“I’m very thankful. It’s been an exciting couple of weeks,” Haven tells us.
Last time we spoke with this up-and-coming pop star, she had just released her debut pop single, “Swimming in Your Feelings,” which quickly made its way onto the Radio Disney charts. Now, only a few months later, she has released another single and is gearing up for a tour with Dinah Jane and Agnez Mo.
On Valentine’s Day, Haven released her second single “Be With You” which, unlike the title might suggest, is not a happy love song. Haven laughs about this and people’s expectation that “Be With You” would be a “sappy thing,” perfect for the heart-filled holiday. “I put it out,” she says, “and it definitely wasn’t…it’s not really that.”
The single is another Haven bop. It topped the Radio Disney charts at number 3 just behind the Jonas Brothers’ “What a Man Gotta Do.” Haven shares with us that she’s excited to be able to share her music on a platform that she grew up listening to.
Her second breakup song, Haven tells us that “Be With You” “was very different from any other song.” With thirty minutes left in the studio one day, she and her producer decided to try to get a little more writing done and ended up with a whole song. “We wrote ‘Be With You’ in 20, 30 minutes. It literally felt like it just fell out of the sky.”
It is also the first single she has released that isn’t autobiographical. “I call ‘Be With You’ a story song,” she says. She hasn’t been in the situation she sings about–unlike “Swimming” which is based on her own experiences–but she has friends that have ended up in too deep in a relationship that didn’t work out, and that’s where she found her inspiration. Since the song’s release, Haven has heard even more stories similar to “Be With You.” Some of her fans have reached out to her, sharing their stories and how they relate to the song with her.
Haven fans aren’t the only ones excited about “Be With You.” One of her biggest supporters and good friends is none other than Selena Gomez. The “Rare” singer went on Instagram to share a video of her and Haven singing and dancing to the single.
“It doesn’t really feel real. I’ve always looked up to Selena,” Haven says. “It’s pretty surreal to have her support and her friendship. She’s just been so kind to me and welcoming toward me.” Haven has the support of Selena’s fans, too. The comments of the lyric video for “Be With You” are full of fans sharing that they found the song through the star’s Instagram post. “I CAME here for Selena and now i stay here for HAVEN :)” says one comment.
There’s no doubt that Haven will be finding even more fans when she tours with Dinah and Agnez. When the tour kicks off in April, Haven will have released three singles–she plans to release new music around every month and a half (plus acoustic videos of her singles). “We’re just releasing music on a regular basis,” she said. Eventually, she’d like to have an album, but right now, as a growing artist, she wants to focus on releasing her music one step at a time. She will be playing unreleased music on the road, though.
Sharing her unreleased music with fans is exciting. Haven has learned that you find out what people like when you get to see them experience a song for the first time. This can be inspiring when she’s in the studio. “I think, overall, I kind of do what gets me excited and what feels right for me,” she shares, “but obviously if people are liking something, I can always take a piece of that, a certain element that people are really vibing with. You can kind of take that as a hint, ‘oh we should incorporate that into more things.'”
That’s not the only thing she’s excited about, though.”I’m excited to meet new people, new fans.” Haven is gearing up for the tour’s Brooklyn stop so she can see New York City and to show off the entire new performance skillset she’s developed since becoming a pop artist. Touring as a country artist, Haven was comfortable performing with a full band, but pop music is full of choreography and track-based performances.
“It’s been really fun,” she says about the transition and preparing for the tour. “We started getting into rehearsals and getting into movement, and I enjoy it so much.” She’s found that the choreography really brings the songs to life and tells the story with more than just her voice. “It just, I can’t explain it, it helps so much. It’s even just little gestures and things. It’s crazy how your movements and your body can bring the song to life even more. It’s my favorite part of putting together the set.”
Haven’s first performance of the tour will be in Phoenix, Arizona, April 7. Her overall thoughts on the tour? “What I love is that there’s a lot of girl power.”
