Introducing…. Grace Hayhurst

With her ambitious new album The World Is Dying, London-based multi-instrumentalist Grace Hayhurst throws everything she’s got into a concept-driven, genre-blending sonic journey. From pandemic-fuelled introspection to full-blown orchestration, she’s pushing her craft to the limit — and then some. We caught up with Grace to talk existential themes, outrageous live shows, and why she never planned to be a singer.

Click Roll Boom: Tell me about you – how did you get started?
Grace Hayhurst: When it comes to knuckling down and actually writing my own original music? I have to give thanks to Covid in a roundabout way. I was sealed up inside for around 18 months, looking out for my grandad, and finally had no excuses not to get on with writing, recording, and focusing on putting something together. That’s probably why the subject matter of my music so far is quite frankly depressing!

My debut EP was almost an experimental exercise – finding reliable people I enjoyed working with, understanding mixing, production, gain staging, compression, promotion, all of the more conventionally boring parts of making music that aren’t just the songwriting parts which I’d already been softly experimenting with for years. Existence is Temporary came out in 2021, and the rest is history as they say!

CRB: How would you describe your sound, and how has it evolved since you first started?
GH: When I very first started, I was in an indie band – so things have changed drastically from there!

From my debut EP to this album, quite a lot has changed. Namely it’s not just an instrumental project anymore and I’m now singing throughout the record. I never in a million years set out to be a singer, but it’s happened out of necessity even if I’m not particularly strong at it, yet.

I think my songwriting has also matured a lot when it comes to lyrical themes, concepts, and structure. Although the joy of being a lifelong musician is that there’s always room for improvement for whatever comes next as I am far from done!

CRB: Who or what have been some of your biggest influences, musically and beyond?
GH: Oh boy! Opeth, Rick Wakeman, Steve Hackett, Rammstein, Haken, Gershwin, Rabea Massad, Mastodon, are probably all the meatiest influences when it comes to sound, image, structure, and note choices.

CRB: What does your songwriting process typically look like?
GH: A lot of trial and error sitting in front of a computer surrounded by various gizmos. For this record, it was my trusty Fender Tele in Drop C, a 5-string Schecter bass, a tiny MIDI keyboard powering Arturia’s synth suite.

Everything else came later as I gradually wrote parts for strings, horn, piano, acoustic guitar, harp, and more which all made an appearance during the recording process.

Each composition got more and more elaborate before I realised most of them were hitting 100 channels of audio and I should probably call it done!

CRB: Lyrically, “The World Is Dying” is powerful. Can you tell us about the themes?
GH: Well it’s not very happy that’s for certain! The lyrics for the record were written back in late 2021 as various billionaires were competing to be the first in space. As we’d all just watched around us hundreds of thousands of people die from a pandemic, this gross waste of resources was quite frankly just upsetting to watch.

I think if Covid-19 wasn’t a wakeup call for the ruling class to try and restore a balance to society and our environment, then nothing will be. I think the record conveys my now defeatist attitude towards the state of the planet with the thought that at some point a lot of us are going to die from climate disasters – and there’s no avoiding it. Oh well!

CRB: How do you approach experimenting with new sounds or ideas when creating music?
GH: New toys always help with this, whether that’s a new plugin, guitar, keyboard, drum machine, it forces you to change your workflow to end up with a different result which I think is important so you don’t stagnate – and also keep the writing process fresh and fun.

CRB: What’s been one of the most memorable moments in your journey so far?
GH: Definitely when Ray Hearne from Haken turned up at the studio with beers whilst myself, Shelby, and Robin were spending a few days tracking drums back in 2022. He was insisting on being a part of the record in a jovial way, when he walked into the percussion booth and away he went. That’s why he’s got a clapping credit!

CRB: The artwork for “The World Is Dying” is striking. What was the thought process behind it?
GH: To evoke some horror, and make something memorable! Hospitals generally aren’t places full of joy, and I really leaned into the bleakness of it all to get the message across.

CRB: How do you prepare for live shows, and what do you aim to bring to your performances?
GH: My aim is to be striking and unforgettable. In the past I’ve covered myself in blood on stage and thrown around a brain, whilst still managing to play my keys and guitar – sometimes both at once!

My pet peeve is bands that turn up on stage, dress scruffily, don’t interact with the audience, and stand still for their set. I do my best to be the absolute opposite of that and actually entertain!

CRB: How do you balance creative expression with staying connected to your audience?
GH: As this is a debut record, I’m not sure there’s much of an audience to stay connected to just yet! But I will say the few that are there so far are very passionate and the noises I make, and that’s wonderful to see!

CRB: What do you hope listeners take away from your work?
GH: This is a question only the listener can really answer. Hopefully something meaningful and impactful from the message of the concept, or at the very least an appreciation of the riffs and curated compositions.

CRB: What does the future hold for you – any plans or goals you’re excited about?
GH: I’m excited for the rest of the album to release and see what sort of reception it gets! Then I’ll possibly head back to writing, or see if there’s a way I can do some live shows in the near future!

In the meantime though, I’ll be continuing to run Sensible Music Studios in London and contributing where I can as a session musician to other artists' albums which is a great way of staying creative with a little less stress than running every single part of your own project.