We had the good fortune of connecting with Hayley Brownell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hayley, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Life is full of opportunities for tasking risks and I love them. I really don’t see how you grasp anything meaningful and of value to you without taking those risks. As far as my career, it has played a huge role; from picking an instrument at an early age that wasn’t necessarily celebrated for people who present like I do- a non cis man, to time and time again trying to share my musical voice and opinions even when people might make you feel like you shouldn’t.
I take risks in music; making musical choices that feel bold and true rather than dimming my light out of fear. Everything good requires risk 🙂

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always been drawn to expression through art, whether that be playing drums, producing, writing songs, drawing, collaborating, etc. I define myself more as an artist/creative than just a drummer. Drums are one way I express myself and I’m so lucky to have that as part of my career. So when I look back to when I was discovering playing drums, there wasn’t ever really a moment that I questioned whether or not I’d continue for as long as I could; that felt really simple to me. I still think I bring that attitude into my life now…I want to continue nurturing and doing the things that I love even when it sometimes feels like a job. This shows up in the way that I approach playing other peoples’ music. I want to bring life and feeling to songs, because I feel them deeply.

Navigating the music industry is not an easy one and I definitely wasn’t taught how to; it’s something I had to learn by experience. There have been so many obstacles along the way- dry spells of no work, playing 5 shows a week with different artists/bands & hardly making any money, gigs falling through, sexism, etc. I’m sure anyone you ask in this industry will say something similar- it’s just hard. But like I said earlier, I kept the mentality that I would just keep going because it felt important enough to push through those difficult moments. Continuing to keep myself open to opportunity and great friendships have propelled me to this new stage of life I find myself in now.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is knowing your worth and asking for what you want. Most of the time you are advocating for yourself in this industry and it’s extremely important to know that your work deserves recognition; whether that is financial or otherwise. Another is surrounding yourself with people who help you see this and encourage your growth… this is soooo valuable.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without my two very first teachers- Brenda Myers & Diane Downs. I owe them my life & will forever be grateful for the ways they introduced music to me at such a young age; teaching me to use my ear & musical intuition. They both still do amazing work with teaching kids world percussion & providing an encouraging environment for learning.
I love you both!!

Website: www.hayleybrownell.com

Instagram: @hayleybrownell

Image Credits
DONSLENS Pooneh Ghana Deanie Chen Lloyd Bishop

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