Following a low-key solo album ‘Generation Y’, released in 2016, it’s been fairly quiet around Chazz Valentine (The Rabble, Flirting With Disaster) but not one to remain inactive for long, Chazz Hill-Hayr is stepping back into the world of solo sounds with the utterly catchy pop-punk tune Restless Soul. NZ On Air Music picked the song for their NewTracks compilation this February.

What’s your full name, where are you from and what instruments do you play?

My name is Chazz Valentine Hill-Hayr. I was born in the UK, but have lived in NZ for most of my life. My main instrument is the guitar, but if I’m recording my own music I tend to play all the instruments (drums, bass, guitar, mandolin etc).

Was any high school or other music training especially important to you?

Not at all. I had some amazing music teachers in high school, but to be honest, they just let me do my own thing. They were an inspiration – mostly because of how supportive they were. But I’ve always been the kind of musician who prefers to pick things up by ear. Audio engineering training was probably one of the biggest advantages to me as a musician.

Any other projects that we might know you from?

My first (and biggest) band was The Rabble, a much harder/edgier punk rock sound, and my pop punk band Flirting With Disaster.

What’s the background of how Chazz Valentine came to be?

After I did my audio engineering course at MAINZ I set up a home recording studio. I have always loved recording and layering songs and ideas, even back before studying how to do so, recording on an old Tascam 4-channel cassette recorder.

Once I knew how to record things properly, I began to put down lots of song ideas. Some of it would be used in The Rabble (for example the Seeking guitar intro) and then other songs I would keep for myself, especially if it didn’t fit within the musical genre of The Rabble. It was liberating being able to have a project where there were no preconceptions about genres or sounds or vibes. I could go from a country vibe – influenced by Johnny Cash, to a Millencolin-inspired skate-punk vibe. This fits with my bipolar writing style, haha!

I mostly have done things myself with my solo project (Chazz Valentine), but I’ve had the honour of having my brother Rupe (vocals/drums in The Rabble) feature and co-write one of my singles (Unstoppable), Tony Smith is a guest vocal on Hook, Line and Sinker and Rowan Crowe (Goodnight Nurse) plays drums on Can’t Make It Alone.

How did you come up with that name for the project?

Since this was going to be a solo project, it only felt right for it to use my name. I typically go by Chazz Rabble, but for this – I wanted to use my first and middle name.

How has your music evolved from your beginnings in songwriting to now?

In the early days of Chazz Valentine it was mostly acoustic-based writing for that new project. I was aiming for a slightly more organic feel, recording real drums and sometimes double bass/mandolin etc. Nowadays, I tend to write on acoustic still, but translate that to electric guitar, and typically have a slightly more slick production approach. Having a fully set up, ready-to-go studio, things have never been so easy to hit record and get ideas down which really helps.

Aside from this release, what’s been the big highlight to date?

My biggest single to date was The Brightest Star. The funny story behind the track is that I was asked to write a song for a friend’s wedding. I had a year to put the song together, but as I do – I left it until the week before… Then all of a sudden the guitar line came to me. I liked the opening chords a lot and could hear some decent melodies in my head. Then when the drum beat came to mind I got busy and started pasting around drum samples to make up the beat (before the days of samplers). Long story short, the song ended up winning the John Lennon Love songwriting competition and becoming a huge success for me.

What makes Restless Soul stand out for you as a single?

I think it’s got a really upbeat feel to it. The fun singalong style group chorus vocals and boppy drum beat made it feel like it could be a good single. I’ve given up trying to write songs that are typical singles or work with any sort of ‘radio-friendly formula’, so to be honest I wasn’t sure how this song would go down since it’s not your typical blueprint for a radio song, but I thought it was worth trying!

What’s the story behind Restless Soul?

This song was special. I really wanted to get it right, as I was writing it for my partner who I was going to propose to (lining up the release date of the song and the proposal). I knew this one had to be catchy and it had to be 100% honest. I came up with an intro guitar line, and drum idea while playing around on acoustic one night. It felt like a more pop-punkish version of Close To Me by The Cure, which was really appealing to me. As soon as I started writing the lyrics they just poured out and the song came together. I ended up playing the song to my partner before the release and she loved it, and ended up singing backing vocals in the song. She nailed it!

What’s your favourite moment, musical or lyrical, of the single?

The part that I sat back and enjoyed the most in this song is surprisingly the group vocals of the chorus. I didn’t originally have those in the song, but I thought of the idea while at work and quickly came home and tested them out. I loved what they added to the overall mood, and having my partner sing on it made the whole thing even more special. I think she nailed the pitching of the vocals better than I did which was amazing, haha!

Who did you record/produce the single with and where?

I wrote, recorded and mixed the song myself over a couple of weeks at my home studio. I have some great gear so it makes it quick and easy to put ideas together.

Once I had the basics of the song structure written I programmed the drums, added some shaker and put down the guitars, bass, acoustic and a guitar line playing the vocal melodies that I had. Most of the lyrics came together in a night or two, enough for me to get the first two verses down (or at least – try them out and realise that the song needed to be pitched differently to properly accommodate for my ideal vocal pitch). So after I re-recorded the song’s guitars/bass/acoustics in the right key, I continued to work through it for the next week or so until I felt like it was at a point where it was ready for my partner to hear.

What would you like listeners to take away from the song?

Restless Soul is an unapologetic love song. I want people to hear it and feel all of the crazy over the top emotions that come with being in love. I think you’ll either cringe or relate, depending on your situation, hahaha, and that’s just fine. Ideally, I’d love people to just enjoy bopping along to it and instantly recognise the vibe as soon as the opening drums come in.

How do you generally work out what track would make a good single?

It has always felt like there’s an unwritten formula to singles. I generally haven’t really stuck to that because I don’t write for radio or for the purpose of having a hit single. I think it takes away the honesty in the music if you do. However, when this song came together it felt catchy enough and close enough to the framework of a single that I thought it could work. It still breaks a lot of the rules of a typical radio-friendly single, but I’m hoping people can enjoy it for what it is.

Is there anyone else is in your team?

I do everything myself at this point. However, I had the pleasure of working with Ashley Page (Page 1 Management) for my single The Brightest Star and he did an incredible job of getting it out there.

Are there any other musical endeavours you’re working on that we should keep an eye out for?

I have a few. I’m working with my friend Tony Smith (Flirting With Disaster bass/singer), Scotty Rocker (Cold by Winter, Movin’ In Stereo) and even Nikola Sarcevic of Millencolin adding to it. It’s more straight-up punk rock vibes but I’m super excited to progress with that. Everyone lives in different countries so it’s not a live band – just a songwriting collaboration. I’ve also got another project that I’m working on with my friends Ash Wills (guitarist of Flirting With Disaster) and Ben Phillips. This is gonna be a really fun live band once we’ve got enough songs together.

Can you please name three other local tunes that would fit well on a playlist alongside your song.

• Tony Smith / Sex Lies and Videogames – The Runaways
• Goodnight Nurse – The Night 
• The Exponents – Why Does Love Do This To Me

Have any previous NZOA applications not gained funding or been included on NewTracks? Got any advice for others?

I’ve certainly had songs submitted to NZOA for funding that weren’t approved, but I was lucky enough to get funding for videos for both The Brightest Star and Unstoppable. This is the first song I’ve tried to get on the New Tracks compilation and I’m super thrilled that it’s on it.
As far as advice goes, I’d say just be honest with your music. If you mean what you’re writing/singing about I think that will translate. I think it’s also important that the production is good enough to support the song.

Was there an NZOA criterion you struggled with in the application? 

When I submit songs for NZOA funding now, there’s some live show requirements that I don’t often meet. This is simply because this is a solo project where I play all the instruments, so I don’t typically try to play these songs live. Perhaps that’s on me, and I should make it a live band as well!

Are there any musical blogs, Youtube channels or podcasts you’re super into?

I enjoy reading NZMusician to keep up with local artists, and then just generally use Youtube for the bands I like following – but not really any specific ones to mention.

Can you give me a link to the music video, if there is one, please? Who did you make the video with?

There’s no music video for Restless Soul just yet, but if I can apply for funding for it I certainly will. But here’s the video for The Brightest Star! This was made by the very talented Ivan Slavov.

Any last words?

Thanks for taking the time to read this interview. Keep an eye out for new tunes in the future! I’m hoping to release a bunch of stuff this year.