Hayden Dunham
{{short description|American performance artist (born 1988)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Hayden Dunham
| image = Hey QT 1.jpg
| caption = Dunham performing as QT in March 2015
| genre = {{hlist|Electronic|pop|dance-pop|art pop}}
| years_active = 2014–present
| label = {{hlist|PC Music|XL}}
| associated_acts = {{hlist|A. G. Cook|Sophie|Caroline Polachek}}
| website =
| origin = New York, U.S.
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1988|06|16}}
| birth_place = Austin, Texas
| occupation = {{hlist|Performance artist|designer|singer|songwriter|DJ}}
| alias = {{hlist|QT|Hyd}}
}}
Hayden Frances Dunham (born June 16, 1988) is a performance artist, designer, singer, songwriter and DJ. They{{cite web | url=https://purple.fr/magazine/the-future-issue-37-s-s-2022/hyd/ | title=Hyd - purple MAGAZINE }} grew up in Austin, Texas and attended the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU.{{cite web|last=Sullivan|first=Tavaner|date=2011-11-08|title=Austin native turns heads in NYC, Paris and London with unique necklace designs symbolic of her Southern roots|url=http://austin.culturemap.com/news/fashion/11-08-11-18-41-austin-native-turns-heads-in-nyc-paris-london-with-unique-necklace-designs-symbolic-of-her-southern-roots/|access-date=2015-03-27|publisher=CultureMap Austin}}
They are best known for their work as QT (an initialism for Quinn Thomas) a music project founded in 2014, in collaboration with English producer A. G. Cook, and Scottish producer Sophie.{{cite web |url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/22877/1/is-qt-the-musical-s1m0ne |title=Is QT the musical S1m0ne? |last=Taylor |first=Trey |date=2014-12-16 |website=Dazed & Confused |access-date=2015-01-19}}{{cite web |url=https://www.spin.com/2015/03/hey-qt-music-video-pc-music/ |title=The 'Hey QT' Video Is the Strangest, Bubbliest Thing You'll See All Year |last=Carley |first=Brennan |date=2015-03-25 |website=Spin |access-date=2015-03-25}} QT is a pop singer, portrayed by Dunham and sung by Harriet Pittard,{{Cite web|last=|date=2020-09-23|title=A. G. Cook AMA|url=http://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/iygl1d/hey_its_a_g_cook_and_im_ready_for_you_to_ama/g6d176k/|access-date=2021-09-08|website=r/popheads}} who promotes and is the living embodiment of the semi-fictitious DrinkQT energy drink. They released the single "Hey QT" in 2014.
Dunham began operating under the pseudonym Hyd (/hīd/) in 2020,{{Cite web|title=7G, by A. G. Cook|url=https://agcook.bandcamp.com/album/7g-2|access-date=2021-09-08|website=A. G. Cook}} releasing their debut single "No Shadow" in September 2021. A four-track EP was released November 5.{{Cite web|date=2021-09-09|title=Hayden Dunham, Formerly of PC Music's QT, Shares First Solo Song|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/hayden-dunham-formerly-of-pc-music-qt-shares-first-solo-song-listen/|access-date=2021-09-09|website=Pitchfork|language=en-US}} Hyd's debut album Clearing was released on November 11, 2022, via PC Music.{{Cite web |title=Hyd announces debut album with SOPHIE and EASYFUN-produced single "So Clear" |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/hyd-announces-debut-album-with-sophie-and-easyfun-produced-single-so-clear |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=The Line of Best Fit |language=en-US}}
Career
= 2014–2016: QT =
File:QT Energy Elixir Package 2.jpg
Before the QT project, Dunham had done work as a designer and artist.{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/new-dust-hair-leather/ |title=New Dust Is Full of Hair and Leather |last=Armstrong |first=Liz |date=2011-09-27 |website=Vice |access-date=2015-01-19}}{{cite journal |last=Schwendener |first=Martha |date=2014-04-18 |title=Hayden Dunham and Meriem Bennani: 'Paste' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/18/arts/design/hayden-dunham-and-meriem-bennani-paste.html |journal=New York Times |page=C27 |access-date=2015-01-19}} They met Scottish producer Sophie after the two had seen each other at various events. They found Cook, head of the PC Music record label, through his work online. Dunham originally wanted to do a song as a way to market a QT energy drink, and asked the producers to repeat the name regularly.{{cite web |url=http://www.factmag.com/2014/09/09/hey-qt-an-interview-with-2014s-most-love-her-or-hate-her-pop-star/ |title=Hey QT! An interview with 2014's most love-her-or-hate-her pop star |last=Lea |first=Tom |date=2014-09-09 |website=Fact |access-date=2015-01-19}}
QT is, in effect, a virtual character. The concept drew comparisons to the 2002 science fiction film S1M0NE and the virtual Japanese pop star Hatsune Miku.{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/pc-music-are-they-really-the-worst-thing-to-ever-happen-to-dance-music-clive-martin-017/ |title=PC Music: Are They Really the Worst Thing Ever to Happen to Dance Music? |last=Martin |first=Clive | date=2014-09-12 |website=Vice |access-date=2015-01-19 }}{{cite interview |last=Frank |first=Alex |interviewer=Erick Ducker |title=A Rational Conversation: Is PC Music Pop Or Is It 'Pop'? |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2014/09/23/350580589/a-rational-conversation-is-pc-music-pop-or-is-it-pop |date=2014-09-23 |publisher=National Public Radio |access-date=2015-01-19}} The project includes DrinkQT, an "energy elixir" with a design by Kim Laughton.{{cite journal |last=Jones |first=Charlie Robin |url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/21588/1/pc-musics-digital-dreams |date=2014-09-11 |title=PC Music's digital dreams |journal=Dazed & Confused |volume=4 |pages=178–183 |access-date=2015-01-19}} The music and drink are intended to be two manifestations of the same product.{{cite web |url=http://www.onepointfour.co/2015/03/26/hey-qt/ |title=Hey QT |date=2015-03-26 |publisher=One Point Four |access-date=2015-03-30}} Both have been described as "fizzy" and "energetic", with Dunham stating that they wanted "to be able to talk about 'Hey QT' and have DrinkQT talk about 'Hey QT' and 'Hey QT' talk about DrinkQT."{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02mrwmt |title=PC Music Interview |last=Stephens |first=Huw |author-link=Huw Stephens |date=2015-03-25 |publisher=BBC Radio 1 |access-date=2015-03-30}} The drink was distributed at performances, and in May 2015 DrinkQT was made available for pre-order.{{cite web |url=http://www.factmag.com/2015/05/12/you-can-finally-purchase-a-can-of-qt-energy-elixir/ |title=You can finally drink QT |date=2015-05-12 |publisher=Fact |access-date=2015-05-12}} Journalist Sasha Geffen described it as tasting "like Red Bull, only a little more tart."{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/714-pc-musics-inverted-consumerism/ |title=PC Music's Inverted Consumerism |last=Geffen |first=Sasha |date=2015-03-30 |publisher=Pitchfork Media |access-date=2015-03-30}} Distributing the drink was a source of friction with the Red Bull Music Academy's sponsorship of a PC Music show.{{cite web |url=http://www.vulture.com/2015/05/enigmatic-pc-music-is-ready-for-real-life.html |title=The Enigmatic PC Music Is Ready for Real Life |last= Zoladz |first=Lindsay |date=2015-05-15 |website=Vulture |access-date=2015-05-18}}
= 2017–2019: Art and musical hiatus =
The QT project would take various forms after 2016, such as an official short film{{Citation|title=Quinn Thomas (Official Short Film) [EN/DE/ES]| date=October 12, 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR0up4256Ok|language=en|access-date=2021-09-08}} and DJ sets,{{Cite web|date=2019-04-24|title=This Party Is Extremely Fake and Gay|url=https://www.papermag.com/fake-gay-liz-2635383228.html?rebelltitem=9#rebelltitem9?rebelltitem=9|access-date=2021-09-08|website=PAPER|language=en}} but lay mostly dormant. Dunham took a musical hiatus and worked on multiple art exhibitions and projects in this time,{{Cite web|title=Where is the solid form? Hayden Dunham talks energy as a means of exchange + enabling infiltration on a tour of a Los Angeles spa {{!}} atractivoquenobello|url=https://www.aqnb.com/2017/11/29/where-is-the-solid-form-hayden-dunham-talks-energy-as-a-means-of-exchange-enabling-infiltration-on-a-tour-of-a-los-angeles-spa/|access-date=2021-09-08|website=www.aqnb.com}}{{Cite web|title=Company Gallery : Burns Blue|url=https://companygallery.us/exhibitions/burns-blue/|access-date=2021-09-08|website=companygallery.us}} notably a performance piece at MoMa titled 7 Sisters in early 2019.{{Cite web|title=Hayden Dunham, 7 Sisters {{!}} MoMA|url=https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/5025|access-date=2021-09-08|website=The Museum of Modern Art|language=en}}
= 2020–present: Hyd =
August 2020 marked a return to music, as Dunham appeared on A. G. Cook's debut album 7G, under the pseudonym Hyd, featuring again on their second album Apple only a month after. Cook teased Hyd solo material throughout the promotion cycles of the two albums.
In September 2021, Hyd's debut single "No Shadow" was released via Cook's PC Music label. It was written after a temporary period of Dunham losing their eyesight in 2017.{{Cite web|date=2021-09-11|title=Hyd Wrote 'No Shadow' When She Temporarily Lost Her Vision|url=https://www.papermag.com/hyd-no-shadow-2654954017.html|access-date=2021-09-22|website=PAPER|language=en}} "Skin 2 Skin", co-produced by Cook, American musician Caroline Polachek, and English producer SOPHIE, was also released as a single.{{Cite web|date=2021-09-23|title=Hyd – "Skin 2 Skin"|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2161664/hyd-skin-2-skin/music/|access-date=2021-10-06|website=Stereogum|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Caroline Polachek Puts the Finishing Touches on Hyd's Mercurial "Skin 2 Skin"|url=https://floodmagazine.com/94160/listen-caroline-polachek-hyd-skin-2-skin/|access-date=2021-10-06|website=Flood|language=en-US}} A 4-track self-titled EP was released on November 5, 2021, and they performed a number of live shows, including one at a PC Music event at Pitchfork Music Festival London.{{Cite web|title=PC Music via Instagram: Love Goes On tonight 💗|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CWIvHEtMqtm/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/CWIvHEtMqtm |archive-date=December 24, 2021 |url-access=registration|url-status=live|access-date=2021-11-12|website=www.instagram.com}}{{cbignore}} Hyd released a cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Into My Arms" in January 2022, produced by Easyfun.
Dunham released the Polachek-produced single "Afar" in July 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-14 |title=Hyd Shares Video for New Caroline Polachek–Produced Song "Afar" |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/hyd-shares-video-for-new-caroline-polachek-produced-song-afar-watch/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}} On September 8, 2022, they released the single "So Clear", featuring posthumous production from Sophie and Easyfun,{{Cite web |date=2022-09-08 |title=Hyd Finds Heartbroken Clarity on 'So Clear' |url=https://www.papermag.com/hyd-clearing-announce-2658165595.html |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=PAPER |language=en}} and announced their debut album Clearing.
Discography
=Studio albums=
=Extended play=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Extended play with selected details ! scope="col"| Title ! scope="col"| Details |
| scope="row"| Hyd
|
|
|---|
=Singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ List of singles ! scope="col"| Title ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Album |
| scope="row"| "Hey QT" {{small|(as QT)}} |2014 |{{non-album single}} |
|---|
| scope="row"| "No Shadow"
|rowspan="3"|2021 |rowspan="3"|Hyd |
| scope="row"| "Skin 2 Skin" |
| scope="row"| "The Look on Your Face" |
| scope="row"| "Into My Arms"
| rowspan="5" |2022 |{{non-album single}} |
| scope="row"| "Afar"
| rowspan="4" |Clearing |
| scope="row"| "So Clear" |
| scope="row"| "Breaking Ground" |
| scope="row"| "Fallen Angel" |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs artist|QT (9)|QT}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunham, Hayden}}
Category:Musical groups established in 2014
Category:XL Recordings artists
Category:American electronic music groups
Category:American pop music groups
Category:British electronic music groups
Category:British pop music groups