papercuts: Interview with Sebastian Haysman

Sebastian Haysman, Image taken by Jodi Webb

Sebastian Haysman is an up-and-coming indie singer-songwriter in the Melbourne/Naarm music scene, blending pop music with emotionally rich, visual lyricism. Sebastian began his journey into songwriting young, using piano and singing to look back on significant and quite vulnerable moments and experiences. Honouring this with his debut single “papercuts”, released this November. Read on to hear from Sebastian himself more on his journey into songwriting, all about “papercuts” and what music means to him.

Sebastian Haysman Performing, Image taken by Jodi Webb

Sebastian Haysman Performing, Image taken by Jodi Webb

How did you get into songwriting? 

Sebastian Haysman: Well, I started as a pianist and a singer, I did a lot of lessons growing up. I was just listening to so much music and I really wanted to give it a crack. I remember I wrote my first song when I was about 11, and it wasn't anything too serious. I started getting into songwriting a lot more seriously when I was about 15, writing about more serious situations. I used songwriting as a tool to interpret situations in my life or cope with things that made me feel emotional. 

So, songwriting is an outlet for you in a way? 

Sebastian Haysman: A hundred percent.  

I use it as much as I can to cope, interpret things and process my feelings. I find that songwriting is a really validating way to experience something. It makes you feel like your feelings aren't crazy, it's like, if I can put it into song and make someone else connect with it, it feels okay to feel that way. It's like a source of connection.  

When did you first realise your passion or interest in music? 

Sebastian Haysman: I started playing piano when I was about six years old, and being a little kid, I was doing piano lessons quite reluctantly, but I stuck it out, and I found real passion when I started combining piano with singing. I was also just listening to so much music [and] when I was listening to songs that I loved, I [thought] I really wanna be able to do that as well.  

Where do you find most of your songwriting inspiration from? 

Sebastian Haysman: Currently, I draw a lot of inspiration from the artists who write really poetically and put it into catchy pop songs.  

Really generic answer, but Taylor Swift, I grew up on a lot of her music when I was very young, and at the moment, Conan Gray, Gracie Abrams, and Olivia Rodrigo are definitely my key writing inspirations. I love those artists in particular 'cause of how they use metaphors and how they describe things in such depth, but not too complicated. The perfect level of insight into emotion using imagery. 

Would you say listening to these artists or taking from those artists has made you a better songwriter? 

Sebastian Haysman: Definitely. It's interesting to see how my writing has changed over the years; it's definitely grown the more I listen to different types of artists [and] when I hear different things I can draw inspiration from.  

During your sets, I know you do quite a few covers. Are those from artists you're inspired by, or how do you go about choosing? 

Sebastian Haysman: My sets are mainly acoustic, so I choose songs that I would love to hear stripped back. For my single launch last Friday night, I played Paparazzi, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and The Scientist. I chose The Scientist 'cause I make the crowd sing in that one, and it sounds really beautiful when you choose a crowd favourite that everyone knows the words to. It's a great way to connect everyone in the room early in the set. But with, like, Paparazzi, I love to explore how that would sound more emotional, being such a heavily produced song. 

I do a few cover gigs here and there just at venues around town, so I cover so many different songs, and it provides a good insight into the true emotion and the depth behind a song when you hear it acoustically.  

Sebastian Haysman, Image taken by Jodi Webb

You recently released “papercuts”, your debut single. Is there any reason you chose “papercuts” to be your debut single?  

Sebastian Haysman: I wrote “papercuts” in November of last year, and at that time, I had been in quite a writer's block. I hadn't written a song that I really liked, [and] I'd been writing songs that I just found really mediocre. So, it had been a while since I really connected with something I'd written and I was starting to lose drive and belief that I could really pursue songwriting. When I wrote “papercuts”, it was the first time in a while, like six months, that I'd written a song I was proud of. I [thought], wow, this could actually be something. I find “papercuts” to be quite a symbolic song for me 'cause it symbolises the beginning of this new era of writing.  

I was proud of the song that I'd written for the first time in a while, so I [thought] I should honour that. 

Was “papercuts” inspired by any specific event? 

Sebastian Haysman: Yeah, of course. It could be about any type of relationship for anyone, but I wrote it about a relationship that I believe would last a lifetime, which came to an end much quicker than I thought it would. It's about reminiscing on how good a relationship, friendship, or anything in the past was, and having to come to a state of acceptance that it's no longer like that [and] it won't be anymore.  

“papercuts” is very much about reading through old birthday cards, which is kind of just true; it’s what I actually did. I love to keep the cards that my friends and family give me each year, and one day, I was just doing a classic bedroom deep clean and found the old box of cards, read through a couple, and was a bit sad these promises were not upheld. 

But it's also a metaphor for reminiscing on how good something used to be, and how it can hurt you when you reminisce on it; it gives you “papercuts”. It's painful to think about and having to come to acceptance that it's no longer there. 

Do you find that other people have different interpretations of it? 

Sebastian Haysman: For sure. It's interesting, when I released it, I was worried that people would, I don't know, speculate so much about the story or ask so much about my interpretation of it, but it's so great to hear people say “Oh, I thought about this situation when I was listening to it”, and hear about how they related it to their own lives. That's such the beauty of music. I feel like everyone interpreted it in relatively similar ways but in terms of their own lives, which was really really cool to watch and hear.  

What was the process of recording “papercuts” like? 

Sebastian Haysman: So, I wrote it late last year, but I started recording it in June this year, and I worked with a producer named Yanni. ‘Cause it was my first song I'd recorded, I was going into it with a very open mind but also I had a clear vision of the sound. 

The process was so exciting, just seeing it come to life with each step, adding new sounds. I wanted it to really convey the emotion, and especially the climax towards the end of the song from the bridge into the final chorus. I really wanted it to sound like how it feels to let go of someone and accept that they're no longer there.  

Do you have anything upcoming or in the works? 

Sebastian Haysman: I have some more music coming out next year, which I'm very excited for everyone to hear. I am so proud of the next songs, they’re different from “papercuts” in a very exciting way; a lot more intensity to them.  

What do you hope people get out of you as an artist?  

Sebastian Haysman: I hope people get connection out of my music and out of me as an artist. I hope that they get the reassurance to feel as deeply as they want to feel, listening to a song that I've written. 'Cause for me, I go very personal when I write, I go very deep as a lot of writers do, and I just hope that listeners can really lock into their own feelings when listening and experience them without restriction. Let themselves feel it for minutes, get lost in their emotions, feel that connection and [understand] that everyone has similar feelings, they just manifest in different ways. 

Stream/purchase “papercuts” and stay up to date with more exciting music and performances from Sebastian Haysman at the links below !

@sebastianhaysman - Spotify - TikTok

ALL IMAGES TAKEN BY Jodi Webb (@glimmerphotography)