Haiden Henderson is quickly becoming one of rock-pop’s newest it boys. Making waves with catchy tracks, an aesthetic reminiscent of the early 2000s, and stage presence only improving with each stage he steps on. In his latest single “NSFW,” he ups the ante and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Fresh off his new single release, Sweety High chatted with Haiden about the song, his songwriting process, touring, sonic evolution, and so much more. Read on to get an inside look into Haiden’s process.
Sweety High: Your new single, “NSFW,” is finally out. What made this the right song to introduce fans to your next chapter?
Haiden Henderson: I wanted the door into this next chapter to be something nobody could file away neatly. I’ve gotten a little bored with the landscape. Straight white guys making guitar-driven pop-rock feels like eating a butter sandwich. Rock is kinda becoming the new jazz. My whole thesis going into the project was to make the guitar cool again. “NSFW” was the first thing we made where I went, okay, if we’re going to do guitars, we’re going to do it in a way that’s unlike anything out there right now. It’s got this slinky, dark-but-romantic thing; I called it “a wilting rose” the day we made it. That felt like an honest way to say “here’s where I’m headed” without spelling it out.
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SH: You’ve explored heartbreak, relationships and self-discovery throughout your career. How does this new song reflect where you are personally and creatively today?
HH: My girl is a really driven and successful person, and being with someone that intelligent and ambitious made me interrogate my masculinity in new ways. It’s kinda exciting and frightening and vulnerable all at once. The song is me sitting in that and playing with the traditional roles of a relationship. Sonically, it reflects a version of me that finally stopped trying to control everything. I used to build this polished shield so no one could see the ugliness, and this time I led with the feeling and let the story catch up to it. That’s the biggest shift; I trust my instincts now in a way I didn’t used to.
SH: Sonically, do you feel like you’re taking any new risks with this release compared to your previous projects?
HH: Big ones, and they’re mostly about roughness. My producer Benny Cassette said something early on that broke my brain a little; he told me my last project sounded perfect, and then asked if I’d ever considered making something that doesn’t sound perfect. So this is intentionally raw. Under-processed, no fades, more intense.
(Image courtesy of Haiden Henderson)
SH: Fans have watched your sound evolve from Good Grief! to tension and now this new era. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about yourself as a songwriter along the way?
HH: That I’m not as smart as I thought I was. I was so focused on writing about my own experience that I kinda didn’t consider whether or not what I was saying was accessible to other people. I was writing songs at people, hoping to evoke a feeling, and now I tend to lead with the feeling first. The lesson is basically that perfect and good aren’t the same thing, and I’d been confusing them for years.
SH: You recently toured with 5 Seconds of Summer in the U.K. How did that experience influence your approach to performing or even writing new music?
HH: Playing with them has been life-changing. I joined right as “freak for you” was going viral, so it brought all this attention to the shows, and the boys were kind enough to ask us back to the North America run. Yes, I freaked out. Yes, I’m a fangirl. I think the new project kinda feels like the excitement and electricity I feel on stage. We’re taking risks on these songs that make me giddy in the same way.
SH: Your live shows have developed a really passionate fan community. Has there been a fan interaction recently that reminded you why you love doing this?
HH: When I’m starved of real-life interaction with my fans, Discord is where we all hang out. It’s a constant reminder to me that these are real people with real feelings. We play video games, watch movies, listen to unreleased music, etc. In person, the most recent fan experience for me was doing the pop-ups in each city on the U.K. run with 5SOS. I’d play acoustically for people and give away my guest list spots to people that couldn’t afford tickets. Seeing the look on their faces was priceless.
SH: Are there any artists you’ve been listening to lately that unexpectedly inspired this new music?
HH: Lots of Prince. Lots of Britney. I didn’t grow up on rock at all; I grew up on R&B and hip-hop and still basically live there. So the inspiration for a guitar-driven record came from wondering how I could make the guitar feel like a brand new instrument. What would Prince do with it if he were my age and making music? That framing pulled me somewhere different than the usual guitar-band inspos.
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SH: Without giving too much away, does “NSFW” hint at the overall direction of your next project?
HH: It does, but it contextualizes it; it introduces the fusion of sounds I’m going to keep exploring. Think of “NSFW” as the first room you walk into. There’s a whole house past it.
(‘NSFW’ via Republic Records)
SH: If fans could only take away one message from this song, what would you hope it is?
HH: Men can be soft and supportive, and it isn’t a threat to their masculinity. Women can be ambitious and successful, and it isn’t a threat to their femininity.
SH: Anything else you’d like to add?
HH: BUCKLE UP!
For more interviews with the artists we can’t get enough of, click HERE to hear from Full Circle Boys on their new era.
