Hadji Gaviota
Photo Credit: Daniel Schwartz
Pop is the name of the game when it comes to Hadji Gaviota. Or is Gaviota’s work “Anti Pop,” as a Spotify-curated playlist of that very name suggests? The artist has been at it professionally since 2018, bursting onto the scene with his single “Racecar.” That same year, he released his debut album Captain, a 12-song masterpiece that has “Harajuku,” one of Gaviota’s most successful tracks, as its sophomore song. Though 2018 is now three years ago, the up-and-coming artist only continues to, well, up-and-come. 2019 and 2020 alike saw a plethora of releases, including Gaviota’s second album “PURGATORY.” And as for 2021? His latest single, “Lukewarm” with Huck, was just released today! We recently spoke to Gaviota about how he thinks his sound has changed over his career, his inspirations when it comes to all of the many aspects of the music industry, and more!
Hey Hadji! How has 2021 been treating you so far?
Yo! Good getting to talk with you guys. 2021 has thankfully been pretty cool so far—I’ve gotten off to a good start on finishing up what will be my first project of the year and I’m starting to work on the next few. I’m going to hopefully be releasing a LOT of content this year so I’m really excited!
Let’s start off with an introduction. How did you get started making music?
I’ve been playing piano since I was about 6 or 7. When I was in the 8th grade I dropped a rap mixtape and sold physicals at school—it was so bad that a year later I deleted all evidence of it. I’ve been trying to find a copy of it just for laughs but I haven’t been able to yet. I didn’t make a ton of music in high school because I focused on academics and sports and stuff, but once I got to college I started using it as an outlet to express how much I felt like I didn’t fit in or want to go down the professional path that my friends were going in school. After I graduated I came back to NYC with a job as a high school teacher and I started grinding super hard on making my music better. After a few months of that, I made “Harajuku” and I felt like I had finally started to find my sound. I dropped that a few months later and everything changed.
Who were some of your main musical inspirations growing up?
I grew up with pretty good music listener parents, so they got me an iPod when I was in third grade and we shared an iTunes. I used to click on random stuff that they had in the library—The Clash, Cream, Sade, Al Green, Liz Phair, PJ Harvey—and then started adding my own stuff that I would find through my friends, like Ludacris, Eminem, Kanye, etc. Things were always very genreless in my world so I think that’s reflected a lot in my music.
Do you remember the first album you purchased?
I think the first album I ever purchased with my own money was Tha Carter III. Some of the albums I remember vividly but maybe I didn’t buy were Kanye West - Late Registration, Green Day - Nimrod, Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
It’s been over three years since your Spotify debut. What has changed most about your sound during this time?
When I first started putting out music on Spotify I was still getting comfortable with my singing voice. I was coming at music entirely from a hip-hop angle before then, and although I had always tried to bridge genres even then, I was doing it in a rap-focused way. I didn’t really think I could sing until an ex-girlfriend told me my voice sounded good and that gave me the confidence to keep pushing it. When I first started dropping music there were notes that were difficult for me to hit; like I was really struggling with the song “Lovely” and I had to practice it 1000 times before the first time I did it live, and now I could roll out of bed and hit it. I do things an entire octave above it all the time. Singing is really just a learned skill for a lot of people, it’s not something that people are just magically born with for the most part, so if I had any advice for people who want to start singing but don’t think their voice is good, just keep practicing!
Besides that, I’ve also had the opportunity to work with some amazing new producers like Chedda, Patrick Sullivan, and Jack Laboz. I’ve been working with Mike Mroz the entire time, from when I first put music out on Spotify, and he’s grown 10x as much as I have. He’s an absolute monster on the boards.
Let’s talk about the new music. You have a new song, “Lukewarm”, that’s out today; congrats! What is the inspiration for the release?
“Lukewarm” was a super fun song to make. I think it was the second time Huck and I had a session, and we started with the surf rock section, and then started messing around with the second part. When I tried the vocals for the second part over the first part, we realized we could probably bridge it together and make it a journey of a two-part song. There were a few different versions in terms of how it progressed but I love the way it came out in the end. I really wanted it to feel like some of the surf rock songs I grew up loving (Weezer’s “Surf Wax America”, The Ramones’ “Surfin’ Bird”) but still fit in my world and Huck’s world, and I think we pulled it off.
Huck is another fantastic artist. What was it like working with him on the track?
Huck is that dude man, for real. I got the opportunity to see him live once before I actually met him because he was on the same lineup as a friend of mine, and his stuff blew me away. I was listening to his music, especially “Primetime” and “Nunca Mas” before I even got the opportunity to link with him. Working with him was super cool—he produced the entire track and did such a great job on his verse too
And this music video is just wild. How did you come up with the concept for the video?
Honestly, at this point, I have so much fun with the visual side of songs that I have a hard time deciding to release them if I don’t have a visual concept. So when this one came to me I immediately brought it to Adam Ginsberg (my most trusted videographer, this is our seventh project together and we’re shooting another one this week). I wanted it to feel like a tongue-in-cheek surf commercial for the first half and then actually go to the beach for the second half but keep the weird green screen people in the video. I actually got a drone recently and this was supposed to be the first shoot we used it for, and I forgot the propellers. How the fuck can a drone fly without propellers? Not my proudest moment, but we managed to improvise something really awesome on the beach anyway. It was cold as fuck that day though.
Who is the next artist that you’re teaming up with for a dream collaboration?
I’ve been on a little bit of a feature/collab run that should kick off soon—you can look out for me on songs by Aaron Taos, papichuloteej, She Loves Boon, Durand IV, Maeko, Heath240, and more all within the first few months of this year. I have a rap verse on a song with Krishu (super dope rapper) as well that’s in a totally different bag.
As for Hadji songs themselves, I have something really cool with Saiah for my next project. They’re so amazing!
How does the typical Hadji Gaviota song come to be? What inspires you to make music?
It honestly depends what producer I’m working with but usually, I’ll be in the room to make the beats. Even if I’m not producing or playing the keys or something, I’m coming up with references and ideas to start. Sometimes I have a funny reference or line that I’ll try to build out into a full idea. I’m inspired a lot by weird phrases and memes because I’m an internet kid, so a lot of times something like that will bring a concept out of me.
Has your musical process been affected by the pandemic at all? How so?
Absolutely. I was unable to go to the studio for a few months which forced me to get into my producer bag a bit. Two of the songs I ended up starting on my own—GUIDO/MISS KARMA and HOT AIR—ended up being on my last album. I owe Jack Laboz the world for making those sound as good as they did give where they started with me, haha. Thankfully I’ve been able to get back into the studio physically since then but it was a cool experience to get hands-on with the production side and to work on improving my home studio setup.
What advice do you have for an artist who’s nervous to release their first song?
Put that shit out. I mean you can always take it down later, worst case. But I’m honestly a proponent of showing your growth across multiple releases. I have music from 2018 that I personally am not particularly into anymore but I still think it’s cool to see how much I’ve grown so I leave it there. Plus my mom would be mad at me if I took it down. I totally understand being shy and afraid to drop stuff—I hid my music from my own parents for years for that same reason–but you’d be surprised how much people will support you early on. There are obviously phenoms and generational talents but most of the artists we all love dropped some ass before they got good. Just keep going!
Do you ever encounter writer’s block? If so, how do you deal with that?
Absolutely. Sometimes I revisit old things when I get stuck and see if I can put a spin on it. I try to read books and watch cool movies to give me new ideas. If I run out of things to talk about in my own life (this was pretty relevant during the pandemic) then I’ll try to tap in with a cool story I find elsewhere and write from someone else’s perspective. It really helps take the pressure off for me.
Which is one superpower that you wish you could have?
I think it’s gotta be flight. Flying would be sick as fuck. Gaviota means seagull in Spanish so it would match up pretty well.
You're a New Yorker like us (we’re from the Island/Queens)! If someone is in town for just one day, what should be on their “to-do” list?
Oh, man. Queens stand up. I think a good day in Queens would involve walking around Astoria Park and Flushing Meadows Park, and getting three meals—Greek food in Astoria (Telly’s Taverna would be my choice), either Indian food (Delhi Heights) or Peruvian food (Pio Pio) in Jackson Heights, and then a good dim sum in Flushing. Probably start with the dim sum because that order makes no sense. Just walking through each of those neighborhoods will make you feel like you’re in an entirely different world.
Who do you owe your biggest thanks to?
My parents for supporting me, my grandma for telling me I can do anything I want as long as I work hard enough, my friends (Abbey and Jerome especially) for always being down to help me make the shows and the visual stuff go smoothly, my collaborators (Mike, Chedda, Pat, Jack the producers, and Adam the videographer, and other Adam the visual art guy) for making the product what it is, and everybody who listens!
Photo Credit: Adam Ginsberg
Hadji Gaviota & Huck - “Lukewarm” Music Video.