Hayley Warner talks on life after Australian Idol

For those of you who watched Australian Idol in 2009, Hayley Warner was a stand out contestant. Finishing 2nd in the competition, those who have seen Hayley Warner in action will know she is destined for stardom. Her unique ability to rework well know music and make it her own was mesmerizing. Hayley has charisma and her own style that will take her centre stage.

Interview with Hayley Warner

When you auditioned for Australian Idol in 2009, did you ever think you would be standing at the Sydney Opera House finale in the top two?

Hayley Warner: For me, it was a spur of the moment thing to even enter into Australian Idol, to get past the judges was a struggle in itself. I thought I was going to be laughed at and told to get out, I was very surprised.


Australian Idol viewers describe you as a 'stand out star', can you tell us a little bit about your Idol experience?

Hayley Warner: The Idol experience for me was life changing and pretty incredible. I loved every second of it; everything thing that have come out of it has been good for me. I got signed and I am doing a lot of awesome things. Idol, for me, was incredible. For people to vote in and like me, and more importantly that they got me and what I was about, was awesome.


What other 'awesome things' have come from being on Australian Idol?

Hayley Warner: Obviously I got signed by Sony, five days after Australian Idol finished, which was incredible. I am off to LA in two and a half weeks to do some writing and recording over there which is a dream come true for me. I have just been to Antarctica where I shot a documentary. I am now the new ambassador for bloggie, a Sony product that has just come out. I am involved in some exciting stuff that is happening now and will be happening this year.


What advice do you have for others wanting to audition for Australian Idol?

Hayley Warner: Do it! That is the only advice I can give. It has great morals and an amazing producer, Greg Beness, he is incredible, he loves music and lives for the passion of it. When you have someone that is inspiring you on that side, there is no reason not too. My dream of being signed has come true. If it wasn't for Idol I wouldn't have any of this. I would definitely encourage others to do it and step out of the box to try it.


Can you tell us a little bit about what it means to be signed by Sony?

Hayley Warner: Absolutely, I am doing a bundle, which is four or five tracks.


When will your 'bundle' be released?

Hayley Warner: Hopefully in a couple of months, that is the plan. We wanted to get things rolling a bit quicker, but when I went to Antarctica it got shifted back; that is the main reason I am going to LA, to get it all sorted, it's incredible to do it on a grand scale.


What is the main process behind recording this 'bundle'?

Hayley Warner: It is a massive process, I have a big team that work for me, I think there are six people that work towards getting my music out there. I work with writers and collaborate, then I record the track before sending it back to Ross Fraser to see if he likes it. If we are digging it then we create an art form of how the record will be produced and created. It is a big process, we need graphic design and everything needs to tie in with the record.


How much creative input do you have in the record process?

Hayley Warner: As creative as I can be and put forward. I guess if you are not creative, you don't have much to put forward. I have been lucky; I have been in on everything that is going on. I have just finished two tracks, one that I wrote with DNA and one that I wrote with Cassie Davis. I have also written one with Brian Jones. I have been very into and involved in the process.


Throughout Australian Idol you chose various music genres, what type of music will we hear on your record?

Hayley Warner: The standout week on Australian Idol for me was Funhouse by Pink; that is great example of who I want to be as an artist. I have four references; they are Paramore, Sneaky Sound System, Pink and The Killers, I will be somewhere in that electro pop world.


Is this a solo record?

Hayley Warner: Yes.


What is the story behind your band name Bleached Academy?

Hayley Warner: There is no story (laughing) other than I went on the internet and typed in 'good band names' and that was one that stuck in my head, it is really lame reason behind it.


Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Hayley Warner: Performing live! I'd rather tour around the world for a year than sit in a studio and record- that is my element, I love to entertain and be on the stage. The more I can get out there the better it is for me.

Once I get these songs done I can do a tour and sing some other songs, other than Good Day.


What has been your favorite part of becoming a music artist?

Hayley Warner: For me, it will probably be LA that has always been a dream of mine, to go over there. I haven't hit the best part of it yet, there is always better to come. I am looking forward to LA, I think I will get the most out of that.


When you write your own songs, what's your inspiration?

Hayley Warner: It is a range of different stuff; from personal experiences to things that I want to change, like opinions or someone's view of something or even someone that has been hurt. I want to send a message through music and get to their hearts, that's the sort of things I like to write about.


What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Hayley Warner: John Mayer, Kelly Clarkson, Paramore, Sneaky Sound System, The Killers, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson- there is so many, the list goes on...


Tells us a little bit about your recent trip for Antarctica and what inspired you to travel there?

Hayley Warner: For me, Antarctica is the most isolated continent on the planet and I thought 'Why not get a little bit more bored?' (laughing). It wasn't boring, it was inspiring. When you see the photos, you want to be there and experience it for yourself, for me to go down there first hand, stand on the ice and play with penguins was inspiring. We saw the most amazing footage that anyone will ever see. For an 18 year old that was a massive journey and a massive opportunity for me, I couldn't pass that up. I went down there for two weeks to shoot a documentary and experience the place first hand and see what it is really like, and I loved every minute of it. Obviously, it is very cold and I didn't take a dive in the pond of anything. It really was the most inspiring experience. I can get photos blown up now, I don't have to buy them!


What is the documentary titled?

Hayley Warner: It is called Cool School.


What channel will the documentary be on?

Hayley Warner: It will be on Nickelodeon, and then we will try to get it on Seven, Nine and Ten. I think it will be on SBS- it will be on a couple of channels. It should be good to see, actually. The coolest part about it is I've got that documentary of my journey to Antarctica forever.


Do you have any troubles watching yourself of TV? Did you watch yourself on Australian Idol?

Hayley Warner: I watched it after Idol. We never got time to look back until afterwards. Stan and I used to go on YouTube and just watch it and cringe, you think 'Oh, I can't believe I just did that!' There was some weeks where you were really stoked, but I think 55% of the time I was cringing and wondering why I picked that song.


You have begun video blogging your music performances, how have you gone with this so far and what motivated you to begin blogging?

Hayley Warner: I have become the new ambassador for Sony's new product called bloggie. Which is a portable video camera that swivels 360 and you can watch yourself without seeing yourself on the camera. It's really easy to do, and better than someone else doing it, especially when you have an awesome feature and an awesome camera. I take it around with me everywhere and get the footage because there are some people out there who love watching it. I do it for them and for myself. I'll be able to look back when I am an old grandma and show the grandkids and say 'I was young once' (laughing).


Do you ever regret leaving school, in year 10?

Hayley Warner: Absolutely not, there is not a day that goes by that I think that was a stupid decision. School wasn't for me, there are heaps of people in the world that don't love school and school just wasn't for me. I knew I had another calling to go to, that was obviously found by music. If I was still at school I wouldn't have gone in Idol, it all panned out perfectly for me.


You started music at age 12, what motivated you to begin singing and performing over your original love of sports?

Hayley Warner: I got a disease in my hip and that held me back, I had to find a new avenue to go down and that appeared through music. My first instrument was the drums. I was a rough nut and I loved smashing things, so the drum kit was perfect for me. I then found my voice and wanted to experiment with that more and get into bands, then I was doing gigs and shows all around Australia and Sydney. It was then time I got serious about music and singing.


What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Hayley Warner: Discouragement has probably been the biggest hurdle for me, obviously every artist gets a lot of crap. When you are an actor your character gets the bad name, but when you are an artist and a singer you get paid out personally because they're attacking what you love and what you believe in, that was really hard to overcome. I have awesome family and friends surrounding me, I love life so I didn't care that much. Some days it does get you down. I have been very proactive about everything and working, because now it is up to me. There's no Australian Idol to push me, it's all up to me.


If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Hayley Warner: Hands down Pink! She is me, she is the bomb or Paramore or Beyonce, of course!


Do you have a website fans can visit?

Hayley Warner: www.hayleywarner.com

60 Second Quiz

Full Name: Hayley Warner
Nickname(s): Warn-dog
Star Sign: Aquarius
Music Talent: Voice
Favorite Food: Chicken wings
Favorite Film: Shrek
Favorite Actor: Johnny Depp
Pet: Dog, Max
Best Feature: Voice
Worst Feature: Thighs
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Pink
Hobbies/Interests: Riding my motorbike, I like to live on the wild side!
First Job: McDonalds
Are you a Pub, Bar or Club kind: I'm not a party person, to be honest, I like going to live bands and auditoriums. I don't like going to pub or the party disco scene, that's not me.
What Can You Never Leave Home Without: Sony bloggie & iphone
What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning: Music!

Interview by Brooke Hunter