With their Southern Charm meets West Coast breeze sound, Holiday State has made their mark on the music scene. Brothers Brandon, Brett, and Bryan blend Country/Pop/Rock/and R&B with their family’s musical heritage to create songs with an uplifting, positive vibe, and their latest single “Not Today” is no different.
We recently caught up with the brothers to talk about their musical journey, the new single and more.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?
HS: We are 3 brothers from Orange County, CA who make Country/Pop music. Our dad is Hawaiian and Portuguese and our mom is Danish, Irish, and Mexican. We split most of our time between California, Idaho, and Nashville. We have released 5 singles since 2018 and have performed all throughout the country.
CN: Being brothers, you grew up in a very musical family. Can you share that with us?
HS: We grew up around a lot of music. Our parents always played music around the house and we started dancing at an early age. Our dad was a great dancer, really into R&B, Funk, and Disco and our mom was into Country and Pop. Some of the artists that we listened to often were The Jackson 5, The Gap Band, Lionel Ritchie, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers and Luther Vandross to name a few. Obviously, our parents had a very eclectic taste in music and it influenced us quite a bit. We were also introduced to island music at a young age when we attended family gatherings. Our grandma and her 6 sisters were all professional hula dancers on Oahu and many of our aunts, uncles and cousins sing and play instruments.
CN: When did each of you come to the realization that you wanted to pursue music as a career? Was it something always known because of your father, grandmother and her sisters or did you have other passions prior to music?
HS: It was probably around our late teen years when we really envisioned a career in music. We had other passions, we loved sports and as kids. That’s definitely what we wanted to do as a career. Our dad played baseball in the minor leagues so we always wanted to follow in his footsteps. Film production and acting are something we loved to do as well. Writing short movies and shooting them around town kept us really busy. But, music was something that was always there and ultimately became our main passion. We lost interest in other things but music always remained and was always in our blood. We loved performing from a young age and our family definitely had a huge influence on us.
CN: How important is it to stay connected and incorporate your Hawaiian ancestry into your music?
HS: Our Hawaiian heritage is very important to us and is a big part of our identity. We’re very proud of who we are and our ancestry.
We’ve incorporated it into some of our lyrics, and there are hints of it in the instruments through production. We currently are working on a couple of songs where we have further integrated our Hawaiian culture and it’s a lot more prominent than in previous songs, but it’s something we want to do justice and be proud of. We’re excited for people to hear once we get them just right.
CN: You each enjoy various genres of music and share a strong love for country. What was it about country music that drew you in?
HS: We all agree that country music is special and there’s just so much raw talent, but also the community of it. Between the fans, the artists, there just seems to be a deeper connection and the lines are blurred a bit more.
We also enjoy writing country music so much more than what we wrote in the past. A lot of people who are unfamiliar with country music think it’s all “trucks and beer”, but if you pay attention, the wordplay in country is just crazy – it’s absolutely genius! We also find the songs to be more relatable and as a listener, you don’t feel like an outsider looking in, you feel like the music is for you or about you. The country genre also has some of the best vocalists out there. The live production is another element we really enjoy. We’ve met and have been able to work with some of the most talented musicians.
CN: Which artists have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
HS: There are many artists out there that have influenced us personally and as artists, the most prominent ones that come to mind are Hootie and the Blowfish, Boys 2 Men, Backstreet Boys, Keith Urban, Lady A, Sam Hunt, Rascal Flatts and Florida Georgia Line.
CN: Can you take us through your songwriting process?
HS: The songwriting process for us is pretty non-traditional, but it works for us and it keeps things interesting, that’s for sure. We almost always have a concept in mind and roll with it, but other times it takes on a whole life of its own and becomes a completely different song.
We usually start off with a rough instrumental or acoustic guitar. We record throughout the writing process and initially, we’ll record multiple takes of what we call “gibberish”, which is basically like free-styling random words and phrases, that usually make no sense (it’s pretty comical). From there, one of the melodies or a variation of them will really start to stick with us or lyrics will start to come to mind that fit into some of the prominent spaces. Once we have the bones, it’s either like putting together a puzzle in regards to fitting lyrics to the melodies, or other times, the song seems to write itself. Then it’s time to get in the studio and bring it all to life.
CN: Did you find yourselves writing more during the pandemic?
HS: We absolutely found ourselves writing more during the pandemic since there wasn’t much else to do. At times it was difficult to write with quarantine and the pandemic, in general, took a mental toll on all of us, but we knew when to walk away and take a break.
We finished quite a few songs during that time, and there are some others that we have been circling back to. It’s been cool to listen back with a fresh set of ears and complete what we started, but now with a fresher mindset. “Not Today” was one of the songs written during the pandemic, and we’re stoked for everyone to hear it. As far as some of the other songs, we’re looking to release a couple more this year, and into the beginning of 2022.
CN: Your new single “Not Today” is set to release on August 13th. What can fans expect?
HS: We love a good “summer song”, and “Not Today” is the epitome of that, but it’s also an enjoy the moment, seize the day type of track.
Every single person has something going on in their lives that they’re dealing with, whether it’s bills, health, relationships, etc. and we really wanted to talk about that. No one has a perfect life – you make your happiness, stress is a mindset and everyone deserves the opportunity to escape from what ails them. So let go for the moment, enjoy the people you’re with, step away from your issues or problems, because you only have one life, so make it a good one.
CN: What was it like to work with producer Tyler Cain?
HS: This is actually the second track we’ve done with Tyler Cain. He is always a pleasure to work with, we love his style and how he approaches a project. Any time we complete a song, we have in mind which producer we’d like to take it to, and as soon as we finished “Not Today”, we were like “This is a Tyler song”, and we couldn’t be happier with what we created with him.
Above all, Tyler is such a welcoming and open person in regards to the creative process, such a solid dude. That’s hard to find in this world nowadays. Not to mention, his studio is amazing. Love the vibes there and we’d move in if we could!
CN: Any plans on a music video?
HS: No plans for a video, but we do have some visuals for this song. We’re putting out a lyric video and some live content of the song as well.
CN: Have you been able to get back out playing live music?
HS: Yes, we’ve played a couple of shows since the world has somewhat opened back up. Our first show back was an acoustic set, writers round at the Nashville Palace on St. Patty’s Day put on by Uncut Experience and the turnout was great. We also recently opened for our boys Seaforth in Omaha at Barnato Lounge. That was a fun one! Those dudes are so talented and funny! We do have some great shows coming up in the next few months so stay tuned for those. Getting back to what we love to do has been so rewarding. We’ve missed live music so much, interacting with the crowd, the energy, the rush, we love it! Those virtual shows just can’t compare.
CN: If you could collaborate with any one artist, who would it be?
HS: At the moment, HARDY! As an artist and writer, whatever he touches turns to gold or should we say platinum.
CN: What was the first concert you ever attended?
HS: Hootie and the Blowfish at the Irvine Amphitheatre in our hometown.
CN: If you could describe yourselves in one word, what would it be and why?
Brandon: Persistent. Nobody ever got anywhere by just giving up so easily. I don’t take no for an answer, I just keep going. And after all, sometimes all it takes is one yes.
Brett: Witty. I take what I do very seriously and I like to have a plan, but sometimes you have to think fast and roll with the punches, especially on stage, but I always try to keep it fun and humorous at the same time while doing what I love.
Bryan: Driven. In this industry, you have to be driven because it’s so easy to fail, give up, or burn out. But you have to remember why you started in the first place. Keep grinding, constantly have your eyes on the prize. And you don’t get there by working slowly or letting things come to you – go out and get it.
CN: What’s next on the horizon for you?
HS: We have a show coming up in Emporia, Kansas in September with Blane Howard, and then we’ll be performing at The Blended Festival in San Diego in October with headliners Nelly, Blanco Brown and The Chainsmokers. We’re super excited about that! And in November we’re heading back out to Nashville to collaborate on a new record with another country artist and play a couple of shows. Then we’re going to finish out the year strong with maybe a Christmas tune and a New Year’s Eve show. We’ll see.
Stream or Download “Not Today” here.
For more information on Holiday State, visit their website at www.holidaystate.com and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.