Articles

The Story Behind… ‘Closure’ By Hayd

By  | 

Hayd sat down with Stage Right Secrets to discuss how he created “Closure.”

What was the initial idea for “Closure”?

Hayd: Most songs about failed relationships are centered around the deep sadness that follows a breakup but I think oftentimes they miss the feeling of confusion that occurs as well. We ask questions like, “Could I have done anything better?” or “Were we right for each other?”  After a heartbreak you can find yourself in a state of constant questioning and Closure really came out of that emotion. Sometimes things end and you’re left with more questions than answers. You’re left with no real sense of closure.

Did the production or lyrics come first for you?

Hayd: The lyrics came first, which is quite common for me. After I had the concept down and a loose melody, it was easy to map it out on the piano. Some songs start with production but I write more efficiently when I know what the concept is first and maybe a handful of lyrics. To me it’s like running a race, if you know where the finish line is, it’s easy to fix your eyes on that and move toward it. If you don’t know where the song is going, you can run in circles and writing becomes much harder.

The first eight seconds have unique noises, how did those come about?

Hayd: I wanted the song to feel cinematic… the moment it started playing I wanted the listener to be in their own little world. I want the intro of the song to draw the listener in and after that I want them to fill in any spaces with their own imagination/memories. To me, the intro is a projector that turns on and starts playing back old memories of you and someone you loved. You’re at the beach watching the waves and seagulls are overhead. There’s other weird noises after the first chorus. Here, they’re flashbacks to all different old memories you have with the other person.

Do you have a standout lyric or maybe the one that came most naturally?

Hayd: The lyrics in the first verse came the most naturally to me (Did we both fall in love before we were ready? etc…) I was at the piano and they just sorta came out of me. Within 10 minutes I had the verses pretty much done. Those lyrics are my favorite from the song.

Compared to the original version were there any re-writes or new production elements?

Hayd: Yes, big time (laughs). The song took forever to finish. It was originally called, “The Pieces You Left of Me” and I wrote it last summer (2020). I showed my manager and Label and they thought I should rewrite parts of it. After I did, I posted a snippet of it on tiktok and the video went viral. My other song Changes was going viral at the point in time so we kinda just put Closure to the side. We revisited it later but it still wasn’t fully there lyrically. I hopped on a facetime with my friends Sara Kays, Anson Seabra, and Steven Martinez and together we’d touched it up and finished it.

Originally Sara was going to sing on it with me as a duet but it didn’t really work out. After getting the lyrics right, the next two months were tough because I just couldn’t get the production to sound how I wanted it to. Up until that point, I had produced all of my music on my own but it got to a point where I had to send it to some of my buddies (Mokita & Emi Dragoi) and they added some guitar sounds and transitions that really made the song beautiful. I’m so grateful for all the people who worked on Closure with me. In the end, the song took over 6 months to finish so you can imagine how happy I am that it’s finally out 🙂

What do you envision for the music video?
Hayd: For the music video, I picture myself in an old, darker room with a projector playing on the wall. I’m sitting there watching it play back a collection of old memories (VHS tape) of me and someone I loved. When I was writing the song that’s how I envisioned the music video.

Jacklyn is the Editor In Chief of Stage Right Secrets. Jacklyn's photography and articles can also be found on The Recording Academy's GRAMMY.com GRAMMYPro, GRAMMYU, PopCrush, Taste of Country, among other outlets. Besides press Jacklyn is a "Jack of All Trades" working various jobs at local concerts and touring. JacklynKrol.com