Haley's in the studio.

[Miguel]

---

Sounds like a hit in the making.

[Miguel]

Found a recent interview with Andre Merritt. He is talking about an album of his that is being independently released. At the 2:40 mark of the video below, he describes his personal sound this way:

It has a pop influence. I love pop music, if it's done right. I would say that I have a little bit more soul. It's pop, but it has a lot of R&B, a little bit of rock into it. So it's a little harder, a little bit more edge. The content of what I am talking about is not so pop.

It seems like his style would fit in with what Haley has said she would like her first album to sound like. At the 6:45 mark he says he has "A couple of collabs in the works...that I don't want to speak of, because that's how you jinx them."

---

Snippet of an Andre Merritt rap lyric:

you makin songs for the clubs while n-ggas drinking,
i make em for the ride home when n-ggas thinking,
one minute you here, next minute sh-t is tragic,
and it's a Jim Jonsin track, now fill this stack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8fEEp7Z8tU

I liked that tune. I doubt Haley will have a rap song on her album, but she has expressed a desire to have some tunes that are about something more meaningful than romance and heartbreak. I'm hoping for some of that, and a couple of tunes with a bit of storyline.

[john]

It looks likes some of the pieces of the puzzle are coming together for Haley. "Pure sexiness" - sounds very Haley. It seems that music writers and producers like to throw out these bones now and then. I have great confidence in Haley -- I hope she feels the same way about the songs being referenced as they do.

[Miguel]

I take the tweets that comment positively on a particular song as a good sign. They're from people who work with others on a daily basis. They could tweet nearly every day about a project they're working on, but they don't. When you consider that some professionals might want to distance themselves from American Idol, I think it's an even stronger sign things are going well.

So far as I know, we didn't really hear from the people working in the studio with Scotty, Lauren and James. Or even Pia, who is still in the studio. We heard tweets from them, but not the people they were working with.

[My Alter Ego]

I take the tweets that comment positively on a particular song as a good sign. They're from people who work with others on a daily basis. They could tweet nearly every day about a project they're working on, but they don't. When you consider that some professionals might want to distance themselves from American Idol, I think it's an even stronger sign things are going well.

So far as I know, we didn't really hear from the people working in the studio with Scotty, Lauren and James. Or even Pia, who is still in the studio. We heard tweets from them, but not the people they were working with.

Miguel, that is a VERY interesting observation!

[john]

I take the tweets that comment positively on a particular song as a good sign. They're from people who work with others on a daily basis. They could tweet nearly every day about a project they're working on, but they don't. When you consider that some professionals might want to distance themselves from American Idol, I think it's an even stronger sign things are going well.

And speaking of Jim Jonsin I do recall his AI comment that "she's a badass" as she prepared for RITD. And he tweeted, too. With good material to work with Haley definitely = badass.
_______________

Recalling Nigel's tweet last spring:
"Jimmy played me a song for Haley’s record yesterday. Let’s hope all the people that are professing love buy it and give her a great start." (Lots of love there.)

Haley got bumped from singing the song by U2, but when asked about it she expressed ambivalence and the que sera sentiment. So, did she walk away from that song?

[John Brown]

So, did she walk away from that song?

I saw in an interview a while back when somebody asked her the same thing and where she said it may or may not be included in this album she is working on.

[Miguel]

Found another person working with Haley:

Rune Westberg, "Danish born songwriter/producer living and working in Los Angeles."

Under "work in progress" on his website he stated on 11/11/11:

Working with Haley and MoZella on Haley’s forthcoming album. Super cool soulful pop. Haley was on Idol 2011, she’s signed to Interscope.

He's also worked with Adam Lambert and Daugherty, among others.

http://runewestberg.com/

[Miguel]

[Miguel]

Rob Kleiner says Haley is even more "awesome-er" than she was on the show. If he is talking about her vocals, we had a hint of that:

Brian Mansfield of USA Today on 5/13/11:

...nobody from this season is making better recordings on a week-to-week basis. Even numbers like Michael Jackson's Earth Song...that don't quite work on the show take on new life in their studio version.

If you haven't listened to the 5-minute long studio version of ES, you should: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPgNpXrbHuA

---

In response to Rob saying he was working on a "sick mix" for Haley and Mozella, the latter tweeted:



What might the news be? Could it be this will be the first single Haley releases?