Published on August 18th, 2020 | by Darren Paltrowitz
0Haley Blais On Her New Album “Below The Salt,” Using Tennis As Producers, Vancouver & More
Below The Salt — out on August 25, 2020 via Tiny Kingdom Music — may be the debut full-length album from singer/songwriter Haley Blais, but it is far from her first proper recording. Already carrying 174,000+ subscribers through her YouTube channel, 81,500+ Spotify followers, 32,600+ followers on Instagram and over 10,000 followers on Twitter, Blais has had a notable online presence as an artist since 2014. And Below The Salt, from which the excellent singles “Rob The Original,” “On A Weekend” and “Too Good” have already been released, features production from the likes of indie favorites Tennis (duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley) and fellow Vancouver artist Louise Burns.
An artist who creates original music that is both meaningful and mellow, Haley Blais does not shy away from discussing current topics within her songs. Within the aforementioned “Rob The Original,” as an example, she addresses mental health. In June, she donated her Bandcamp sales of “Rob The Original” to Hogan’s Alley Society, an organization that advocates for Black Vancouverites who have endured the legacies of urban renewal and their erasure from the official historical narrative.
On August 18, 2020, I had the pleasure of speaking with Haley Blais via Zoom, as embedded below. She entertained questions about Below The Salt, musical influences, recording with Tennis, future plans and Canadian stereotypes from yours truly. More on Blais can be found online via www.haleyblaismusic.com, www.facebook.com/hblaismusic and www.twitter.com/haleyblais.