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Photo by Andy Hur via complex.com
For the past year, Emile Haynie has been working on something special. We’ve heard proof of this with songs like “A Kiss Goodbye” and “Falling Apart,” and his full solo album, called We Fall, comes out February 24. Big-name collaborators like Lana Del Rey, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow, Sampha, Lykke Li, and Florence Welch might be what first catches people’s attention, but it’s the classic songwriting and gorgeous arrangements that leave a lasting impression.
Emile has been in a room at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, inviting his musician friends to hang out and waiting for moments of inspiration. The result is an 11-song project that promises to be one of the year’s strongest. Emile talked about his experience working on the album, collaborating with Kanye West and Kid Cudi, and more. Read some excerpts below, and check out the entire article here.
On working with Kanye:
He’s the most intense creative person I’ve ever met. It’s the most difficult working situation ever. But it’s the same with [FKA] twigs and the same with Lana: They have what they want their shit to sound like in their head, and they know what it is before you’ve ever touched the piano. And they will fight to the death until they get that sound. They don’t compromise, they don’t say, “Yeah, I guess it’s good,” which are the worst words [that could come] out of an artist’s mouth. They get pissed off and they say, “No, something’s not right here.”
On Lykke Li and waiting for the right moment to create:
I’d work all hours. That was the sweet, spot though. When I invited people over, there was a lot of, “Hey, Lykke Li, come over and have tea.” There was never, “I really want you to sing this song.” It was, “Hey, we’re having tea and there’s a song playing.” Just to see if somebody comes up with a melody, if something happens. If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t happen.
On Florence Welch and the unique way these songs came together:
Florence [Welch] from Florence and the Machine is a good friend.
There was a day when I was working and I had the windows right open, and she had a room like two above, but kind of off, and we could see each other, and I got a text that was like, “What is that? That’s beautiful.” I was like, “It’s my album, come!” She came running in with her yoga outfit and sang on a song. She sang background vocals and then popped off to yoga. At a studio, that wouldn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen at any other hotel. It just kept happening.
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