A few weeks back, The Record Breakers shared their latest single and video for In My Car right HERE. Today, the Montreal country-popsters share the driving as they navigate their way through the obstacle course of my dumb questions. Buckle up and enjoy the ride:
Introduce yourself: Name, age (feel free to lie), home base and other details you’d like to share — height / weight / identifying marks / astrology sign / your choice.
We’re five great friends from the West Island of Montreal: Hayden (lead vocal, lead guitar), Bella (lead vocal, acoustic guitar), Michael (keyboards, backup vocals), Devan (bass) and Julian (drums). We’re all between 19 to 23 years old and are in either college or university.
What is your musical origin story?
We met while playing in different bands back in the early 2010s and it was ultimately our love for The Beatles that brought us together in 2014 for a Beatles 50th anniversary event in Montreal. As individuals, we were all raised with the older classics playing around the house and an abundance of instruments at our disposal.
What do we need to know about your latest project?
Our latest double single, In My Car / Dans mon char, is our first bilingual release! We were thrilled to release it in both English and French. The song is about the need to escape our busy lives and enjoy some freedom while we can. It’s meant to be blasted on a car ride, windows down!
What truly sets you apart from other artists?
Unlike most modern groups, we have two singer/songwriters in the band; Hayden and Bella. The two are always competing (in a good way) to write the next single which allows for a fresh sound all the time. We also like to combine elements of the past and the present together. ’90s country meets modern country, plus pop and rock influences of the ’80s and 2000s.
What will I learn or how will my life improve by listening to your music?
A lot of our songs will show you that the least expected moments can be the ones with the most meaning. In My Car was written about a road trip which resulted in a speeding ticket and Hayden has even written a song about deflating an air mattress at the end of a summer spent with his family.
Tell us about the first song you wrote and / or the first gig you played and what you got paid.
Bella: I started writing songs at around 9 years old, so it’s quite hard to remember the very first one. However, the first “good” song I wrote was at 13 years old and it was called If I Fall. I entered it in a songwriting competition and it reached the top 10. I was up against 17 year olds so I was quite proud of how far I got.
Band: The first show we played as a group was the Montreal Beatles Day celebration at Oscar Peterson Hall back in 2014. We practised tirelessly for weeks before this performance even though we were only playing 2 songs. Looking back, we’re still really proud of that performance and how we sounded in that sold out hall.
What is the best / worst / strangest / most memorable performance you gave?
Our most memorable show was when we got the once in a lifetime opportunity to open for Bon Jovi in 2018. Yes, Bon Jovi. Still hard for us to believe. It sure felt good to have a whole arena screaming and applauding for us.
What artist or style of music do you love that would surprise people?
Most of us in the band like 2000s pop-punk music from groups such as Green Day, Sum 41, Simple Plan and My Chemical Romance. I’m not sure if this would surprise people, but it is quite different than our sound.
What are your favourite songs / albums / artists right now?
Bella: Taylor Swift. I have been listening to her album Folklore non-stop. Her songwriting skills are unmatched.
Hayden: Brad Paisley. And lately, I’ve been really into Mark Wills’ song When You Think of Me from 2002. Exactly how you’d imagine an early 2000’s pop-country rocker would be like. Chimes included.
Devan: Rush. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of the older John Mayer stuff.
Michael: A band I’ve been listening to a lot these days is an Irish indie band called The Academic.
Julian: Biffy Clyro, A Celebration of Endings.
How about some other favourites: Authors, movies, painters, you name it.
Bella: My favourite author is F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite books and he truly paints an incredible image and lively characters.
Devan: One of my favourite movies is Cars. It is also my favourite movie soundtrack ever. I also absolutely love the Harry Potter series, both the books and the movies.
Who would you be starstruck to meet?
Hayden: That would have to be Sir Paul McCartney. I don’t think I’d be able to get over that…ever.
Bella: I think I would have to agree with Hayden on that one. Although I’d have to include Taylor Swift.
What’s your favourite joke?
I’ve heard that Velcro is a big rip off.
What do you drive and why?
Devan: My family owned a 2006 Volvo V70 for years. Out of all the cars we ever owned, this one had the most trunk space and was great for transporting gear. We traded it in a few weeks ago after 384,000 km and got a 2017 Volkswagen Golf Wagon.
What superpower do you want and how would you use it?
Julian: Probably flying, I’d use it for travel.
Devan: Teleportation. I would also use that for travel.
What skills — useful or useless — do you have outside of music?
Julian: Voice impressions!
Hayden: Photography! I love taking photos of nature.
What do you collect?
Julian: Hockey cards mostly.
Devan: Simpsons DVDs.
What current trend or popular thing do you not understand at all?
TikTok. It’s amazing how big this platform is and I still don’t understand why people are so crazy about it.
Tell us about your current and/or former pets.
Hayden: I have the strangest pets. I have four hermit crabs, and for those unfamiliar, they’re land crabs that live in shells and can live up to 30 years. I love them, they each have their own personalities and have been a part of my life for over a decade. I even occasionally take them for walks.
Devan: My family has only ever had one pet and it was this crazy cat named Balto. He attacked guests and forced many housesitters to quit.
Julian: I’ve had two cats which I loved/love all respectively. Archie is now our third cat living with Bella and I (We’re brother and sister).
Michael: From the ages 9-17 I had a pet rabbit named Barney. He used to be able to sit on my lap for whole movies without budging.
If you could have any other job besides music, what would it be and why?
Julian: I’m currently studying in Digital Design. If I ever stopped playing music, I would go in that direction.
What’s the best advice and/or worst advice you were ever given?
Stop making excuses. Live free or die hard.
Watch In My Car and other tracks above, check out more of The Record Breakers below, and keep in touch via their website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
