Hayley Sales
| Hayley Sales | |
|---|---|
 Promo photo for "When The Bird Became A Book", April 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
August 31, 1986 (age 28) Washington, D.C. |
| Genres | Soul, pop, acoustic rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer–songwriter, actress |
| Instruments | Guitar, piano, vocal |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Universal Music[1] |
| Website |
www |
Hayley Sales (born August 31, 1986) is an American/Canadian singer–songwriter and actress.[2][3][4] Sales' debut album Sunseed was released on June 19, 2007; songs "Keep Drivin" and "What You Want" reached #11 on the Japan Hot 100 and #45 on the Canadian Hot 100, respectively.[5] Her second album, When the Bird Became a Book, was released on June 21, 2010 and includes duets with musicians G. Love and Donavon Frankenreiter.[3][4]
Albums
| Year | Album | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Sunseed | June 19, 2007 | Universal Records |
| 2010 | When the Bird Became a Book | June 21, 2010 | Universal Records |
Early life
Sales was born into an incredibly artistic family; her mother being a dancer and writer, her father a musician and sound engineer (Miles Davis, The Grateful Dead and The Ramones), who operated GlassWing Studios out of the upper floor of their Washington D.C home. “I was surrounded by music at all hours of the day. All types of music. I remember the melodies and beats actually rattling the floorboards. My childhood had a soundtrack filled up with everything from R&B and Jazz to Rock and Americana.” For many recording sessions, Sales would even be allowed to sit in and watch the recording process.[2][3][4]
The family relocated to Portland, Oregon when Sales was four and within several months, Sales began playing piano and participating in local musical theatre productions. At the age of five, something happened that altered her life indefinitely. “My friend was playing a tape of Judy Garland singing ‘Get Happy.’ I can’t explain it, but I was captivated, I was in love…Maybe obsessed. I couldn’t stop listening. I made my friend play the song over and over and over again till finally she just gave me the cassette. I went home that night and listened ten more times.” Sales learned to sing by studying the voices of Judy Garland, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone among others.
Before reaching sixth grade, she had begun writing songs and performed in over one hundred plays and productions. By middle school, Sales was accepted into the private performing arts school, The Northwest Academy, where she studied both classical and jazz music, writing, acting, dance and film-making. She continued to study until graduating two years early, with honors, at sixteen. To this day, Sales continues to take online university courses.[2][3][4]
Following graduation, her family moved again, this time to an organic blueberry farm on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. “I thought my life was over,” Sales laughs. “I went from a cutting edge, urban arts school to a farm on an island floating off the coast of Canada.” The dramatic shift, however, proved to be beneficial. “I spent every second of the day learning the technical side of music in the studio or sitting in my bedroom writing songs. Art was all that I had. Besides solitude.”
Within a half of year of being on the island, Sales landed a lead role in a teen horror film, leading to a move to Los Angeles to pursue acting shortly after turning seventeen. The move ended abruptly when a bout of acid reflux caused her lose her voice. “For over a year, I could barely talk. It was the hardest year of my life. Everything that I had identified with was gone. I was speechless. Literally,” she recalls.[2][3][4]
Music career
When her voice finally returned, Sales quickly returned into the studio and recorded a full length demo which she released on her own record label Drifter Records. In 2006, Sales signed with Universal Music Canada. Her first album Sunseed, was released in 2007, with singles ‘What You Want’ and ‘Keep Drivin’ landing in the Canadian Top 40 and on the charts in Japan. Sales' mesmerizing, sultry vocals and infectious melodies caught on instantly. In 2008, she won Best Mainstream Artist at The Canadian Radio Music Awards. Her sophomore album, featuring guest appearances by G Love and Donavon Frankenreiter, When the Bird Became A Book, was released in 2012. The music video for ‘Just Pretend, directed by Josh Forbes (Sarah Bareilles, The Fray) generating over five million views in three weeks following its release.
Since the international release of her last record, Sales has been hard at work touring, writing on a new collection of songs, and recently guest starring on the TV show CEDAR COVE (Hallmark USA) in the role of “Shelley.” She splits her time between Vancouver B.C and Los Angeles CA. Recently, Sales teamed up with Pledge Music to fan-fund the recording of her next album which she plans to record early next year.
“I am incredibly excited about this next album,” she says. “Over the past couple years, I have become re-enchanted with my earliest musical influences, appreciating what they have to offer even more now than when I first listened – Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, the list goes on. What came out of those women was angelic yet human, joyful but not ignorant of life’s sadness. I want to bring the same authenticity to the next album, mixing together the sounds of vintage soul with contemporary pop.”
Acting
Sales has taken over 7 years of the Meisner Technique along with other variations on Method Acting. Most recently, she has studied with Joe Anthony (USC) in Los Angeles, California. Her most recent role as "Shelley" on the TV show Cedar Cove has generated attention towards both her acting and musical talents. Since first stepping on the stage at age 5, Sales has performed in over 100 theatrical productions.
Charitable work
Sales has been a major advocate of oceanic preservation since the beginning of her career. While living in Florida, Sales performed numerous concerts to benefit The Sea Turtle Preservation. Most recently Sales contributed to the Surfrider Foundation by collaborating with O'Neill Surf Company to create a charity T-Shirt, all proceeds going towards oceanic preservation. In 2010, the song "Not In His Garden," featuring Donavon Frankenreiter, was featured on David Suzuki's "Playlist For the Planet."
Additional charity work includes partaking in a documentary for the W Network (CAN), "Making Waves." The film followed her across the country as she interviewed locals who had started non-profits in their cities/towns. During this experience, Sales wrote and released the song "Lullaby (Change The World)," all proceeds going towards the Canadian-based charity, ChildHaven.
While in Los Angeles, Sales is very active with the non-profit, Musicians On Call, a volunteer based program that brings music to children in hospitals. She has also performed several times in Cocoa Beach at the Slater Brothers (Kelly Slater-World Winning Surfer) Invitational, a benefit to raise awareness of skin cancer.
References
- ↑ Varty, Alexander (July 16, 2008). "Hayley Sales happy to take a hands-on approach". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Varty, Alexander (October 6, 2010). "Hayley Sales sings songs of hope in unhappy times". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Hayley Sales". The Beachside Resident 6 (8). October 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Grunebaum, Dan (May 12, 2011). "Hayley Sales: The wandering American songstress heads up this year’s Greenroom fest". Metropolis. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ↑ "Hayley Sales". Billboard. 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2013.