As part of her tour to support her latest album DARK, HAYLA stopped into Underground Arts in Philadelphia on August 13th.
You may know her from tracks with John Summit or Kx5, where she blends her powerful vocals with hypnotizing electronic instrumentals. However, in DARK, HAYLA shows us a more introspective side of her artistry.
With the album just recently dropping, it was the first go around for HAYLA performing a lot of the tracks live. In a quick chat backstage, she shared that performing these songs has been quite an emotional ride. The album is made up of tracks that carry a more stripped back, softer sound, really emphasizing on her vocal talent and storytelling, but somehow still a great juxtaposition with her other work.
The set was a mix of songs from DARK, her previous album DUSK, and some of the classic EDM that get a crowd moving, and of course her vocals were shining through which each track. Regardless of the different energies in some of the songs, HAYLA continued to keep the crowd hooked and mesmerized. We rose, we danced, and then we fell to catch our breath together, letting the music dictate where we went in the night next.
One thing is clear after seeing her show — this is a person who belongs on the stage. As a viewer, it was incredibly refreshing to see an artist so present while performing and connect so well with their audience in real time. She was holding hands with the crowd, dancing with us, smiling with us, and sharing the experience with us. It felt less like an audience watching a stage and more like a room full of people experiencing a world together.
As an artist, it can always feel fearful or risky to do something new or put out a new project to your audience. HAYLA really has done it perfectly, it doesn’t feel like she’s trying to switch her narrative, but rather show us more of herself and let her audience understand her better. If you’re ever looking to pause, go somewhere new, and think, DARK is the album for you. And if you want to dance, there’s plenty of her discography for you too. Something for everyone, and somehow all of it fits just right.
Words and photos by Callie Fitzgibbon