Photo by Steve Jennings
Mayer Hawthorne is easily one of the most underrated musicians of his generation.
The soul singer this year has attracted perhaps the most attention of his career, centering around his latest full-length, Where Does This Door Go. But the response, as he acknowledges has been fairly polarized. And he’s totally OK with that.
“There have been some publications that really didn’t like it at all and there have been some that thought it was amazing,” he explains. “I think that is the best. That’s what I’m looking for, is that polarization; people having very varied opinions on it. I think that’s what gets people talking. And at the end of the day, I don’t make music for everybody to like it. I’m not trying to be the most popular artist in the world. I would rather make music that I think is good.”
Although his sphere of influence continues to increase with each record, his music hasn’t exactly been sandwiched between Katy Perry and Justin Bieber on the radio. But he is inching closer into the mainstream viewpoint.
The 34-year-old and his band are currently touring with OneRepublic and Sara Bareilles, introducing his music to a wider audience. “The response has been great. Every night we have people that are like, ‘Wow, I’ve never heard you before. I’m gonna check you out.’ And that’s what it’s all about.”
The wider exposure will only continue this fall, when he heads to the U.K. and Europe to tour once again with Bruno Mars, having previously opened for him in 2011. “He sent me a personal note saying, ‘Hey man, I would love to have you back out with us.” And I said, ‘Of course.’ I think we both really push each other also. ‘Cause when we’re out there with them, we’re trying to give them a run every night. And they’re trying to do the same thing. We are forcing them to be at their best every night.”
Hawthorne has also been pushing himself, as evidenced by the new record, which features rising stars Kendrick Lamar and Jessie Ware, as well as outside producers—a first for the singer, who has self-produced his previous material. With production by Pharrell, Jack Splash, John Hill and others, including Hawthorne, it allowed him to put together what he calls “a very personal record. It’s the most personal album that I’ve ever done.”
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On the new LP is also a very personal track inspired by Hawthorne’s own father, which he acknowledges “was definitely the hardest song I’ve ever written. Pharrell and I came up with the track in the studio [and] it just felt right. It just started coming out, I couldn’t even stop it. There’s actually a vocal sample in that track … And it sounded to me like he was saying, ‘Richard.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, Richard is my dad.’ And it just kinda wrote itself from there.”
With such a great personal investment in the album, Hawthorne admits the recent (ongoing?) controversy between Spotify and its miniscule artist royalty payments is somewhat disheartening, but he is trying to view the glass half-full. “I actually really enjoy it and use it everyday,” he reveals, laughing at the irony. “You have to roll with it. You just have to find other ways to make money. Touring, licensing and merchandising. If you’re not gonna make money through album sales, then you’re gonna have to find other avenues. You can’t be mad about it, though. You have to embrace technology. You have to get on board. If you can’t beat ‘em, you gotta join ‘em.”
Hawthorne is also maintaining that same optimism when it comes to the recent news out of his hometown. “Detroit has fallen on some hard times,” he says, speaking about the city’s recent bankruptcy. “But we’re very resilient people. I think most people in Detroit are still very positive … the media is always going to focus on the negative because that’s what gets ratings.” He continues, citing lyrics from his 2011 single “A Long Time”: “‘It’s gonna take a long time, but we’re gonna make it one day.’”
Where Does This Door Go is available now via Republic. Click here for upcoming tour dates.