Most known for his kickass covers and theatrical metal approach, Caleb Hyles is going beyond the covers and creating a stellar original debut. Tomorrow, January 14, Caleb will be releasing his debut album, In One Breath, giving fans the first taste of his own creative compositions. Before the holidays I had the pleasure of chatting with Caleb about the upcoming album release, the creativity behind the covers, and more.
Before we dive into your original work, I wanted to touch base on your cover channel. You’ve had quite the long run creating covers, what inspires you the most when choosing what to cover?
The business answer is what's popular. Because when it comes to content creation, a lot of times, and you may have heard this from other creators across different mediums, but the like you're trying for relevancy. So a lot of times you're trying to find ways to appeal in the here and now and find what is popular. What is going to get people's attention doesn't necessarily have to be what's exactly popular, like, trending. But it can be something that's nostalgically popular. So you know, it could be a song from Queen or a song from Skillet. And that can really work, or a song from an old Disney classic. So that's usually what inspires the decisions and really leads the way in decision-making. But it's nice when I happen to like the song or like the property that the song comes from. But that's more incidental than intentional. So yeah, just usually go on with what's trending or what could be nostalgically popular.
Awesome. So creatively speaking, how do you normally go about creating cover material?
When it comes to covers, it's usually a combination of how I vocally am going to interpret it. Half the time I'm deciding whether or not I'm going to do the cover as a point-for-point recreation of it or if I'm going to reimagine the song entirely. Am I going to sing it really different or am I going to have the instrumentalist I'm working with craft it in a brand new genre? That happens a lot with Disney classics that have been around for, you know, years and years and years. So you'll approach “I Just Can't Wait To Be King” a little bit differently. Like next year, I have a version of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” coming out, and it's more like a salsa, samba kind of style. So depending on the song and how long it's been around, or, rather, maybe what that audience is looking for determines if we go for something that is more directly, just a straight cover. It's what I like to call a straight cover of a song or a reimagined version of a song.
Sort of on the track of Disney, I've noticed you have done quite a few musical theater tracks. Were you a theater kid growing up? And if so, how did it help with the creation and continuation of your cover channel?
I wasn't a theater kid in the sense that I did theater and went to a bunch of musicals and stage plays, but my parents loved musicals. Both of my parents were in musicals and did a lot of that in college. My dad's a singer/songwriter and my mom's a vocalist, but I did do stage things. You know, I did some local stuff at my church. I was in a few plays in a community theater. I did go and see several musicals around the nation when just traveling. But a lot of the theater love was developed just from CDs that my dad had or cassettes or VHS tapes of performances, and then as time moved on, you know, the Internet came up. You'd be watching performances online and now listening to Spotify soundtracks. So theater had just been developed over a span of a lifetime, but I wasn't a theater kid through and through. It's certainly influenced how I sing. I've often been called ‘the metal musical voice’ because the intersection of my voice is somewhere between Metallica, Slipknot, and frigging Phantom of the Opera. That’s where my musical vocal influences intersect. So it's sort of crafted a unique voice presentation, but then again, I'm influenced by a lot of artists, and I kind of feel like I sound a little bit like them anyway. Theatricality is not new to metal music or rock music. I think I just lean into the theatricality a bit more so people notice it more easily.
For sure! Personally, when I go see like a show live I usually enjoy myself more when there's a strong theatrical kind of presence to it. Ice Nine kills is kind of famously known for their theatrical presence and they're definitely killing the game with it. You feel absorbing to like, what's the you're living in the moment you're like, in the song itself.
Oh, sure! I wouldn't say theatricality is for everyone, but I love it, and it speaks to me. So the more you can lean into the passion of it, the better. You can pretty easily tell when someone's manufacturing theatricality or passion. But if you mean it, and you sell it, and you're into it, it's very captivating.
Definitely! So, I actually wanted to talk a little bit about one of your more popular covers. About, say four years back, the band, Set It Off actually featured your cover of their song Wolf in Sheep's Clothing” on their YouTube channel as one of their weekly videos. How did first come across that video and what was your initial reaction to finding out that you were being featured by the artist you covered?
I think I was tagged on Twitter about it. Actually might have been a Facebook post because several of my family members caught wind of it, because they like similar music that I do, and Set It Off is one of those theatrical metal bands or metal rock-ish bands. And it was super cool. It was neat that someone was willing to send that to them and let them know about it. But then again, it's funny because their reaction was like, “Oh my gosh, this has like a ton of views!” And yeah, I had no idea when I decided to cover “Wolf in Sheep's Clothing from Set It Off that it would be like the third or fourth most well-performing video on my channel to this day– and still maxes out my top 10 videos every month analytically for the past seven years. So it's, I mean, Set It Off crafted an incredible song and it's been applied to so many different video game and animation properties throughout the years. It's just a great revenge karma song and there's a lot of characters and stories that fit with the motif of “Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.” So the cover I think really captures that spirit and because we turned it into a duet, then I think people really can apply their own characters of the properties they're on. So yeah, I was stoked for it. I'm glad they liked it
I’m going to be honest here. I happen to be that person who linked your video when they asked for covers.
I appreciate it! Thanks for the shout-out. Like I mean, that's part of the only reason, you know, especially in a career like YouTube, the reason we have a career is that people deem it so. We can craft the best music we want to and we [can] think it's amazing, but if the general audience we're aiming towards doesn't think it is, then we have nothing. And then frankly, even if the audience likes it, if they don't feel implored, you know, to take their time to share it with like-minded people, then, yeah, we don't have anything. I mean, now we're moving towards an algorithm that kind of makes decisions for us, so there isn't a ton of active share. I mean, it's not that there isn't a ton of active sharing going on, but there's an algorithm now that's more intelligent and can make sharing decisions for you. Truthfully, there would not be a career without actions like what you did, and many others across our careers have done, which has put us in front of people. So yeah, thanks for doing that because that's an audience that may not have heard of us. We definitely made a splash with that video and I'd like to think what we did was expose a ton of people to Set It Off as well.
So you've collaborated with a bunch of different cover artists in the past, most notoriously with Jonathan Young. What goes on behind the scenes when creating collaborative covers? And how does it differ from creating on your own?
It's interesting because when you're on your own you're the author of all decisions whenever you're doing anything in the song, but when it's collaborative, you have to kind of pass everything by the other person. But the good news is, even though that process is true for collaborative work when you know the person well enough, you get along with them well enough, and you have similar interests and similar ideas and ways about going about your covers or whatever material you're making then the decision making process is very streamlined and almost feels like you're the only person working on your own thing. So behind the scenes, it's actually about the same as when I'm on my own. Because, at least with Jonathan and I, and frankly with many of the people I've collaborated with, there's little friction in decision making. One, because [in] our own solo material, the vertical is not very far between his works, Jonathan's, and mine. Metal music, reimagined Disney covers, reimagined cartoons fan works, classic nostalgic songs, current top 40, anime covers– like all reimagined. We both have pretty theatrical voices so everything lines up to where we're in a position to have our collaborative plot process be streamlined, and be frictionless. It's not just with Jonathan, I say everything I said with other artists too. Any video game musicians or guitarists or instrumentalists, whatever they might be. There's something about just instincts that you trust. Behind the scenes, I've just had to do so little, because instinctually they know what I'm looking for and I brought them on because what I'm looking for is what I know they predominantly produce. So it's very simple. And I would argue actually, it alleviates a lot of the burden on me [rather than] when I'm working alone because the process is faster. A lot of times they'll think of stuff that I don't think of, you know, that the end product is made better whenever you bring someone on who has a different perspective than you do. So, yeah, it's better is what I would say. It's done well enough. And it seems like the majority like it, so I'll listen to the majority on this one.
How is the transition from creating solid covers to creating original music as well?
When it comes to creating space at my solo work, a thing that I have noticed is it's actually arguably even more collaborative than the covers. And it's almost like it has to be a necessity because I'm not much of an instrumentalist. I think I have some instincts when it comes to crafting a vision for what I'm trying to say through lyrics and music, but in terms of fleshing that out into the fullness of a song with layers and depth, I have to rely on those who know more than I do. And that's actually been really rewarding because they can see a lot of your vision in ways and colors that you didn't before because of the knowledge they have and the expertise they have within the instrument or the software that they're using. So transitioning to a solo artist and not fully transitioning, like I'm still obviously going to be releasing my covers; and that's a huge part of my career. But transitioning to creating solo work as well is leaning even more into the collaborative process than I ever have [before]. And it's really neat, because now I have a complete product and a complete album that I get excited looking at the credits of the album, and I get to be proud of what I've made. I hope that they're proud of it too. And they can take ownership of the album as well because it isn't what it is without them.
That's amazing. What are you most excited about when it comes to debuting your originals?
Right now actually, what I’m most excited about is actually whatt I’m maybe most, like nervous about, you know, cuz, you know, you've only sat with your songs yourself and your lonesome for you know, however long I've been working on this album, which now is I think about three years almost and I've only ever shown it to friends and family. And they can say the nicest things and give me all the details and but there's always going to be this little tickle in the back of your mind. It's like, “Yeah, well, you like you guys like me. So that's already a slightly bias whether you want to be or not.” So there's a nervousness, of course, how people are going to like it because obviously, when you write personal material, no matter if it's music, or a book or a piece of art, anything creative, it's an extension of yourself. So you're putting you're putting yourself into the world in a way that is really vulnerable. There's a level of nervousness to it. And anxiety to putting out in front of people, but I'm anxious to hear how people feel about it because I and maybe it was a defense mechanism. But the album itself is 12 songs and there are a lot of different genres within it. It explores some of my favorite types of music. So it's a restless album and I'd like to think that not everything on the album might be to your tastes, but there's going to be at least one or two things I think that you could gravitate towards and and find something that you can listen to for a lifetime. So I'm excited to get it out and have it off my chest and just sort of take that plunge into into being a songwriter and a solo musician. And then I'm already working on new stuff, and I think a lot of musicians and writers would say that you move on from your current piece even before your current piece has actually been released. And mentally that's where I'm at. I'm very much excited for the next chapter. And excited to keep this keep the ball rolling in this path of my career that is hasn't even frankly begun until the album comes out.
I honestly love that feeling, and when you’re excited about something it really shows through your work.
Yeah, I certainly hope so, and I agree.
I know it's kind of difficult right now, especially with how things are going, but do you have any plans within the future to perform any songs on your album live?
I would love nothing more than do a tour of some kind. I grew up in my later teen years doing very local small four to five show tours across the southeast with a metal band. I was in two metal bands, and I loved it. There's a camaraderie and magic is the only real word I can think of when it comes to performing live music. And then it's something I take great joy in doing. But it's also something I take great joy in and being a part of, like going to shows and being at the front of the frickin barricade. You know, like that's really really enjoyable for me. And there's so many bands, I already got, like five tickets for 2022. So hoping none of those get postponed or canceled. But it's something I love to do, and to be able to give that to people, meet like minded people and hear people enjoy my work. You know, it's a bit of a selfish ego trip. But like, I would love that validation and I would love to be able to perform my songs, you know, so 100% I want to it's just a matter of timing and then money. And also how well the album does. So we'll see.
If given the chance, which song are you most excited about performing live?
I'd be happy to perform “Wasting Time”, which is I think track seven or eight. Mainly because it's the most high energy song on the album. It's the stuff I grew up listening to and still listen to this day. I perform songs similar to it on stage. I'm familiar with that vibe and I think it'll get people moving. It's one of those you can sort of call and response to if you know the words, so “Wasting Time” is going to be a fun one to to mosh around to,mind you moshing in a punk rock sense not moshing like a death wall sense. I was death walling to punk rock.
Do you think wasting time would double as a fan favorite? Or do you have another track in mind
I think it could double as a fan favorite, mainly because I placed it on the album in between a bunch of experimental tracks meant to be kind of like an anchor to something familiar, because it's sandwiched between an experimental like musical Celtic marching track and then a more dirge like soliloquy. So in between both of those it’s like, “And this is your pop punk song!” So it could become a fan favorite if you listen through the album because it feels like a bit of a respite. But I think there's more songs that are centered on certain people in certain situations and circumstances and I think people are going to gravitate more to songs like “Goodbye Monday”, or “Leave a Light on for Me” because they are about specific people and circumstances, and people love that kind of relatable story– and I do too. That's why I wrote those songs, rather than sort of concepts, ideas, and musings which “Wasting Time” is one of those. It's just a fun pop punk track disguised as philosophical musings. So that's what that one is. I don't know what we'll see about that one, though.
Being a cover artist yourself, which bands or artists would you hope covers one of your originals off In One Breath? Which would you hope they’d choose and why?
I never even thought about anyone covering my music. I'm just gonna name my favorite bands, like I'd love Motion City Soundtrack to sing a lot of my songs. That'd be cool to get. There's a wonderful singer songwriter named Julia Nunes, and I love her. I followed her on her beginning career on YouTube. It'd be great if she covered one of these. Jonathan, my buddy Jonathan. If he wants to cover one of my songs, like, go right ahead. He's on the album. But like if he wants to cover one of them, you know he can probably handle that. The pop punk song it'd be cool if All Time Low, you know, tackled it, because it was borderline inspired by them. Um, so yeah, those are just a couple that I think I'd love to cover. Blue October because they're this really cool alternative industrial pop rock band. I would love for them to tackle some of the more atmospheric tracks I have. Now I'm thinking about it. I'm like, heck, I need to make a list. That'd be dope.
Here’s a bit of a fun one! If you had a Joker origin story, what would it be and why?
Oh, here we go. This will set up my Joker origin story. If Jonathan Young gets like criticized heavily for something that is really stupid. Yeah, that would set me off. Like he starts getting dragged through the mud because he made some like tiny mistake. Realistically, I can be overly defensive of people I love, like maybe a little too much. Like, throw myself in front of a bus kind of thing. So yeah, that'd be my Joker origin story.
If YouTube deletes his second channel again for impersonating himself. That’s the first thing that popped in mind.
If it deleted his main channel, that's when I would start getting on a crusade. You would see me every day, it'd be bad.
If someone deleted all his covers that would be devastating.
Oh, yeah, I would not be okay with that.
One last question. Is there anything else you would like to say or anything else you'd like to get off your chest? Basically, the floor is yours.
I hope people listen to the album when it comes out. I'm very, very proud of it. I'm equally as proud of all the people who worked on it and took the time out of their lives to put their indelible stamp on it and I hope people give it a chance. If you don't like it, please don't leave or give up on my original work. I'm working on a whole bunch of new stuff even as we speak. And there's going to be lots of cool things coming your way. So if there's anything you've learned from my channel, it's variety, and expect that in this next chapter of my career it has variety as well. So just stick around because a lot of really, really great and different things are happening.
If there is anything Caleb is strongest at, it’s his ability to add variety and a diverse genre range within one cohesive album. From start to finish, In One Breath will be an out of body listening experience that even die hard fans of his cover channel are not prepared for. You can listen to this goosebumps inducing album tomorrow, January 14, and for a special sneak peek, here is the lyric video for one remarkably relatable ballad, “Sometimes You Just Forget Things.”
[PHOTOSENSITIVITY WARNING]
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