Hedley Prepare Their Famous Last Words

12/11/08 1:48pm

by Stephanie Joudrey (CHARTattack)

These pop-punkers ponder their future as they prepare their second album

Ever since Canadian Idol voters decided not to let Jacob Hoggard through to the next round, Canada has been able to watch him and his band Hedley release their platinum-selling debut disc and a whole lot of crazy antics. Hedley are now releasing Famous Last Words, the sophomore album that could make or break them, and the band's hyperactive frontman is terrified.

"This is that time where your second record is coming out and there are so many questions that run through your head," says Hoggard. "Is our fanbase still as strong? Is the label still going to believe in us as much? Is it going to connect with people? How's it going to do on radio and video? If you focus on that, it will kill you. It will eat you up and spit you out. It's so hard not to. If you can take those fears and just let them begin to drive you instead of hold you back, if you go, 'I'm not going to let myself be afraid, but I am going to do everything I can to make this the best project I have worked on.' So at the end of the day, whatever happens, I can be like, 'Wow, I worked my ass off for it and I have nothing to regret.'"

Although Hoggard openly admits to the nerves, he's also confident in how hard Hedley worked to put Famous Last Words together. They hooked up with Greig Nori of Treble Charger fame to create a disc with wide appeal. Hoggard says it took the band (guitarist Dave Rosin, bassist Tommy Mac and drummer Chris Crippin) a long time to finish, but it was worth it.

"This CD sounds like a band having fun. It's either going to hurt us or it's going to help us. Everyone had their own favourite songs because there are so many
different songs on the CD. The most important thing we did is that we didn't restrict ourselves creatively. We didn't say we can't try something like this because we're this kind of a band. Whatever came out, we let it grow and some ideas died halfway through because we lost interest. Some things we were so fired up on that we made it work… It really spans so many different genres and touches on stuff. We aren't trying to be this band or that band, we're just trying to do whatever we can and do what we want. And if it works, it works. There's a song on this CD for everybody. I don't care who you are, you're going to like at least one of the songs. I guarantee it."

While it's still unknown how Canada and the world will embrace Famous Last Words, Hoggard is confident that his hard work will pay off. And if it doesn't, he's OK with that, too.

"I put my heart and my soul into this record with my writing, with the physical time I spent in the studio every single day," he says. "Maybe I played a little Xbox as well, but I am so A.D.D. that I can sit down for 20 minutes to work my ass off, get up, drink some milk, play some video games, look at the sun for eight minutes and then sit back down again and work. I really put my heart and my soul into this record. There is blood and sweat and tears in this record. My best work so far is on this CD. I don't care if 17 people buy this record. If 17 people get my best work then I will be happy somebody heard it."

How's that for famous last words?

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Last Words

Hedley haven't had their last words yet, but others have. Like the following:

"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."
—Decca Recording Co. rejecting The Beatles

"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?"
—H. M. Warner of Warner Bros. in 1927

"That was a great game of golf, fellers."
—Bing Crosby

"I should never have switched from scotch to martinis."
—Humphrey Bogart

"I've had 18 straight whiskies, I think that's the record."
—Poet Dylan Thomas

"Either that wallpaper goes, or I do."
—Writer Oscar Wilde

This feature article is from the November 2007 issue of Chart Magazine. You can purchase the issue in the Chart Shop.