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BR: You released your debut album, Last Summer, in August. What was the process of creating the album like?

Hayley Law: Well, the album was such a long process. I feel like I’ve been working on it forever, but maybe it’s been two or three years of me just throwing a bunch of ideas. I’m probably a C-minus music producer trying to make a beat. And then my dear friend Jesse, I asked him if he would help me finish it and make the song sound like something people would enjoy listening to. That was maybe over a year ago. And then we sat down for a couple of months and banged these songs out, production-wise, writing. And that was the fun part of the process, because the rest of it, I really wanted to pull my hair out. It was just fun. It was the first time that I got to collaborate with friends and really find the joy in creating music with your homies.

You recently released the music video for your song “Wet Wet,” inspired by classic Esther Williams-style synchronized swimming. How did the concept come together?

Law: I was making silly synchronized swimming videos with my friends whenever it’s so hot here in the summer. Probably last summer. And every time we would go to a pool, I was like, we need to make a video. It’s so funny. We would get shower caps and just make silly videos. And I loved watching them. And when I would post them, they were just so well received. And I was like, we have to do a music video where we’re doing this. It’s so fun. And everybody that I got involved was like, a music video in a pool is going to be hell. And I’m like, I don’t care. I want to do it. And it wasn’t that bad. It genuinely felt like just as much fun as making a silly one on my iPhone. It was the best. There was some choreo that was just so ridiculous that didn’t make it, but I might have to do a B-side video of just all the ridiculous stuff that we came up with.

You previously released music as Hayleau, before returning to your name, Hayley Law. What sparked that decision?

Law: I was making music when I was on Riverdale, and I really wanted to separate the two. And I had a dream one day that I introduced myself as Hayleau. And I woke up, and I was like, oh, it’s got to be Hayleau, for sure. And after that was done, I kind of felt like that wasn’t who I was anymore. Everything I was creating, I kept saying, this is the most me out of anything I’ve ever made. This stuff is the most me. And every time I’d say that, I was like, I want to put it out as Hayley Law, because that is who I am. And this music is one hundred percent me. So I was like, I think it’s a good time. Fuck it. Let’s just go back. Let’s use my government name.

Is that switch accompanied by a change in the kind of music you make?

Law: I don’t think so. I think it’s maybe lyrically, yes. I definitely broke through a barrier of fear of being vulnerable, I think, early on in making music. And this project has subject matter and experiences I think that I never would have been comfortable singing about before. I feel like it should be the opposite. I should have an alias where I can say whatever I want, and then myself, I’m shy, but myself, I’m like, I have to trauma dump on you guys. And that’s what this album is. Genre-wise, no, but lyrically, yeah. For sure.

Who are some artists that inspire you?

Law: Oh man, there are so many. Hayley Williams. Janet Jackson is probably number one. I love Craig David. And right now the Remi Wolf album is so good. I think it’s my favorite album I’ve listened to in so long. When I’m thinking of the kind of music I want to make, it’s the 2000s pop girls. It’s like Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and the Justin Timberlake albums FutureSex/LoveSounds or Justified. So good.

Do you have any dream artist collaborations?

Law: So many. This is a hard question. There are so many. I really want to make something with Miley Cyrus. I really think that would be cool. I think Steve Lacy is incredibly talented. Olivia Rodrigo, I really like. It spreads. Also, I really, really want ASAP Ferg on a song. So it kind of goes all over the map. I was trying to get ASAP Ferg on this song on my album, and I was DMing him, like, you gotta get on this track. And I really thought he was gonna respond. He didn’t respond, but it’s not too late. The remix is available.

You’re known by a lot of people through your acting roles as well. What’s it like introducing people to both sides of your creativity?

Law: I think it’s really interesting for me because I was making music before I was acting. It’s like when an artist wins Best New Artist at the Grammys, and they’re like, but I’ve been making music for fifteen years. It feels like that a little bit. When I was putting this album together, and I was working with my team, they were like, okay, so we’re positioning you as a new artist. And I’m like, no, but it’s been so long. But I also think there’s something really cool in being introduced as a new artist, because I do feel like I’m still very early in my music journey, but I have a lot of experience under my belt. And I love doing both so much that I love bringing the people that know me from film into the music side and hoping that, you know, there’s a community within both that we can ride till the wheels fall off together.

You’re returning to Vancouver for a hometown show after building a life and career in LA. What does coming back to perform in the city where you grew up mean to you?

Law: I’m so excited to perform there. I haven’t done a show there in so long, and when this album was done, I did a show here, and I was like, I don’t want to perform anywhere, but I have to do a show in Vancouver. I want to so bad. Even if I don’t know anyone there, it feels like a family show. It just feels like, let’s go. We did it. Even if there’s like twenty people there, I’m just like, look at us go; I don’t care. I think it’s so cool. And Vancouver is so small. And I think it’s so important that we celebrate people that live there or are from there, or artists that are doing something or trying to do something. I just love that that happens to me at the moment. But I just want to celebrate people that are chasing their dreams, and going back there to perform is objectively stepping outside of myself, celebrating Hayley Law chasing the dream. So I think it’s gonna be cool.

What’s the most nostalgic thing about Vancouver for you?

Law: That’s a good question. I was there a couple of weeks ago, and my friend was like, “What’s a must-do when you’re here?” And I was like, I don’t know if I have anything. And then every day I was like, we gotta go get sushi. Everywhere, the sushi is good. You can find good sushi here. But in Vancouver, it’s hard to find bad sushi. And also, this is childhood nostalgia, but getting a Slurpee. Go to the gas station and get a Slurpee. It’s just the best. And it just reminds me; I don’t think I’ve ever done that here. It just feels so homey to get gas and go in and get a Slurpee and then get sushi. I don’t like gas station sushi.

What part of growing up in Vancouver do you carry with you everywhere?

Law: Oh, that’s a good question. I’ve never thought about that. I think people who grow up in Vancouver are very resilient, and I think it has to do with the weather. I think you get really tough because you’re in the rain so much that you can really go anywhere. And if you’re kind of a positive person, you can thrive anywhere, because I really feel like you build a skin growing up somewhere that is quite rainy so often. A lot of people here, sometimes when it rains, are like, “ugh, it’s raining.” But me, I’m like, “let’s go! It’s raining!” because I’m just so used to it. And I really think you get tough from growing up somewhere that is quite gray, and seeing the beauty, and it being dark at two p.m., and it is beautiful, but it does make you tough.

What can fans expect from your show at the Biltmore Cabaret?

Law: It’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be loud and unpredictable. I always have a plan and rehearsal, and then I’m like, let’s just see what happens. And then I’m just trying to do the splits, even though I can’t do them, or trying to see someone who’s cool in the crowd; I’m like, get up here. So I think it’s really going to be unpredictable and fun, and there’s going to be an incredible band that, to me, even if I weren’t on stage, they’re unmissable. They’re just insane. 

What are some of your favorite food and music spots in Vancouver?

Law: Okay, I feel like because I haven’t lived there in so long, when I was there, my friends were telling me about all these places, and I’m like, what the hell is that? I’m so out of the loop. But Pho Goodness, to get pho, is insane. The broth is crazy. Sushi Hill for the sushi, insane. I think it’s forever changed my palate, and I can’t have sushi anywhere else because it’s so fresh. I swear, it’s like the ocean is right behind the kitchen and they’re fishing it, cutting it, and serving it to you. And they’re so nice. It’s so good. Also, and this is just the Canadian girl, I love Cactus Club. And I used to work there, so I’m like, let’s go. And I just love it, and I feel like there’s nothing like that here. So when I go back, I just love going to Cactus Club.

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