Name: Hataałii
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Nationality: American-Navajo
Current release: Hataałii's Singing Into Darkness is out June 30th 2023 via Dangerbird.

If you enjoyed this Hataałii interview and would like to find out more about his music, visit him on Instagram, Soundcloud, and bandcamp.  



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

It is a lot of selfishness and totality. Or the sum of a greater vision that I see for myself that I choose to work toward. It's like working out but instead of having muscles in the end, I’ll have a greater sense of awareness about unknown things hopefully.

I used to really eat up what other artists say about the process but I haven’t really been inspired by that kind of stuff lately. Everything has been so mundane and solemn but it doesn’t effect the music.

I just try to show up for it and it feels good when it comes. I guess that’s why I do it.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

No visualization. Sometimes there’s a sound, but it’s never the entire song. It all usually happens during the creation of it.

If there ever is any kind of idea of what I want the song to be like, it’s rarely executed as so. But that’s probably what it takes to be a real songwriter; to execute it as so. I’m still trying to get there.

But as of now it’s all just blasts and spews of randomness and long threads of dread wishful working.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

No, not really. I just need to open my laptop and press the buttons and stuff. Tune the guitar.

I try to drink a lot of water before I start but that doesn’t happen sometimes. I just try to leave everything ready for the next song after I complete one.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Coffee is good for what I do. I haven’t had any in a few months but it really does get me going good. Coffee is good for drawing, and writing too.

Lighting is okay. I usually have it a little darker but I’ve made good stuff in the bright too.

I imagine exercise is probably good for it as well. I don’t have any kind of ritual specific to me, though.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

It takes a little bit of fucking around to find out what to do.

Half the time it's very boring at first; you switch between guitar and bass a few times and try the keyboard but to no avail. And then back to guitar and then you’ve got a lead on it and then you follow it from there.

The other half of the time it’s already there and you just help it walk.

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

Lyrics usually come after the instrumental has been made. But the context of the lyrics is usually based on the sound of the music.

I’d say the lyrics run with the music but they definitely come from two different places. I can’t say I know where from.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

I like lyrics that defy and jump out of the ordinary style of things. The nature of obscurity has always been somewhat attractive to me, but I think that complete chaos can also be just as boring as nothing at all.

Ambitions; I want to leave an especially good mark on the untouched parts of the musical / creative landscape. Challenges; I don’t think I’m facing any challenges currently regarding lyricism.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

It reveals itself exponentially.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

More of the latter. I only follow any kind of protocol because I’m too lazy to try new things like that. I try sometimes, though.

A new style will usually take a few songs to really show itself. I need to be in a really special place to want to go all out and do those things.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

I try to take them as blessings because they usually lead to the good stuff.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

I suppose it can be spiritual if you make it that way. Sometimes it can be for me.

But I think the ultimate nature of things is also a bit sad and silly, so I can’t see any point in taking it too seriously.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

It usually tops itself off. It acts like a full meal at the end. Or when you can’t add much more because what’s there is enough to make the listener understand.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

I usually mix it right after recording, and then listen to it the next day. Sometimes I think I’ve made the best song ever until I listen to it the next day and it actually sucks.

I only say a day because I’m typically working on the next song or two by then, so there’s not much time to care for every song the way I wish I could. I’ll also dig up a song a year or two later, and really like it a lot.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

It’s usually pretty important. I typically do all of it myself, but a song will only get the full treatment if I think it’s a good one.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

It only lasts for about a day or two. I’m either extremely anxious about it or too busy thinking about the next thing. If at all I feel any kind of emptiness it’s pretty brief. Either that or I just feel empty all the time.

Sometimes I’ll get stuck and can’t get anything done, but that only lasts for so long too.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I think that when you create something like a piece of music, it is much more intricate and complex in its purpose let alone existence. I don’t know what it is but it's animate and it feels good. And its magic.

But it probably is the same thing as making a cup of coffee or pissing in the toilet to be honest. But to me there will always be nothing better than to sit back having made a good song.