HAYLA finds light in the darkness on her morst personal chapter yet

Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)

For the past few years, UK artist HAYLA has become one of the defining voices of modern electronic music. Her soaring vocals have powered festival-sized anthems alongside John Summit, Kx5, Kygo, MEDUZA, Nelly Furtado, ILLENIUM, and countless others, helping soundtrack packed dancefloors across the world. Yet despite earning Grammy recognition, amassing more than a billion Spotify streams through her solo work and collaborations, and closing Coachella with John Summit, the British singer-songwriter has quietly been preparing for something far more revealing than another crossover dance hit.

Her second album, DARK, arriving July 31, marks her turning inward and pulling the darkest parts of her life for those to experience.

"I actually knew it was going to be called DARK before I wrote the album," HAYLA explains. "I've themed my albums around the most magical times of day to listen to music. My favourite time of day is when music feels really immersive."

The title was initially intended as a continuation of the day-to-night journey that began with her 2024 debut DUSK. But as the record took shape, life began mirroring the concept in ways she never expected.

Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)

"Unfortunately I didn't realize that it would imitate my life as much as it has. I probably went through the darkest period of my life," she says. "I went through an immense loss."

Rather than consciously setting out to write about grief, those emotions surfaced naturally throughout the creative process as she reflected on heartbreak, mourning, and healing.

"The writing just kind of flowed through rather than feeling forced," she says. "I was worried about alienating people initially because I thought maybe it was a bit too different from what I'd done previously. But it was probably the most cathartic thing I could do."

That emotional honesty represents a noticeable evolution for an artist many listeners first discovered through euphoric festival records like John Summit’s "Where You Are," "Shiver," (both of which she had just performed with Summit at the iconic Las Vegas Sphere) and Kx5’s "Escape." While those collaborations showcased HAYLA's remarkable ability to elevate electronic productions with unforgettable melodies, DARK places the songwriting itself firmly in the spotlight.

Recent singles "Heal" and "Enough" hint at that transformation. Rather than chasing dancefloor highs, the songs unfold with cinematic arrangements, expansive production, and lyrics that sit comfortably in uncertainty. The emotional release remains, but it arrives through vulnerability instead of just pure euphoria.

Interestingly, HAYLA describes the music less in terms of genre than environment. "I thought about spaces where you could listen to music and it felt like a vast expanse," she says. "Probably where you'd find your emotions."

HAYLA's increasingly theatrical visual identity has become just as carefully considered, with midnight black flowing archival garments and dramatic silhouettes that feel almost timeless on stage. "I've always loved periods of history, different clothing, stories, drama," she explains. "It's not really one historical figure. It's just pieces that I've always admired."

Looking back now, those visual choices have taken on additional meaning. Black garments originally selected for their beauty have come to resemble mourning attire as grief found its way into both the music and HAYLA's life.

Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)

"I was asked why I was wearing black in a church in one of the videos," she recalls. "The person that I said goodbye to was in a church. It sort of fit that. It's strange how, in an awful and beautiful kind of way, it's all knitted itself together."

While DARK explores isolation, HAYLA's frequently known for collaborations that are rooted in connection. Few vocalists have become as synonymous with emotionally charged electronic music over the past several years, and she believes listeners respond because dance music offers something uniquely intimate experienced through the euphoria.

"I've always been a really big fan of music with lots of vocals over the top because of the catharsis you can get from just letting it rip," she says. "Whenever I'm writing melodies, I'm thinking, 'How can I write a chorus that's going to make people feel like after they've sung it they've released something?'"

Music that encourages emotional release has become something of HAYLA's signature. Whether she's fronting massive festival productions or delivering more intimate solo material, every chorus feels designed to invite participation rather than observation.

"Maybe there's just a lot of hurt in the world," she says with a smile. "Everyone wants to dance. Crying in the club."

HAYLA’s duality was on full display when she returned to Calgary this summer for her second appearance at Badlands during Stampede. While the festival is largely built around high-energy DJ’s behind the decks, HAYLA offered something one-of-a-kind at the festival: a true live vocal performance that shifted the energy from simply watching a set to experiencing a concert. Standing alongside acts like SIDEPIECE and Loud Luxury, her commanding stage presence demonstrated why she's increasingly becoming a headliner in her own right rather than simply the voice behind someone else's tracks.

Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)

It's a trajectory that's only accelerating. Alongside festival appearances, The Dark Tour will see HAYLA embark on her largest North American headline run to date, bringing the new material to audiences across the continent. Despite the accolades, the sold-out venues, and billions of streams, HAYLA remains refreshingly grounded.

"I'm just really grateful that I'm actually doing this," she says. "I'm just grateful to be here."

An aura of gratitude may ultimately define DARK more than its title suggests. While the album is undeniably born from grief, it isn't consumed by it. Instead, HAYLA transforms loss into something expansive, finding beauty within sorrow without ever diminishing its weight. In stepping away from the expectations that come with being one of electronic music's most recognizable voices, she's uncovered something even more compelling: herself. The darkness, it turns out, isn't where the story ends. It's simply where HAYLA found the courage to begin again.