[INTERVIEW] Multi-Talented Creative Tatiana Hazel Talks Latest EP DUALITY

Artist. Producer. Fashion designer. Tatiana Hazel does it all.

One of the best discoveries of the last few years, the multi-faceted creative and rising starlet was born in the United States to Mexican parents and spent summers south of the border. But while she doesn’t write with her heritage at the front of her mind—in fact, she pens her infectious tunes largely in English—she has not forsaken the culture from which she was birthed, slipping bilingual lyrics and a Spanish-language track or two into her evolving catalog. “My roots aren't really something that I consciously think about while I'm creating,” she told Musical Notes Global. “Mexican culture has always been very present in my household growing up, so I don't know what my work would be like if it had been any different. I can only hope to be a product of all the amazing art that I've been exposed to, especially during my time in Mexico growing up.”

Now based in Los Angeles, the Chicago native has been garnering attention from major music platform curators since 2017, winning acclaim by top publications including Rolling Stone and NPR and securing placements on Spotify’s Nuevo Noise playlist, among others, thanks to her wildly alluring and enticing brand of Latin-influenced, R&B-flecked indie pop.

In June, Tatiana released her latest EP DUALITY, the anticipated follow up to her critically acclaimed 2018 EP TOXIC. DUALITY features the irresistible gem “Don’t Care,” on which she took full creative control, writing, recording, producing, mixing, and mastering the track herself. Being a self-taught multi-instrumentalist—seriously, she’s conquered guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, and drums—she played all the keys and synths heard in the song as well. “Sonically, I’ve always been really into new wave and 80’s music in general, so I tried to incorporate some of those sounds into the song in my own way,” she explained. Soaring and hypnotic, the song reverberates through the soul, reminding listeners that everything happens for a reason and that, instead of dwelling on the past, it’s better to move on. "‘Don’t Care’ to me represents closure,” she said. “I wrote it about missing someone and wondering what all the different outcomes of the relationship would have been if things had gone differently, but ultimately deciding that ‘I don’t care if you don’t.’”

Shimmering track after shimmering track, DUALITY takes listeners on an emotional ride through sparkling, spacey, electro-fueled melodies that bring a touch of ‘80s glam to the new decade, while compelling vocals combined with empowering messages elevate the mesmerizing collection to a place where listeners can both dream and re-discover themselves at the same time. “All of the songs are very different from each other, but I think that having more of a role as a producer on this EP, as well as the fact that I write everything myself, ties all of the songs together,” she said. “I produced half of the songs on the EP entirely myself, including ‘Don't Care,’ so I'm excited for people to finally hear how my production has developed since my last EP release.”

During the same month in which she released her sophomore EP, Tatiana was invited to participate as part of the Indie Showcase alongside Nanpa Básico, Marrón, Salt Cathedral, and others at the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC), which was held virtually this year due to the pandemic. There, she was presented with the Discovery award, which was presented in the past to thought-provoking artists such as Carla Morrison, iLe, A. CHAL, Buscabulla, and Jesse Baez.

Stream DUALITY below.