Hayley Roscoe

At only 24-years old, Canadian singer/songwriter/producer, Hayley Roscoe, already has an award-winning EP to her name. Her music has been featured on hit Canadian TV series, Degrassi: The Next Generation(season 10, episode 43), and she has written with producers and artists such as Ben Samama, Axel Ulfson (Norde), and Mladen Alexander (Jimmy Rankin, Shilo).

Roscoe has been making music since she was a child, writing her first songs at only nine years old.  Always prolific, she signed a songwriting development deal with songwriter/producer Mladen Alexander (Ole) at sixteen, which resulted in her very first song placement on television: “Stand” recorded by pop duo, Carmen & Camille.

Throughout her teens, Roscoe privately studied classical voice and piano, going on to major in jazz piano at Mohawk College (Hamilton, Canada). It was during this time she wrote her debut EP, Catalyst (released June 2012). With help from some talented musicians she met while at university, the six-song EP was recorded live in a local studio over a period of two days. “I’m really proud of Catalyst. But looking back, it was really more a product of where I was [at jazz school] rather than who I was. Still, it was a great experience!” The project earned Roscoe a 2012 Toronto Independent Music Award (TIMA).

Hayley spent three years (2010-2013) studying in Canada before accepting a scholarship to Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music. “Being at Berklee was so humbling.  I was surrounded by these incredible musicians so it was simultaneously very inspiring and very intimidating.” After a year in Boston, Hayley decided it was time for her next chapter. “I loved every minute at Berklee, but experience is the best teacher. So instead of sitting in a classroom talking about it, I decided it was time to get out there and actually go for it.”

In January 2015, Roscoe packed her suitcase, her keyboard, and her guitar, and boarded a flight from Toronto to London, England. “I left everything and everyone I knew in search of experiences that would push me out of my comfort zone and help me grow. I needed some time to figure out who I was as a person, and as a musician.”

Even though she didn’t know a soul in London, Roscoe began to establish herself in the city’s music scene; landing gigs at legendary venues such as The Troubadour, The Bedford, and Ronnie Scott’s. “I was playing these cool venues, but I didn’t feel like my sound represented the new person I was becoming. So, I decided to try a new medium. I’d learned the basics of music production at Berklee, so I used that as a jumping off point and started watching tutorials, reading blogs and listening to the minutiae of songs that inspired me.” Her latest single, Good Love (released April 2016), is her first-ever production credit and there are many more to come.

Roscoe has come back to Canada and continues to gain momentum and visibility. “To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, I’m doing what I can, with what I have, where I am, and it’s really exciting! I’ve recently started doing a YouTube series telling the stories behind the songs I’m releasing, and the response has been great! It’s a really cool way to connect with my fans. After all, music is all about connection. We all want to know that we’re not alone in what we feel; that we’re part of a shared experience. I think one of the most powerful things about music is how it allows both the artist and the listener to be seen on a human level.  It’s amazing how the right words and the right notes can facilitate that human connection, even through headphones.”