Hedley on tour and rockin’ for a cause
Hedley takes a role in fight against cancer
Jacob Hoggard, the frenetic frontman of Canadian pop-rockers Hedley, likes to start his day in the morning sunshine with a coffee and a piece of his grandmother’s biscotti.
That was the setting described during a recent phone interview from Hoggard’s East Vancouver home, but it’s also a morning ritual he brings wherever he goes.
“Even when I’m on the road, I try to start the day exactly the same,” said the 31-year-old entertainer. “I bring a coffee maker with me that I use every single morning to make my coffee, and my grandma, who’s Italian, baked me a lifetime supply of biscotti. Every morning I can make my own coffee and have a little Grandma cookie so that it literally tastes like every other day.”
It’s one way to stay grounded on what is likely to be a hectic journey for the band. The world tour to push their latest album, Hello, kicks off April 7 with a coast-tocoast swing through Canada before moving on to Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia. Along with their invigorating live show, Hedley’s multiplatinum-selling albums and a string of Top 10 hits have made them one of the most successful bands to come out of Canada in the last decade.
On their sixth studio effort, already another chart-topper, the music is even more pop than rock, a dance-happy romp fuelled by synths that echo the 1980s and radio-friendly songs with a rock swagger. It was co-produced by Hoggard, who has also taken on the role of creative director, in addition to singing, songwriting and performing.
“I think my desire to produce the albums over the last couple of years is similar to my desire to be directing the videos now,” says the flamboyant dynamo. “It’s not something that I decided to start doing on my second day on the job. Having been doing this for over a decade now, I’ve really learned a lot, and I feel at this point in my career, that I really have the confidence and intuition to be in that position.
“Not only do you have the control to make decisions but you also have to assume the responsibility and risk for those decisions, which is quite drastically more heavy and can be a little worrisome. But it’s also a really exciting part of the challenge and that pressure is always where some of the best work is born.”
Despite his thirst for creative control, making a solo album was not an option. Hoggard is adamant that Hedley is the sum of four individuals — himself, guitarist Dave Rosin, bassist Tommy Mac and drummer Chris Crippin.
“For me, Hedley is really, truly the process of living with some of my best friends. We have built a successful brand together, and built a relationship together that is closer than any other relationship that we have with anyone else in any of our lives,” says the singer, who first brushed fame as a contestant on Canadian Idol.
“Hedley really does represent the four of us together and I know that it always will because it’s the four of us on stage every night pouring our hearts out, and it’s been the four of us onstage since the very beginning and we’re all so proud of the fact that we’ve come this far together. At this point, 10 years in, the band has lived a few lifetimes of experiences.”
One of the most unsettling experiences happened five years ago, when bassist Tommy Mac was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, in the second stage of the disease. Hedley was recording the album Storms at the time. Mac underwent treatment and is in good health today, but it was a difficult period.
“It truly caught us by surprise,” Hoggard recalls. “It was such shocking news. It really bonded us as a group and it really brought us by Tommy’s side. We stuck together with him to see it through and at the end of the day, it was such a powerful feeling of accomplishment to to have been able to go through that process with someone. We really discovered that sometimes when you’re trying to support somebody, it’s hard to know how to do it. There’s only so much well wishing you can do.”
To fulfil their desire to do something that would make a difference, Hedley this year teamed up with the Canadian Cancer Society as youth ambassadors, part of an initiative to engage young people. The campaign gives students who organize a Relay for Life fundraising event a chance to win VIP tickets and backstage passes to a Hedley concert or the grand prize, a private Hedley concert at their school.
To Hoggard, the Cancer Society endeavour and the band’s involvement with Free the Children are part of a mission to empower the next generation.
“I always feel weird saying we’re community leaders or somebody with influence,” says Hoggard, “but knowing that we have the potential to affect someone else’s perspective on life, whether it’s negatively or positively, it’s that type of awareness that is really what motivates us to make sure that we’re contributing to our communities in a positive way for things we believe in.
“It’s a way to incentivize youth to come together and motivate them to become active in their communities. Those are important seeds to plant.”
In the meantime, he and his bandmates can’t wait to bring their new songs to fans.
“Touring is our favourite time of the year,” Hoggard says.
“It’s the part of the process we love the most. It really just comes down to the fact that we love getting close to our fans and creating those moments.
“We built a reputation of unpredictability, and that’s what I love most about my band — how exciting it can be. That’s what makes what we do so fun.”