Hailee Steinfeld on Working With Max Martin, Following Up ‘Love Myself’ -New Single

At 18 years old, Hailee Steinfeld already has a few blockbuster films and an Oscar nomination under her belt. As of this summer, she can add a pop hit to that list, thanks to the success of her catchy,
empowering "Love Myself." On November 13th, the singer and actress, who most recently fused both talents in a role in Pitch Perfect 2, will release her debut EP, Haiz, and then play a string of Jingle Ball shows alongside heavyweights like Demi Lovato, 5 Seconds of Summer and Fifth Harmony. While filming her upcoming film Besties in Vancouver, Steinfeld took some time to discuss her budding music career and debut EP.

Haiz is something that my fans started calling me for a while. I felt as though if I titled it Haiz, it would kind of make it feel like they had named it, in a way. Obviously, this is my first time releasing more than just a single, and I've been so excited, and I've had so much support from the fans, so I really wanted to make it feel as if this was something from me to them.

Anyone else in your life call you Haiz?
I do know that it's my name in some of my friends' phones!

Was singing a love that you had before acting or did the two passions sprout up at the same time for you?
They really did start at the same time. I think the idea of performing and entertaining has always been of interest to me, and that's where it all stems from. Growing up, my mom listened to Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. My dad would always play the Eagles, the Police and Steve Miller Band. My brother is kind of like me and a kind of a combination of my parents, but we have our own taste in addition to that. I've grown up listening to such a wide variety of music that one thing I have found, in making music, is that it constantly changes and evolves, and you go with a person, and you experience new things that you're inspired by, and you find new things that you're inspired by. It's so amazing to go back and reference music that's so classic and timeless, and I really owe that to my parents, just having grown up listening to what they love.

What are you listening to now?
Oh, my gosh, there's so much. A lot of my favorite artists are releasing new music, which I'm so excited about. I've been listening to Kehlani. A lot. I'm obsessed with her album You Should Be Here. The writers and producers I've been working with on my music — Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Mattman and Robin — have done some songs in the past couple months, with Selena Gomez. Artists that I've been listening to a lot are Alessia Cara, the Weeknd. rollinstone,youtube