Jun 24, 2021

“Music Shouldn’t Be Censored” – Rap Act Haas On Politics & Influencers

 

At 23 Haas carved his own lane as an independent artist. Since 2019 the movement has gained a lot of traction with songs such as ‘Double entendre’ reaching 27k views on YouTube and 10k streams on Spotify, although in early stages still, the UK hip hop artist has made himself heard amongst the masses and people are starting to notice. We spoke with him exclusively about the role of politics and influencers in music – and his new album 3Love.

gigmit: Hi Haas, you started making music when you were 14, uploading clips to YouTube of your first experiments with freestyling. Now you create music that is sonically pleasing and driven by emotion. What do you miss about in-person performances?

Haas: One of the best parts of making music is getting to play it live. I spend a lot of time imagining the live performance as I craft the song. I miss the hours of rehearsing to create a show that’s explosive and memorable and the challenges that come with it! Most importantly, I miss watching people dance to the music, that I made in my bedroom.

Due to the pandemic-related upswing of live streams, we now know even more bedrooms – also of stars. How important do you think celebrity musicians are in the industry?

In my opinion, the industry thrives from having stars, icons, and mainstream celebrities. In whatever format we choose to consume music, there will always be popular options. However, the real world current climate with such dominance from influencers, means the popularity comes from the individual rather than the quality of the music, which can be destructive to the progressive nature of music. I think the real conversation is how we disrupt music and create new formats that can be more rewarding for smaller artists.

→ Discover and book Haas here on gigmit and follow him on Facebook and Instagram!

How political should music be?

I find this subject really fascinating, music plays such an important part in the narration of society. Politics play a huge part in all our lives so it would be fair to say ‘politicising music ’ is a natural occurrence. It’s also very important for how it can be used to send a powerful message, that can inspire real change. A bias of political opinion has the potential to be disruptive and I morally don’t agree with it (like how the news shouldn’t have a bias in my opinion). It’s something that comes with the territory. Music is at the core of freedom of speech and shouldn’t be censored.

What can we expect from you in the future?

In the near future, I will be releasing my newest album 3Love. I’m really focused on creating impactful art, that captures a moment of feeling you can relive every time you play the song, like a time capsule. That’s what 3love was made to do. In the distant future, I aim to be able to live comfortably off my music and have the freedom to constantly create, music and videos. Hopefully, my message in my music will touch others and become part of their own life narratives.

Thank you very much, Haas!

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