Hadji Gaviota isn’t going anywhere.
The 26 year old singer-songwriter, teacher, stream farm operator, and everything else in between is seemingly everywhere – classrooms in Queens, in- person interviews in Los Angeles, your for-you-page on TikTok. Hadji doesn’t really discriminate from when and where he applies his voice, opinions, and influence. Music aside, Hadji sticks out, which is even more impressive when you take into consideration that he’s operating during a period in time where it’s easier than ever to have your voice drowned out by someone else’s. The Queens, NY native recently released a revamped version of his PASTIMES EP with the aptly titled PASTIMES+, and for an artist who grew up obsessively following album rollouts, he’s taken a very unique approach to how he’s packaged and delivered the latter.
Hadji’s traction as an artist is in just its 4th calendar year. His debut project, per Spotify, is Captain, shows glimpses of where he’ll eventually head with his sound (Harajuku, Hot Sugar, Golden Boy Reprise). In a recent interview with Jack Sperling of The 15th Club, Hadji put a lot of emphasis into explaining just how seriously he takes his craft. There’s been a pragmatic yet completely natural progression to Hadji’s sound. If the purpose of each project is elevation, Hadji has taken the steps forward in stride, finding both his voice and himself in the process. If Captain didn’t catch the undergrounds attention, his 2020 sophomore effort PURGATORY grabbed more than enough attention. RUNNER’S HIGH is one of those songs that I’m constantly sharing with friends who are asking me for new stuff.
PASTIMES+, the third solo effort from Hadji, was as much of a cohesive body of work as it was an artist adapting to the current times. Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming providers are ostensibly controlling what content is and isn’t featured on artist’s pages, and being that the original PASTIMES was delivered as an EP, it wasn’t listed at the top of Hadji’s streaming providers when new fans were going to his pages. So, in an effort to redirect new, and old, fans to something he was incredibly proud of, he decided to redeliver it as an album with three additional tracks. The lead single put the L in style! I’m not good at all at describing music but there’s something about this track that makes me think of Matt Healy being in The Growlers? The instrumental takes you for a ride while Hadji’s vocals have that washed out, hazy, what did I do last night? type of effect, and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t listened to it on a loop more than 4 times.
With PASTIMES+ out and streaming, Hadji is excited to turn his attention towards the next era. However, you can absolutely expect him to continue pushing the Hadji Gaviota agenda as we move toward the next chapter. Aside from having a sound that’s sure to resonate, and end up in your streaming library, Hadji is one of the funniest people alive on socials and totally worth the follow. Tap in with him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to stay tuned to his next move!
Comments