John Hayward

John Hayward is all heart, and inside that heart lives the most beautiful of harmonies.

It all started with—well—love. Love and music.

John is what some may call a prodigy. He is a romantic who is in love with every melody, rhythm, and beat he can seduce out of his voice, guitar, or any other instrument he can get his hands on. He is a perfectionist in his craft who has worked hard all his life. Like other greats who have come before him he has literally put his blood, sweat, and tears into over 15 years of musical performance and independent recordings.

As long as John can remember music has been the driving force in his life. From the earliest age he was all about the bigger picture, music production. His earliest memories are of having his father write songs for him to perform and be recorded. To feed John's fantasies his Father would even create cassette jackets to make his young son feel like a real rock star. This was merely the beginning. By age 11 he created his first solo multi-track recording using two boom boxes, electric drums, a guitar, and a microphone. The song was an original heavy metal recording inspired from the bands he loved, such as AC/DC, Suicidal Tendencies, and Megadeth. At age 12 he discovered punk music and everything changed. He fell fast and hard for the music and the scene. The proceeding years of his life were fully immersed in this music, and as with everything in his life he had to be the best. This next phase in John’s life would provoke him down a hard and fast road that almost destroyed him.

John Hayward is a creator, not a follower. Unfortunately, this same fire in his belly that fuelled him spun him out of control as he quickly fell into a world of crime, drugs, violence, and death. A long road to mishap. His heart was becoming consumed in a booze and drug soaked haze. Swallowed by conflict and hatred. This almost killed him, but it never stopped him from making music. If anything he just worked harder to attain his goal of being on top.
It was in the year of 2009 that would prove to change everything. John was reunited with an old friend whose love helped him crawl out of the pit he had dug for himself. Inspired by this reconnection he began writing music that had a notable softer side compared to his former punk rock and hardcore days. Soon he was over flowing with ideas for songs that would mark the next chapter in his career. Armed with nothing but a mic and his guitar John nervously began to perform his new work to local crowds in Halifax.

But don’t let the sweat on his brow fool you, he still is John Hayward. He is still ferociously driven to be the best.

In his young life he has been to the bottom and back, headed over 30 bands, tried just about everything once, and he did it all with a song in his heart. Whether it was back in his chaos days with his fist pumping in the air to punk and hardcore music, or in the recent days with him laughing and dancing to pop punk, John's essence is music. It is no wonder that he puts the same gusto into his flourishing solo career.

On any given day of the week you can usually find John at a local open mic night in Halifax strumming his guitar Georgia Blue, or Caroline and crooning to an audience of loving fans. Just like in his song 'Step Out' he has changed his "heart 180 degrees." From the first time he felt the power of music at age 3, to that young boy just going out to express himself anyway he could, John has always been a true artist stripped raw in front of a crowd to be consumed. He has come a long way from his troubled rough youth to his softened present self. He has become a strong man who is not afraid to bare his soul and give you a piece of his heart.

Just be careful for he might just go and steal yours.

-Rachel Osolen / Dalhousie University (MySpace Bio)

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I have a large umbrella of music that has influenced my life. But if I were to narrow it down to the more softer choices of my influences, I'd have to go with...
...in no particular order...

Face To Face,
Alex Goot,
A Rocket To The Moon,
Sarah McLachlan,
Kathleen Edwards,
Vanessa Carlton,
Dashboard Confessional,
The Barra MacNeils,
Cady Groves,
Billy The Kid,
All Time Low (unplugged),
Something Corporate,
Teamwork,
The Maine,
...plus so much more!

I'm also a huge, huge, HUGE fan of Pop-Punk. Always have. Always will. Real sugary stuff. I'm also a big fan of mixing acoustic riffing with pop, synth & piano. Electro & Acoustic Pop... Love it!! Absolutely crazy for Celtic Folk as well. Nothing prouder & prettier then the sounds of Nova Scotia. It's definitely in my blood.

Also ...there have been many one track wonders for me growing up. Sometimes an artist will capture me with one song & one song only. It's not easy settling for such a small list. Music is one thing I could talk forever about.

One thing I kn