Hayley Giovinazzo Hits the Ground Running with Debut Single “Old School Vinyl”

There’s something special about the pursuit of a dream. Since she was five years-old, Hayley Giovinazzo’s dream has been to release her own music. In the time that has followed, she has developed a deep relationship with music, set her sights on Music City, and most recently, made her dream a reality with the release of her debut single, “Old School Vinyl,” just before the end of October.

What has happened in the two weeks since the release has admittedly gone beyond that initial dream; as the song has already surpassed 10,000 streams, earning her thousands of listeners, and possibly most importantly, gotten a bright music career underway on the right foot.

We chatted with Giovinazzo about her early connection with music, all about “Old School Vinyl,” sonic diversity, her big plans for the future and more!

Pro Country: Who are some of your biggest musical influences that have had an impact on your sound?

Haley Giovinazzo: Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves and Dolly Parton are a few of my biggest musical influences. I really love artists that lyrically take you to a specific place, and also say things in a really honest way. I also love how with artists like Kacey Musgraves, there’s a certain aesthetic to her music that draws listeners in.

PC: Your bio mentions that you were drawn to songwriting at a young age, and that you got hooked on performing at just 11 years-old. What was it about songwriting and performing that connected with you so early in your life?

HG: I was born loving music, I don’t really remember a time in my life where I wasn’t listening to music. There was nothing I loved more than hearing a song and being like, “Yes, that is exactly how I feel!” I think I wanted to give people those same moments. I’m not always the best conversationalist or talker, but for some reason, I’ve always been able to find what I want to say through music. I think I realized this at a young age and I’ve just been drawn to it ever since.

PC: At what point did that early interest in music translate into you wanting to pursue it as a career?

HG: I think it was something I always knew I wanted to pursue. That sounds so cliché, but I really always wanted to only do that. All my time and energy went into writing, singing and performing. When I went to college, I did do the more “realistic” path, because I felt like every artist’s path was different and so unclear. Like how do you go about pursuing music? I felt very out of place with everyone having such a clear path of where they were going, and I realized very fast that I wouldn’t be happy if I wasn’t making music, so here I am now, halfway through college, a business major pursuing music.

PC: What emotions were you feeling leading up to the release of your debut single “Old School Vinyl”?

HG: Thankfulness, excitement, relief and nervousness. Literally so many emotions. Releasing music is something I’ve dreamed about doing since I was five years-old, so actually doing it was an absolute dream come true! I was nervous how it was going to be received, but more than that, I was just so excited and SO thankful for the team at Off The Row Studio that made it happen.

PC: Can you talk about the inspiration behind “Old School Vinyl”?

HG: YES! The inspiration for “Old School Vinyl” actually came from another song I was writing. I had written a song about my relationship with this guy I had dated. The song was finished, but I wanted to add some more imagery to it, so I did a free-writing exercise where I just wrote about that relationship, all walls down. As I was writing, this memory came up of us watching cartoons until 2 in the morning, and I really loved that image and the vibe that came out of that. I liked the vintage vibe, and I liked the idea of wondering if a relationship would ever “come back in style,” like how so many other things in life come back in style. I looked over at all the old vinyl I have sitting in my bedroom, and the whole idea just came together. When I was brainstorming things that have come back in style, one thing I thought of was mom jeans, so it was almost called that, but I think “Old School Vinyl” sounds better [laughs].

PC: “Old School Vinyl” taps into both contemporary and classic, nostalgic sounds. Is it at all important to you to have that touch of sonic versatility with your debut release?

HG: Yes definitely! As someone who grew up on everything from Willie Nelson to Carrie Underwood to Justin Bieber to Taylor Swift, I find myself writing with all different influences, and I like being able to combine classic lyrics with contemporary sounds or vice versa.

PC: In just a few weeks since its release, “Old School Vinyl” has quickly surpassed 10,000 Spotify streams. What has it mean to you to have that success out of the gate with your debut single?

HG: It has meant the WORLD to me. Honestly, I was not expecting that at all; I was just happy to be writing music and releasing it. Having people actually listening to it and receiving it so well has meant so much to me.

PC: 2020 has altered most of the plans of artists so far. Of the things you can control, what are your plans for the rest of the year and going into 2021?

HG: Writing, writing, writing. I have some more music coming soon, so I’m excited to be preparing for those releases, but aside from that, I want to spend a lot of 2021 writing and improving in whatever way I can.

PC: Is there anything you’d like to add?

HG: Stay tuned for more music! 🙂