It’s fitting that Ethan Hayes ’23, missed the 2024 Grammy Awards show, where his work on Chris Brown's 11:11 (Deluxe) helped secure the Best R&B Album statue.
“I didn’t realize how early you had to register for a ticket,” the music producer — who goes by “Haze” and whose work has gone platinum 12 times — admits sheepishly.
It was a poetic moment for an artist all-in on the hustle, if not the applause.
Hayes’ impressive musical career began humbly. Building off childhood piano lessons and YouTube tutorials, he taught himself how to create the foundations, or “beats,” for songs by writing an initial melody and then digitally layering in other instruments like drums, pianos, guitars, and synthesizers.
“I picked it up really quickly and had a knack for it,” he recalls. “I fell in love with the art of it. It was like painting a picture, just in a different medium.”
“You need to know when to take over the room, and when to sit back.”
Hayes started off casually by posting tracks to Instagram and platforms like BeatStars, but when COVID-19 hit during his first year at Bryant, he doubled down on creating.
He also began building a network. “I’d find an artist I liked and reach out to every single producer they’d ever worked with,” he remembers. Slowly but surely, he made a name for himself in the R&B and hip-hop communities, a reputation that eventually led to platinum records, “song of the summer” hits, and his first Grammy nod.
At Bryant, Hayes lived a sort of double-life as a regular student and a best-selling producer. His education was similarly split, taking courses in Entrepreneurship while learning how to navigate the music industry.\
It was cool seeing how my real-life takeaways were matching the concepts I was studying,” he notes. “I have a pretty unique and unconventional career, but with the business education I received at Bryant I feel very well-equipped.”
Hayes has since moved to Los Angeles, and artists are now reaching out to him. Today, much of his work is done in person, collaborating with hitmakers from around the world.
The shift, Hayes says, has required him to learn a new set of skills. “It's about knowing when to really make sure your ideas get executed and when to hang back and let other people's ideas shine,” he reflects.
“I’m always moving my goals forward, and I'm always onto the next ladder to climb.”
“You need to know when to take over the room, and when to sit back.”
Despite the change in circumstances, though, Hayes still has the industrious mindset that’s taken him so far. “I've seen a lot of people that I know struggle with music changing from a hobby to something you create to pay your bills,” he notes.
“But I’m still in love with this. I love the process; I love seeing my ideas come to life.”
That doesn’t mean there isn’t still room for evolution, Hayes stresses. “I’m incredibly grateful to be able to say that I've reached the very top levels of what I do. But I don’t want to stay stuck in the same place,” he says. Hayes is now focused on expanding his horizons by exploring other genres and sounds.
In other words, the hustle continues.
“My mindset is that reaching the goalposts you set for yourself — whether it’s a Grammy or anything else — should never leave you feeling too satisfied,” Hayes says. “I’m always moving my goals forward, and I'm always onto the next ladder to climb.”