Hayden

Paul Hayden Desser (born February 12, 1971), who records as Hayden, is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Thornhill, Ontario.

His early works are a largely eclectic mix of genres from grunge to alternative country, as demonstrated by his first full album, Everything I Long For, released in 1995.

Early life and education Hayden performing at the Cedar Culture Center in Minneapolis, October 2004. Wayne Petti of Cuff the Duke is in the background. Desser's father is Sherwin Desser, a retired University of Toronto professor of parasitology and current visual artist. Desser received a B.A.A. in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in 1993.

Career Hayden entered his song "Take" in for CFNY-FM's annual New Music Search competition in 1993. Hayden played guitar on the track and enlisted two friends (Lorraine Ursomarzo and Noah Mintz of hHead) to sing vocals. Hayden continued to recruit vocalists until 1995 when he began to showcase his grainy baritone. "Take" has never been officially released on any of Hayden's albums.

Hayden released an independent cassette, In September, in 1994, Released on his own Hardwood Records with distribution by Sonic Unyon, the album was a commercial success. Outpost rereleased the album in the US the following year. Also in 1996, Hayden performed both nights of Neil Young's annual Bridge School Concert, and contributed the title track to the soundtrack for Steve Buscemi's film Trees Lounge.

For his second album, 1998's The Closer I Get, Hayden worked with several big name record producers, including Steve Fisk, John Hanlon and Scott Litt. He toured North America with a full band, including Josh Malinsky and Mitch Roth of Poledo and Damon Richardson of Change of Heart, to support that album.

In 2004, Hayden released his follow up album, Elk Lake Serenade, and toured North America with Oshawa's Cuff the Duke acting as his back-up band. He subsequently released In Field & Town in 2008, and The Place Where We Lived in 2009.

In 2010, he produced the debut album of singer-songwriter Lou Canon, his sister-in-law. It was his first time producing material for another artist. and would play five shows in Europe as a warm up to his performance at All Tomorrow's Parties Festival, curated by the National. These were Hayden's first live performances since his two-song set at a benefit in Ontario over a year earlier. The album is largely biographical in nature, with tracks like "Almost Everything" noting how family now takes precedence over art in his life, and "Instructions", which details what he wants done with his body when he dies. In June 2013, the album was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.

In February 2023 he released the single "Miss Fort Erie", his first new music since 2015. He followed up at the end of the month with the announcement that his new album Are We Good will be released April 5, 2023, on Arts & Crafts; the announcement was accompanied by the release of the album's second preview track, a duet with Feist titled "On a Beach". Actor Steve Buscemi and musician Matt Berninger of The National appeared in the song's video.

Are We Good received a Juno Award nomination for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024.

Promotion Often described in the press as somewhat reclusive and private, As early as 2002, friends were jokingly referring to his concert dates to support Skyscraper National Park as "the Hayden's Not Dead Tour",

In 2010, an erroneous rumour that he had died was propagated in several online venues, including Wikipedia;

Hardwood records In Canada, almost all of Hayden's albums have been issued by Hardwood Records, a small music label he owns. Hardwood's distribution was handled by Sonic Unyon for Everything I Long For, and by Universal Music Canada thereafter. Hardwood/Universal Music Canada in Canada, Outpost (Geffen) Records in US) Skyscraper National Park (October 16, 2001, Hardwood/Universal Music Canada/Loose Music) Elk-Lake Serenade (2004, Hardwood/Universal Music Canada/Loose Music) In Field & Town (January 15, 2008, Hardwood/Universal Music Canada) The Place Where We Lived (May 26, 2009, Hardwood/Universal Music Canada) Us Alone (February 5, 2013, Arts & Crafts) Hey Love (March 24, 2015, Arts & Crafts) Are We Good (2023, Arts & Crafts)

EPs and singles and others In September (1994, Cassette, Paul Records/Hardwood Records (1994) "Mild and Hazy" (1996, 7", Hardwood/Lunamoth) "Lunar Landing Confirmed" (1996, 7", split with Poledo, Squirtgun Records) Moving Careful (1996, EP, Sonic Unyon/Hardwood) "Carry On Mentality" (1997, 7", Landspeed Records) Live at Convocation Hall (2002, Live album, Hardwood/Universal Music Canada)