Hi, everyone! Last week, I got to speak with Ian Ruhala, mastermind of the Detroit bedroom pop project Hala. Now 22, Hala has been Ian's project since his high school days. His first EP, Young Alumni was released right after high school graduation, and his first full-length, Spoonfed, came out shortly thereafter. I found a lot of his music through Bandcamp, and I was a fan of the lot of the singles he has put out. Based on the music he's been putting out, I have no doubt that he will burst farther into the indie scene in the future. I'm glad I was able to speak with him and talk about his career so far!
bazzreviews: Which artists or albums influenced you to start a music career?
Ian Ruhala: I really liked the Beatles a lot, as the very first record I ever got was Abbey Road. It opened me up to the capabilities of songwriting. From there, I dove into more of Paul McCartney’s solo stuff, he’s been a big influence on me for sure. Fun fact, he and I are both left handed! In my high school years, I got into bands like Twin Peaks, Real Estate and Mac DeMarco. Pretty much bands with simple song structure with attitudes of “let’s party, let’s have fun” or “let’s relax and have a quiet evening”.
br: You’ve been involved with bands since high school, but when did you realize that you wanted to keep doing music?
I.R.: I realized it when I was eight years old. When I first learned “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath on the guitar, I was hooked. From then on, it was always trying to make music my occupation. Even simpler, just to have fun with music. I didn’t care if it was playing music or teaching music. I now work at a music store out in Rochester (Michigan), and it’s really great. I’m not in school right now, so everything is revolving around music. I go to my part time job, which involves music. I then go home and play guitar. When my family and I go out, we’ll do karaoke. The only time I’m not thinking about music is when I’m sitting and watching baseball.
br: How did you meet the other members of Hala?
I.R.: It started as my project, and I’ve had a couple of different outfits with live members. I met the guys who I’ve been working with extensively through the scene, at shows or through word of mouth. It’s me, my roommate, Austin Blicher, my friend from the music store I work at, John Kick, and Jake Lemond. I met the guys through the scene, at shows or through word of mouth. They’ve been with me for over a year now, and I think this is the tightest the band has ever sounded.
br: Can you describe your process for making songs?
I.R.: It usually starts with an acoustic guitar, then over to the other musical aspects. It could just be a progression, or possibly the whole song with bridge, verses, and a chorus. The lyrics come fast sometimes, and the melody will chug along with the chords. Sometimes, a song could sit for a while before I find the words for it. It’s different every time, but my overall aim is to write a song with simplicity in mind. I want to be sure I can strip down a recording down to only the guitar and my voice. I feel like once you can do that, it’s going to be a good song.
br: What’s more important to you- lyricism, or production value and instrumentation?
I.R.: I record everything at home, but I’ve always felt like my songwriting has been slightly better than my producing skills. When I got into recording, I had already been writing songs for a few years before. It made it interesting for me because, I had to learn how to record properly and how to do it on a budget at a very accelerated level. I look at production in a way different lens now than I did five or six years ago, and I have come to appreciate what people can do with recordings.
br: In some of your songs, you write about topics like unrequited love or breakups. Would you say that the music you write is a reflection of your own life?
I.R.: Yeah, romance is a big part of the songs that I write. They’ll typically come from a certain moment of romance and love. I’m not the best with my words when it comes to being emotional or sentimental, so I’ll usually turn to music for saying how I feel.
br: You got to tour with BOYO, another up-and-coming indie artist last year, what was that like?
I.R.: It was great, almost like my first “real” U.S. run. We went all across the East Coast, all the way down to Miami. It was Rob [Tilden]’s (aka BOYO) first time on the road as well. I’m 22 and he’s 21, and we were all just a bunch of young cats having some fun while making music. We were just out in LA playing with this band Hello Goodbye, and Rob and his drummer on the tour came out to watch us play.
br: Do you have any upcoming projects in the works?
I.R.: I’ve demoed a lot of stuff for what feels like forever. I’m super excited because I have a record in the works right now. I’ve been chipping away at it, so it won’t be out for a while.
br: Can you tell me a little bit more about what it has in store?
I.R.: It’s going to be in a similar vein, it will only be me recording stuff. It’ll be my input and creative thinking, but I have been working way more on the production side of things. I’m thinking about bringing some people in and letting them add some stuff to this project. I hope it has all of the things that we discussed in this interview. Good production, solid writing, et cetera.
br: What music goals do you have for the future?
I.R.: I want to win a Grammy! It might not ever happen, but why not set the bar high?
I'd like to thank Ian again for giving me his time for an interview. He was a really nice guy, and I wish him the best of luck with his future endeavors. For those who haven't listened to his music, I recommend that you go and check him out. He's got some pretty sharp stuff, and I can't wait to hear his new record. I'd also like to thank you guys for reading this article, more great stuff is coming your way soon!
To check out some of Hala's tunes, go to https://halaband.bandcamp.com/
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