Up-and-coming artist Hayden Phillis on his new single ‘Lies’

**LIsten to 'Lies' after the interview**My first encounter with emerging Sydney artist Hayden Phillis was at the Junior Academy of Country Music in Tamworth, NSW, in July 2023. I was invited to talk to the students about interview skills and asked if I would interview a student, or students, on the spot. Hayden was the only student who volunteered! And he was great at it. It turned out that was his first interview, ever – because he told me so when I interviewed him again this year after the release of his second single, ‘Lies’. ‘Lies’was the result of Hayden workshopping ideas with mentor Kevin Welch, and it was co-written with Michelle Cashman. As he told me, ‘I really love being able to find new people who I don't know or I haven't co-written with before and learn a bit more about them and their music.’Hayden has returned to Academy twice since 2023, including this year for his first stint at Senior Academy, so we talked about the impact Academy has had on his life, as well as about ‘Lies’ and other things he’s been up to. He’s a talented and committed musician and singer-songwriter who has not wasted any time releasing original music – his first single, ‘Broken Angel’, was released last year – despite being not long out of school. As he says in the interview, ‘I do like to try and throw myself into things like that and put my best foot forward and try and learn what I can.’Hayden is certainly an artist to watch – someone with a completely open mind about creative projects, curious as to what’s possible and very much enjoying every moment of it. As he says, ‘I find you get special moments within each of the little things... when different projects you're working on or different performances you're doing really come together.’Listen to Hayden Phillis on Apple MusicListen to Hayden Phillis on SpotifyFollow Sunburnt Country Music on InstagramFollow Sunburnt Country Music on Facebook Sunburnt Country Music website For more Sunburnt Country Music:InstagramFacebook YouTubewebsite Substack Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.