Piper Hayes is a critically acclaimed international performer, singer, songwriter and one-woman dynamo. On October 14, 2016, Hayes releases her second EP, a pop-folk trilogy of tunes, titled ‘Goodbye Mister Nice Guy’. The album was produced by Dean Drouillard (Royal Wood, Justin Rutledge) in Toronto.
In 2015, Hayes moved from her hometown of Toronto to Hamilton, and in short order implemented a music program for Hamilton Adult Community Support. She teaches a weekly music class for adults with disabilities, and created The Monthly Sound, a site-specific community based music event.
Artist Quote:
“These new songs represent a journey of love and they are very dear to my heart. They tell my story, in all it’s pain and beauty, during one of the hardest times in my life. I wrote ‘Lovin’ You’ for my ex. I remember the first time I played it for him. We had had an argument right before I had to go on stage, but I decided to sing the song anyway. I remember looking at him as I sang it and thinking, ‘why did I write this person a song?’. Sure enough two weeks later we broke up. I was heartbroken and couldn’t figure out what happened.
“‘You’re Gone’ came quite naturally out of my own pain. I would cry through the lyrics as I sang, grieving something I never really had. I remember wondering what I was going to do next and in general felt the heaviness of despair. At the time the most significant lyric in the whole song for me was ‘I hope, that I didn’t leave you feeling not good enough’, because although I had directed the words to him, I secretly wished he had spoken them to me.
“I was at a crossroads on many levels. I was in the process of quitting my job, I just moved out of my parent’s house for the last time and I spoke with many people about their own personal experiences surrounding breakups and heartbreak. I remember one person telling me it took them two years to get over their ex. I thought there’s no way I’m spending another two years on this person. I decided to go to a few therapy sessions and a psychic counselor. I started to find glimmers of hope. It was now fall, my favourite season, and I was about to release ‘Ain’t Nothin’ Like…’, my first EP (2014). I don’t remember exactly when it shifted, but one day I realized I no longer needed to know the ‘why’ in why we broke up. I no longer cared. I started to value myself again. Every cell in my body started singing, and ‘Honey (Goodbye Mister Nice Guy)’ came into existence. I realized this song was about much more than the breakup, and even that the breakup symbolized something bigger in my life. I started to feel empowered, as a woman, and as a musician. This song is my anthem for all the people of this world who need to let go of something, who need to say goodbye.”