Hayley Jensen

Hayley Jensen is an acclaimed and accomplished singer-songwriter-producer based in Sydney, Australia. Hayley's first taste of fame came after placing 4th in the 2nd series of Australian Idol (2004) however, as many who followed her journey would recall, this outstanding achievement didn't come on a silver platter... After being turned back from her first audition in her hometown of Canberra, she travelled to Sydney to try again, this time around she wowed the judges to earn a place in the Top 24 where she performed Sarah McLachlan's 'Angel' and was subsequently voted through to the Top 12 by the Australian public. Week after week Hayley fought for her place in the competition, often in the bottom 3, but Hayley held her ground until the final 4. "I've always known that singing, making music and entertaining is all I ever wanted to do with my life. As far back as I can remember I was always singing, whistling and making up tunes and songs. I studied piano and singing growing up, and stared in musicals during high school before earning a scholarship to study Jazz at the Australian National University. Around this time I joined an acoustic trio and we performed at local events around my home town of Canberra, and even had the opportunity to sing the National anthem at sporting events. I dreamed that one day I would be the superstar in the Music Video shows and got up early every weekend to watch them and dream, but I had no idea what I needed to do to get there! How on earth could I take my burning passion to be a singing success to the next level? That was until I came across a little show called Idol... I can't explain it, but it ignited a blazing fire within me and I just knew that it was going to be a major stepping stone in my journey..." Since Idol, she has worked tirelessly to forge a successful career in the music industry and in 2005/06, was invited by the Australian Defence Force to entertain coalition forces in the Middle East as part of Tour de Force, along with iconic Australian entertainers, Angry Anderson, Little Patty, Bessie Bardot & Beccy Cole. "I must admit... at first I was reluctant to be a part of the Tour - to begin with, it was right in the heat of the war! And there were certainly a few times when it was terrifying being there, not to mention the awful devastation and impact on communities that war and conflict bring with it.... But I have to say, it was honestly one of the most incredible and rewarding experiences of my life. It was over the Christmas/NY period, and to truly realise the special role the music and entertainment play in times of extreme distress and loss was an insight I am forever grateful for. Some of the troops had been there for a year or more, many were injured, and all were away from family and loved ones... It was great to be able to bring entertainment and an element of distraction, if only for an hour or two, from the reality away from the stage. And it was so lovely to see and hear their reactions and responses to my own songs." Hayley has worked with some of the top producers in the country, and in 2006, formed her own independent record label 'White Dove Music' to release her debut EP 'Alive' which hit #2 in Australian Independent Records (AIR) charts & #20 on the Australian ARIA Singles charts. Follow up singles 'Stronger' & 'Waste Away' both experienced successful national radio campaigns and the music videos were broadcast nationally on 'Video Hits' and 'Rage' music TV shows. Hayley was also a finalist in the New Artist 2 Radio (NA2R) Competition run by Commercial radio Australia. 'Note to Self', Hayley's debut album, was produced by ARIA Nominated producer Matt Fell at Love Hz Studios, mastered by Rick O'Neil at Turtlerock (Madonna, Kylie Minogue) and released in 2007 through MGM Distribution. Hayley has performed at hundreds of intimate as well as large scale, high profile and corporate events both nationally and Internationally, including shows at all major entertainment centres around the country, for the Prime Minister on a number of occasions, and for the President of Indonesia. Social justice and welfare lie close to Hayley's heart, and in 2008 she was invited by the Australian High Commission to participate in a community building project in the Solomon Islands, 'Solo Idol', conducting vocal and performance workshops for musically talented children. In 2010 Hayley joined forces with musicians and fellow songwriters, Sam Young & Peter Wright, to form alternative-rock band, Seasons. In 2011 they worked with award winning producer Lindsay Rimes at SongRimes Studio (Timomatic, Reece Mastin, Stan Walker, Madden Brothers - Benji & Joel) to produce their debut EP 'A Moment of Clarity' released independently later that year. Track 4, a haunting ballad called 'From Dust', was later featured on TV1's promotion for 'Law & Order'. The band performed at a number of large scale festivals both in Australia and New Zealand where they gained a loyal fan base. Whilst songwriting for their debut album, the group decided to take a change of direction stylistically toward a fresh new sound - a hybrid of dance and rock, with influences from DJ's such as Calvin Harris and David Guetta combined with rock guitars. A sound that has been somewhat likened to that of The Killers. Although one thing that remains consistent through it all, are Hayley's unmistakable power-house vocals. Silver Cities debut single, 'Lights' was released in early 2013 and has been broadcast a number of times during the AFL on Channel 7. The stunning music video has also been featured on 'Rage' music video show and continues to have success on YouTube. Silver Cities began writing their album early 2013 and decided once again to work with top pop producer, Lindsay Rimes. The result is a super catchy, high-energy dance/rock sound that makes you want to stop what you're doing and dance! The band were selected as feature artists for the 2013 Australian Independent Music Awards (AIMA) presented Music Oz, and nominated as Finalists in 3 categories, winning one of the categories. Silver Cities debut album, 'Lights', was released in December 2013, along with their follow up single, 'What You Waiting For', receiving high rotation radio air-play on a number of large community radio stations around the Country. In 2014, 10 years after her outstanding run on Australian Idol, Hayley auditioned for The Voice Australia, making an unforgettable return to the small screen. Will.i.am described her rendition of Zoe Badwi's 'Freefallin' as 'flawless'. "I have grown so much as an artist since Idol and really wanted an opportunity to share that with people - to reconnect with fans and friends from that time (remember there was no Facebook then!) and to hopefully make some new fans along the way!" The performance and what was to follow dominated the media for the next week with Joel Maddens impressive 'free-fall' from his spinning coaches chair all over the news and radio. Hayley joined Team Kylie and even had coaching advice from Katy Perry on the next 'Battle Round' performance of 'Roar'. Although not giving up without a fight, Hayley graciously bowed out of the competition at this stage. In 2015 Hayley has performed at a number of corporate events and was a featured artist in the 'Back to Backarach' production along with Casey Donovan, Doug Williams and Darren Mapes. Hayley is currently writing and producing her next indie 'electro pop' solo release. Watch the Space!