[EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW] HALIENE DIVES INTO THE ‘DIVINE EDITION’ OF HER DEBUT ALBUM, ‘HEAVENLY’, AND RECENT TOUR

Since bursting onto the EDM scene, HALIENE has blossomed into one of the most fascinating multi-faceted artists on the planet. Additionally, her powerful vocals and unique signature style has led to breathtaking collabs, such as the iconic anthem “Rush Over Me”, with Seven Lions, ILLENIUM, and Said The Sky. 

Embarking on the next chapter in her career as a solo artist, HALIENE shocked music fans last year with the release of her debut album, Heavenly. Filled with entrancing melodies, ethereal sound design, and spellbinding lyrics, the compilation takes its audience on an emotional auditory journey into the mind of HALIENE. 

She recently revisited the LP and built on its allurement by presenting Heavenly (Divine Edition). Encompassing three brand-new tracks and an assortment of mind-bending remixes, the album has taken HALIENE to unprecedented heights.

While hot off winning Female Artist Of The Year at EDMAwards, HALIENE has also been crushing it on tour. On top of showcasing her infectious stage presence and performances, she just partnered with iHeartRaves on a dazzling line of fashion. Clearly, HALIENE is on a roll and has shown zero signs of slowing down anytime soon. We sat down with HALIENE so she could shed light on these projects and her bright future ahead in this Magnetic Mag exclusive.

What sparked your decision to pivot from being a topliner/lyricist on iconic EDM songs, like “Rush Over Me”, to focus on your solo career?

I actually have a long career as an artist, way before I started my journey in EDM. I signed my first record deal at 17, released some music under my legal name, toured with legendary acts like Paul Simon, and had a top ten adult contemporary radio hit. I realized at about 19 though, I didn’t love the music I was putting out. I dug deep and found that I truly loved electronic music! 

I fell in love with EDM and its culture and fans, at my very first festival in 2012, but hearing those voices through the speakers, and not seeing any singers on stage, I saw the road I was destined to walk. It was like I had finally found my home musically, having felt that I never fit in anywhere.

Now I say all that to preface my answer to your question. I have always been an artist, and creating songs whether alone or with producer collaborators has been an expression of that. Even if I am toplining on another producer’s track, I always bring my unique voice, lyrics, and artistry to that song.

I am constantly working on new songs, and sometimes it becomes clear that one is meant to be a solo release. Some songs on Heavenly were written years ago, but I saved them for the album I was working toward. Once I had a collection of songs, written both recent and past, the title for the album came to me (back in 2019 actually). 

It can take a long time to reach completion with an album, especially while playing shows, COVID, and working on collaborations. All that time helped us refine the sound we wanted Heavenly to encompass. The silver lining of the pandemic experience for me was the extra time at home spent in the studio, diving into this album, and finally finishing it!

What has been the toughest challenge you faced when creating your debut album, Heavenly, and how were you able to overcome it?

The most unique challenge for Matt and I in creating this body of work was making the sonic decisions to allow the songs to live in the world of EDM while still retaining the focus on my voice and lyrics. Most music in this genre is focused on production as it is mostly an industry of producer-artists. 

We spent a lot of time crafting sound design, narrowing our use of organic elements like piano, guitar, and live strings while using specific elements of trance and melodic bass. We kept the tension between the different genres without fully allowing the sound to delve 100% into any one lane. This took time, as it felt like we were forging a new road ahead. There have not been many singer-artists in dance music, and we wanted these songs to stand on their own.

You have been on the road for Phase II of your Heavenly Tour. What has been a few of your favorite memories from March while touring? What venues and locations are you most excited to visit for your future tour dates?

Yes, I just got home from actually TWO months of touring for Phase II. There are more to come in May, June, and July, in Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and a ton of festival dates this summer that we will be announcing this week! 

I am really excited about my show in LA, at the Fonda Theater on June 16th. This show is going to be one-of-a-kind, and the full expression of how I’ve always envisioned my life shows to be. We are building out a stage design (my first time doing this), bringing our own production, incorporating live instruments, and even bringing out some special guests! Los Angeles was also my home for many many years (I live in Utah now), so it’s always a big homecoming moment to play there.

What was your initial reaction when you were surprised with a cake at your recent Las Vegas performance and everyone sang happy birthday to you? How does it feel to have such a high level of support from your fans?

Matt (my husband and partner in life and music, that’s the other half of the “we” I have mentioned in my answers above) stopped the show and surprised me on stage by coming out from behind the decks with a mic. He orchestrated the whole thing. It was an AMAZING moment, and I’ll never forget it. It was the first time that’s ever happened to me! 

I am constantly amazed by my fans. They often drive huge distances to be at special shows, and they know every word of every song, even if the song came out THAT DAY. I am seriously blessed to have the most incredible fans in the world, and I wouldn’t be here, getting to do what I love as a job, if not for them.

What are some new elements that the Divine Edition of Heavenly brings to the table? How does it build on the original album and your project as a whole?

The Divine Edition is the full expression of these songs, and how I intended them to be. As I mentioned before, with the original album we created productions that could live in the world of EDM, but remain focused on the song and my voice. We always planned on handing these off to other remarkable producers to create more specific versions, and remixes that put the songs more squarely in the genres that I love. To me, these are all like new collaborations. One of the challenges as a songwriter and singer releasing music in EDM is limiting the sonic wrapping of a song to only one specific genre expression.

In the Divine Edition, we embrace the plurality of what EDM offers by not limiting the expression of a song and allowing for a “genre multiverse” of sorts. There can be four different versions of “Reach Across The Sky”, appealing to different fans of EDM, theoretically all playing on different stages at a festival! Each produced version brings a new story to the lyrics and melody, taking you on a different musical journey. 

I have always envisioned remixes as being an essential part of this body of work. Not only that, but we also included a new single called “Hollow” with Elephante, and a new highly requested acoustic version of “Glass Heart”!

Which emotions come to mind when listening to your recent anthem “Hollow” with Elephante? From your perspective, what story or message do the lyrics convey?

I wrote “Hollow” about the process of vulnerability, of breaking down your walls, fighting through fear, and just hoping and praying that the other person will meet us there in that sacred space of intimacy.

The chorus asks, “if I told you I was breaking, could you fit into the spaces in my arms? Would you hold me if I was empty, pour yourself into the hollow of my heart?” This song is about longing for a true relationship, the story of the most beautiful relinquishing of isolating independence, and the loving willingness to let someone into your darkest, most broken parts.

How does your voice and Elephante’s production style complement each other on “Hollow”? What makes the track a good fit with the rest of Heavenly [Divine Edition]?

I actually always wanted “Hollow” to be on the first release of the album, but we decided after teaming up with Elephante and creating something so special, we wanted to highlight it in a more prominent way. My original demo was very reliant on guitar, and I knew I wanted to collaborate on this one with a guitar-based producer. Tim [Elephante] is a true musician and actually started his career as a singer-songwriter, so we worked very naturally together. 

I feel the drop he created was perfect for the narrative of this song. The first time I heard it, I adored the unique sound and melodies he brought to it. It is equally headbanging hype and emotional release. It was perfect timing for it to be the lead single on the Divine Edition.

What is one remix on the Heavenly [Divine Edition] that you’ve been listening to on repeat? Which specific sound design features`draw you to it?

Now that is a tough question since there are so many! I love playing the Last Heroes remix of “Glass Heart” live at my shows, as well as the Nifra remix of “Underneath My Skin”. But my favorite of late has to be the Ben Gold remix of “Reach Across The Sky”. I always imagined this song being fully embraced by a trance production, and he absolutely nailed the cosmic longing and ethereal vibe this song craved.

Which song in Heavenly [Divine Edition] do you think is the most outside your comfort zone or typical style in regard to singing, and why?

Singing-wise, these are all songs that I wrote and come naturally to my voice. I can however speak on the genres! The Crankdat remix of “Underneath My Skin” was definitely out of my comfort zone as it is the hardest remix on the album. I come from trance and emotional melodic bass so that one challenged me, but I absolutely love it. We go pretty hard in our sets too, so we need those bangers to play out live. I cannot wait to play that one at Bass Canyon this summer!

Emotionally speaking, “Can’t Be Gone” is very raw and real. I find that one hard to want to play out live, simply because I might cry halfway through it from the depth of meaning in the lyrics. I lost both my parents (I am an only child) and best friend to cancer years ago, and lost my stepfather a few years ago to an accident. 

Unfortunately, I know grief very well. I wrote “Can’t Be Gone” right out of my own personal experience with loss, and what it’s like walking through it. I have found so much healing through my music, and being able to help my fans and listeners through it too. Hearing their stories of how so many of my songs have helped them through loss is why I do what I do.

What does it mean to you to have your husband Matthew work so closely with you? How does he help turn the vision behind HALIENE into a reality?

Matt is the other half of HALIENE. He is all the things I am not. He is an amazing musician (piano, etc.) and producer. It’s really a family business and it takes a village to do this thing called music as a career. We write all the songs together, produce them together, and work on photos, music videos, and all our content together. He DJs behind me at every show on tour, while I am out front performing all these songs, and we craft our sets together. We have built HALIENE from the ground up together, from 2015 till now.

What future projects or collabs can you hint at for your “Aliens” to look forward to? What is your biggest goal as an artist for the remainder of 2023?

2023 is going to have some new solo releases and a bunch of EPIC collabs. Some of these collabs my fans have been asking for years and some new ones they would never expect! One of my favorites is a duet with another amazing female artist that we’ve already been teasing live—her name starts with a J…

I am really excited about the new music coming out. My biggest goal this year actually has already been achieved, and is just getting better! I just won Female Artist of the Year at the EDMAwards, and I have the trophy sitting on my late father’s piano. It’s been a truly incredible experience to have started being considered a “vocalist” in this genre and now be recognized as an artist within EDM by my peers and fans. 

I am also launching my very first fashion collab with iHeartRaves next week, and it’s going to be unlike any other you’ve seen. We went all out on rhinestones and outfits inspired by the ones I wear on stage, and I cannot wait to see my fans rock these at festivals!