Blind I | The Boutique Music Blog | Quality Over Quantity.

PETER HADAR

If you are among the Blind I faithful, you’ve probably become familiar with alternative R&B singer Peter Hadar through the many music drops on our site. Since his 2006 debut, Memories of the Heart, Hadar’s robust vocals and intricate lyrics have remained inviting. Now onto his third major project, Blind I sat down with him to discuss music, lovemaking, and his latest EP, She’s 4 Months.

BLIND I: For those that are new to Peter Hadar, how did you get involved with singing?

PETER HADAR: Well, there was church, but I was actually too strange for the church choir. I was trying to do what I heard since I was always listening to something different, so I was trying to make sexy gospel (laughs). I would play around with it, but I thought there wouldn’t be any financial gain so I didn’t rock with singing until after college when I worked in fashion. After I lost my last fashion job I started doing music.

BLIND I: Who influenced you musically growing up? And who do you draw inspiration from now?

PH: My parents were ministers so I listened to a lot of those cool gospel groups like The Winans. Of course I grew up on Marvin. Now, I’m all about Pharrell because of his movement and impact on the industry, and how he’s sold his brand. I really respect him Kanye, Jay-z Chris Martin, Thom Yorke, Autolux and The Bird and The Bee. I’m a fan of a collage of music that’s different from the norm. It’s something I’m attracted to.

BLIND I: Your last album Well Dressed for the Art Show dropped in 2008. What direction have you moved in artistically since then?

PH: Well people are still catching onto the music I think, because I’m not really in any lane. I can rock in the hipster lane, the soul lane, the R&B lane and I want to keep it that way. I don’t want to be put in the box of oh he’s a soul cat. But you’ll see I’m going to have rock and experimental records because I don’t want to stay in one place.

BLIND I: She’s 4 Months strikes me as a concept EP.

PH: It is absolutely. Well, I did a record with Nicolay on the DJ Jamad mixtape called “Watermelon” and I got such a great reception. The fans loved it. I was just like ‘Yo, we need a baby-making album and I’m gonna do it.’ It’s supposed to be the soundtrack of music lovers for that magic moment, you know? A lot of my music is progressive in the sex theory and I’m just not scared of it if it’s done in the right way and not overt.

BLIND I: Can you break the tracks down in terms of the theme?

PH: “All Mine” is the passionate part of lovemaking. It’s like you’re all mine I am so elated that you’re mine and it’s that part of the night where you’re holding your woman . It’s the beginning where it’s an experience.
“Working” is the part where you want the woman to let you know its right.

“Sweat” is the part where you’re into it, tired or not until the climax. Everybody feels like baby-making music is supposed to be slow all the time, but that’s not true.

Then you have “Naughty Magazine.” This is not a smut record! The picture that I’m trying to depict is your woman after the climax. You’re enjoying her beauty, sweat, makeup dripping, just like you look so amazing right now.

“Watermelon” is like the beginning and the genesis of it happening again. Everyone uses cherries and strawberries. This is like using a fruit that nobody uses.

BLIND I: What are you “giving birth” to on this EP?

PH: Freedom. I went through a lot in these recent months in terms of my career and my music goals. I look at the cats like Pharrell and Kanye that paved their own way in this industry. Sometimes, as artists, we get scared to go out and do something different no matter how much the money is or whatever. On this one I tried to do my greatest work and writing. This album announced my freedom in writing what I want to write.

BLIND I: You write all of your lyrics. How personal do you allow yourself to get?

PH: Extremely. My music from now on is going to get even more personal. I’m kind of in-between on what I need to be singing about with all of the things going on in the world. It’s like should we just put out happy music without talking about the issues? But then, addressing the issues might just depress us more. My next project is probably going to be more focused and more alternative than what I’m doing now.

BLIND I: In what area did you challenge yourself on this project? Where did you push it?

PH: I feel like I pushed it on “Naughty Magazine,” which is a grower for most. And with “Working,” I think I was just a little freer with the melodies and breaking the rules of R&B in a sense. There are ten million incredible male singers in church, at open mics, somewhere in the studio. I’m trying to be more than just an artist. I want to appeal to people that enjoy weird music but not weird in the terms of un-cool. You can make different and strange things attractive and sexy.

BLIND I: Who did you work with in terms of production?

PH: My production team is called the Designers. It consists of Mike Genato who produced this version of “Sweat” and DJ Polymath 7 did the rest.

BLIND I: What other projects are you currently working on?

PH: I’m working on a collaboration with a group, Mathematics, and it’s called Peter Hadar vs. Mathematics. It should be out in the summer or maybe late fall. We’re going to do a follow up for She’s 4 Months…maybe we’ll call it Broken Condom or something crazy. But I’m hoping to do more alternative folksy EPs in the near future.

BLIND I: Your album is available on ITunes today, yet you’re allowing us to post it for free. What’s the trade off for you?

PH: It’s a ton of people that don’t know about Peter Hadar and don’t know the music. There’s so much going on in the world today, so it’s like who’s to say that you’re going to go out and cop it? So I’m giving it to you so it can possibly lure you to a show, or maybe to purchase an album one day. This is my gift to you and to my world through my music. Hopefully we make a ton of babies!

Download & check out his MySpace.

Photos: Amber Venerable

Location:Walker’s Apothecary