Haiden Henderson Talks Tour Memories, Latest EP ‘tension’
Haiden Henderson has been making waves on stages across the US and Europe, bringing a strong pop energy and vulnerability to his performances. Recently, the LA-based singer-songwriter had a chat with Group Chat Mag at 1824’s press conference, sharing his favorite tour memories, lessons he’s learned from life on the road, and a side of himself fans may not always see.
Henderson’s travels have taken him to many stages, but he says that one of his favorite places to play is in cities like Paris, Prague, and Warsaw. There, he was met with fans who sang his songs enthusiastically back to him. “It was my first time playing in Europe, and it was at those shows that the fans were singing my songs just as loud as the headliners that I was like, ‘holy shit’. Like, I think I need to come back to Europe. This is crazy,” he recalled. When tickets for his return sold out quickly, even his label was stunned. He admitted that “I kind of now unfairly judge cities based off of how fun the crowds were,” he admitted with a laugh. Paris stands out as a dream come true: “I really loved playing in Paris… it was so romanticized for me. I’ve watched Ratatouille maybe more than any movie ever, so it was very exciting to play Paris and see so many fans there.”
However, he has a few different spots in the United States that he loves to play in as well “New York is always like my favorite show to play in the States, Denver goes so hard for, like, no reason at all. Salt Lake City, dude.. Mormons are cool, cool motherfuckers. Salt Lake City was fun.”
When asked about his favorite tour memories, he immediately thought of touring with his friend Mikko in Florida, saying it felt like summer camp for ‘emo nerds’: “I think we played. It was Orlando, and we went to Disney World on our day off, and we just got like, super drunk at Disney World, and that was fucking lit… on the last tour that I did, my Discord convinced my touring crew to print out a bunch of ugly photos of me and hang them in the green rooms of almost every venue that we played. that was deeply humbling, but also a very fun moment to literally have like the internet kind of reach out and and affect my real life… it was kind of a turning point in my head where I was like, damn, this is like a family. We make a lot of just, like, really inappropriate, like insensitive jokes on tour, like the group chat that you all have with your friends, that if you know anybody saw it, you’d immediately get canceled. Like, that’s what touring is like. And I have a very eclectic fun touring party.”
Henderson shared a more vulnerable part of himself stating, “I’m actually a deeply flawed and insecure individual.” Songs that feel like confident party anthems are often rooted in self-doubt. “I think people initially think of “sweat” and “hell of a good time”, as these like kind of fun, sexy songs that make you feel yourself and feel kind of suave and whatnot, and the lyrics in those songs are, I think, a more accurate representation of me.” Using his most recent project as an example, he expressed that his song felt like a sexy, sleek clubbing song, but the lyrics display feelings of inadequacy, “The lyrics are, like, deeply insecure, and are like, basically saying that, like, ‘I’m poor. I got no swag, I’m totally lame. You’re astronomically out of my league. I have zero shot here, but, like, I’m going to try anyways,’” Henderson hopes this contrast helps fans feel understood. “I’m just trying to make music that makes people feel better about themselves. And it makes me feel better about myself, too.”
Henderson may joke about his flaws, but his trajectory tells another story. With his sharp humor, deeply personal lyrics, and growing global popularity, Haiden Henderson’s music continues to resonate with and uplift fans, making us all feel heard.