Exclusive Interview with HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS

Haven West Veraguas is a 22 year old writer, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Massachusetts. Despite his homogenous suburban roots, he set off on an international excursion to sonically embody the wild diversity of human emotion, interest, and expression. Currently based in London, his expansive love of nearly every style produces pieces crafted irrespective of genre: Pieces that leave you reminiscing your first time hearing the soft subtleties of classical piano~ Tracks that take you back to the ballistic late nights of haphazard clubbing~ New songs that foster old memories through their modern-vintage fusion~ Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music?

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS: Ever since I was around 4, I had been taking piano lessons. For the longest time, I followed the curriculum of the Alfred Basic Piano Books, just learning song after song. The songs were completely unknown, most of them composed with the distinct intention of drilling some sort of technique. It was admittedly not the most exciting process. However, I loooooved Christmas songs – I was born three days before Christmas and the songs were always just a part of my childhood. One day when I was around 11 or 12, there was a massive snow storm and our power went out. Without the crutch of electronics to keep me constantly occupied, I figured I’d visit the piano and see why it was so revered. At that point I had been learning a song from the Titanic and decided I’d try and spice it up. I just started adding notes to the harmony. I had no idea what I was doing, I was just adding random things here and there and if it sounded good, then I’d write it down. That was the first time I really ever composed anything and it was the first time I really found joy sitting at the piano. From then on, it was a very gradual process of slowly finding my way as a composer, then years later as a songwriter, and even after that, as a producer.

2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS: It was honestly a mixture of both. Like I said, I’ve had piano lessons since I was four. Mostly classical until I was about 13, then I switched to a teacher who introduced me to jazz and the exciting world of music theory. When I was 17 I started attending Berklee College of Music, studied arranging, production, and acoustics, and graduated when I was 20. However, at the same time, I’ve always been very explorative when it comes to music. Along with piano, I also sing and play saxophone, guitar, bass, drums, and flute. Besides a few lessons when I was 12, I’ve really never had any formal coaching on any of them. Ironically, I actually think that a lot of the music theory I learned at such a young age was a tad of a distraction. When I first started composing and songwriting, I perceived music theory as scripture. Anything that I couldn’t explicitly analyze was inherently wrong. It took a lot of time for me to grow out of that. It took years of curiosity and experimentation to find my sound as an artist and a producer. Now, I write almost exclusively from an emotional and intuitive place, using music theory as an inspirational tool as well as a way to communicate my ideas.

3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound?

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS: The most influential figures in my early musical life were probably my mum, my grandfather, my band directors, and my piano teachers. My mum was not a professional musician by any means, but she’s still an incredible singer (and actress). Growing up with her really showed me what it means to be an entertainer and what it means to sing like nobody is watching. My grandfather is a drummer. He used to play me all these different beats he had learned when he was younger. He was actually the one who brought me to my first jazz bar, where I met my piano teacher. On that note, my piano teachers and band directors are the reason I have even the slightest idea of anything I’m doing. My first piano teacher was constantly supportive even when I absolutely refused to practice. My second piano teacher was this  young jazz pianist who reminded me of Seb from La La Land. He was a role model, he made piano cool for the first time. Similarly, my band directors made music fun. All my friends were band nerds and the band directors knew just as much as us that we were not the most popular kids. It allowed us to just be ourselves. We took the classes and the music relatively seriously, but this provided a levity with which we could afford to make fools of ourselves.

4. What’s the story behind choosing the name ‘HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS’?

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS:  I chose Haven West Veraguas because it’s my name. The same way I’ve never gotten a tattoo because I fear I would soon change my mind and regret it, I decided to use my name because I knew nothing I chose would represent who I am with as much permanence as my own name. It’s simple, it’s honest, it’s long, but it stands out.

5. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS: My music often subverts expectations. I’ve had EDM/Rock drops finish off an acoustic track, I’ve had orchestras take over a piano ballad, I’ve had lofi drums sneak into a folk song. I’m not a massive fan of genre – I feel like genres carry emotion with them, and when you confine yourself to one genre, you are likely trapped with the limited emotions afforded to that genre. That being said, I prefer to use genre as an instrument just as much as any guitar or piano. If the emotion gets heavier, perhaps the track gets more distorted and dives into heavy rock or EDM. If the emotion gets more pleading, I might strip everything away except a folky guitar and a raw vocal. My next album, The Black and White EP, is an existential and political commentary on global governments just as much as personal purpose. I hope that, after listening, people feel curious. I hope they start questioning their biases, themselves, the government. I don’t want to send anyone into a spiral, but I do want to soil everyone’s sense of complacency.

6. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as FOLK?

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS: Growing up my emulation came in the form of me learning classical pieces and jazz standards. It wasn’t until joining a few bands in college that I started to diversify into other genres. I joined one pop punk band, one pop band, a few folk projects, and some folk/rock blends. Honestly, I joined just out of curiosity and because my friends were all in the bands. I never would have expected that these experiences would teach me so much and take me so far. I recently decided to focus mostly on folk because it feels the most suitable genre for the subjects I’m tackling. Folk has always had a history of protesting governments and expressing one’s personal sense of universal uncertainty. I feel like folk production gives my songs the most justice, while also being minimalistic enough to sprinkle in hints of other genres when the moment calls.

7. Music often transcends entertainment. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS: Personally, I find music to be just as powerful a tool of protest as it is a mechanism of entertainment and escapism. As an artist who is constantly writing about politics, society, the government, and personal existential dilemmas, I find it very hard to separate music as a vehicle for social change from its inherent entertaining value. I don’t think entertainment and protest have to be mutually exclusive.

In fact, I think music that is the most entertaining has the potential to reach the most people, therefore proliferating the protest even further.

8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, what’s the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS: The creative process is almost exclusively self-sufficient, which has its benefits and detriments. I’ll use the title track off my upcoming EP as an example. “Black and White,” started as a song concept, like most of my other songs. I knew for a while I wanted to write a song called “Black and White,” as a metaphor for growing up, losing that sense of naivety, and discovering the subtleties and nuances of adulthood. Essentially, discovering that nothing is truly black and white. For a few weeks, I wrote down notes, lyric ideas, metaphors, really anything I could think of that suited this comparison. Then one night, when I was back home, I knew I had to make myself finally write the song. I went to my piano and decided I wouldn’t go to bed until the song was finished. I knew I wanted something that grew and featured repetitive lyrics that began overlapping. I found a melody and chord progression that I liked and starters scatting a vocal part over it. From there I checked my notes and weaved the ideas into the vocal part, often changing phrases and words to fit the rhythm, but maintaining the overall idea. Once the song was written, I planned out an arrangement. I knew I wanted something stripped back with a big, yet minimalistic drop. The production process took some experimentation, but eventually I arrived something I liked. For the orchestral part at the end, I sang the countermelodies and then played them out on saxophone and flute and used MIDI strings to fill in the spectrum. Finally, I mixed it and sent it out to my friends. My friends are some of the best film scorers, instrumentalists, and producers I’ve ever met, so when I’m nearing completion I usually reach out for feedback. They all loved it, and so I mastered the song and that was that.

9.  What’s been the most challenging hurdle in either your personal life or music career, and how has it shaped you as an artist?

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS: I think the most challenging part has been finances and time. Although, it’s made me very self-sufficient, which I’ve actually come to appreciate. Rather than spend thousands on a producer, I’ve learned to produce my own music. Rather than hire session musicians for every part, I’ve learned to play the instruments myself. With this comes more creative freedom, but also less free time. It takes so so so long for me to finish a song because I am meticulously doing every single part. That being said, this has made me very intentional. I used to throw everything I knew into a song because I could. Now, with limited time, I have to carefully curate exactly why and how I’m going to produce a song.

10. On the flip side, what moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And let’s talk about your latest release and future plans.

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS: I think my proudest moment is every time I get on stage. It’s like I can see with my very own eyes how many people come to live in the music with me. It feels like a real, tangible culmination of the past 18 years of musicianship. It’s just beautiful seeing my family, friends, fans, and strangers all sharing the moment together. It’s really nice to know that I made those moments.

11. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

HAVEN WEST VERAGUAS: Since my music is rather political, I always try to listen to criticism. No one knows everything, and I’m always willing to listen to others’ opinions. Sometimes I’ll even learn something new and then I’m appreciative. However, if someone is simply flat out mean, then I find them very easy to ignore. I have enough wonderful, supportive people in my life that I don’t worry about the few that try to pull me down.

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