Off The Record with Hazel Bloom

Get To Know Hazel Bloom| The stylistically unique Indie Pop artist Hazel Bloom is composed of one main singer/songwriter named Dave Carlin. He designed his stage name largely from a few main facets; the continuous blooming of love and nature. Dave wanted a title that fully defined his artistic vision as well as the ongoing growth of his persona. The main inspiration underlying Hazel Bloom is to create an infectious sound that induces a feeling of all emotions accompanied by heartfelt lyrical composition and melodies. Hazel Bloom encompasses bright and lively Pop melodies mixed with a unique, hard-hitting R&B style to create a uniform sound that will resonate with you. Though being well versed in the music scene, Hazel Bloom is the first artistry that Dave has felt completely alive and at home with. Hazel Bloom plans to leave his footprint in the music industry and has no intentions of letting anything get in the way of that.

Interview

OTR: What inspired the music video for “I Loved You, Once”

Hazel: I wrote ‘I Loved You, Once’ during the early months of 2018. I wrote the lyrics to this song in the middle of a snowy night at the lake near my house. I was in a vulnerable state of mind where I was still in love with a person but I knew things weren't going to work out so I wanted to hate them so badly. It’s essentially about feeling lost, then you stumble into this person that makes you feel complete. How beautiful it feels at that moment, then the next it’s over and you feel like you're back to where you started. I feel the musical composition displays this feeling beautifully. There’s a sense of desperation and love that flows throughout the song into the outro. Then the saxophone takes over and you really feel those emotions, but I feel it gives the listener a sense of hope. All the emotions I felt and put into this song was what really inspired the idea to create a video for the song. This song means a lot to me and has a lot of emotion flowing through it so I wanted to show the emotions I felt in visual form as well.

OTR: Who are your biggest inspirations? Musically?

Hazel: I would say my biggest inspirations would be Matt Healy (The 1975), Paul Klein (LANY), and Mikael Temrowski (Quinn XCII). Each one of these artists inspires me in a different way musically as well as how I carry myself as an artist. From musical inspiration, business professionalism, and fashion inspiration, these three artists are where I get most of my image from.

OTR: Fashion plays a part in your overall presentation, who are people or things that inspire your fashion that makes you, you.

Hazel: I like dressing different from what you normally see throughout your day. I mostly will be looking around online or in person and if something catches my eye as something i've never seen before, I'll usually try to incorporate it in my style. I'm a fan of 90’s fashion and style so I tend to mix a lot of that style with my own. I love colors and designs so I tend to be a little over the top some days. Some people that have inspired some of my style are Matt Healy (The 1975), Paul Klein (LANY), and Jared Leto.

OTR: How early on in your life did you know you wanted to be a musician?

Hazel: I knew I wanted to be a musician in the year 2004. I remember it was a summer afternoon in August. I had just turned 10 years old and I popped my Now 16 CD into my CD player. I was in my backyard jamming to this CD with my mom. The song that came on that totally changed my life was Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard. It was a genre that I had never heard before. The Pop type vocals mixed with a more punk sound resonated with me like I couldn’t believe. It was at that moment I realized that I wanted to make music that gives people the same feeling I felt that day. A feeling of euphoria that makes you feel fully connected with yourself and others around you.

OTR: Describe your sound, there’s Pop and a touch of R&B in the way you deliver your lyrics.

Hazel: I started experimenting with pop and R&B as well as started listening to more of these genres this year. I fell in love with the vibe and emotion I felt from the music and that’s the feeling I wanted my music to create for other people. When I first wrote “I Loved You, Once” it was like something in me clicked. I had never written a song influenced by pop and R&B before and it was the first time I really felt at home with a style of music. I love the flowy type vocals of R&B which is what I have been trying to infuse into my writing along with some hard hitting pop influenced melodies. Lately, I have been really influenced by The 1975, LANY, Blackbear and Quinn XCII which is where I think I get my Pop and R&B type sound from. There's a lot of love and emotion that flow through my music and that's the backbone behind my music.

OTR: If there was one artist you could collaborate who would it be and why?

Hazel: My absolute dream would be to collaborate with Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco. I've been following his music since I have been about 12 years old. I love his personality as well as what he both stands for musically and personally. He has shaped the musician I am today and has always been one of my role models. I have idolized his voice ever since I can remember, to collaborate with him would be an absolute dream.

OTR: How do you begin to write songs?

Hazel: It varies from song to song but this is usually how my process goes. During a span of time, I have lyrics bouncing around in my head that I write down that I feel fit a certain vibe for a song. I usually just have a full journal of ideas I feel could turn into something. Every so often I hear a song that inspires me and I think to myself that I want to write a song that's similar to that vibe. I usually start with a melody that I track on my laptop and it slowly evolves from there.

OTR: Lastly, what are you looking forward in the remainder of 2018 going into 2019?

Hazel: I have a lot I want to accomplish before the end of the year. I’ll be booking more shows, writing more material, setting a release date for a new single, and working on more songs. As of right now, I think I’m mostly excited to set a release date for my next single and to keep working on new music!