?
My dream venue is Madison Square Garden, go big or go home right!
What advice would you give to someone looking to do what you’re doing?
I would just say, first of all, do it because you love it. The music business, or any business really, it’s hard, it’s tough. You’re going to get told no a lot but if you love it then keep going, keep pushing, keep working. It’s literally a survival of the fittest. If you keep going and doing what you love and making the music you love, soon enough it will resonate with people. As long as it’s something you’re truly passionate about, people will see that. Opinions are just opinions and you can take what you want from them but try to do what you believe in.
Keep up with Haven on social media and listen to her new sing Swimming in Your Feelings!
