Hadji Gaviota

Hadji Gaviota is a name you’ll surely be hearing more of very soon, especially after the recent release of his sophomore album PURGATORY. Finding himself stuck while transitioning from being a high school teacher in the Bronx to a full-time independent artist, Hadji channeled his story into a visual album with an impressive rollout. Each infectious song along with its accompanying visual was released throughout the tumultuous year of 2020, giving his fans an ethereal escape of upbeat melodies and (sometimes comically) relatable lyrics. Also wanting to share a tangible relic, Hadji released limited edition VHS tapes for purchase that include each music video with behind-the-scenes footage and in-depth commentary on the making and meaning behind each component of the album. As a special thanks to his fans, he included an exclusive link and passcode to access the video from a "MySpace"-themed site titled "Myspurgatory", featuring the album's collaborators as his top friends. From 2018 to present day, Hadji has released a slew of singles, compelling music videos, his “bedroom debut” album Captain, and an EP dubbed ANCHORS. With a notable amount of major playlist placements including Spotify’s “Anti-Pop,” and his fourth single “Harajuku” amassing over a million streams, Hadji has quickly grown a loyal fan base around the world and receives a lot of attention within the music industry. Like most 25 year-old artists, Hadji was raised by the internet and his hometown of Queens, New York. Most of Hadji’s inspiration comes from relationships, aspirations, and his exposure to cultures everywhere from Japan to his own community in New York. He describes his world as genreless which he attributes to growing up in Queens, saying “I was generally used to everyone around me looking different from each other, eating different foods at lunch, and speaking different languages at home. One of the things we were all able to connect on was music—from the hip-hop we got from Hot 97, to the rock music and old R&B our parents kept on our shared iTunes libraries, to the reggaeton we would hear on the school bus every morning, to the Bollywood music we’d hear blasting as we walked to the subway after school. My world has always been genreless so I think that helps explain my music.” Continuing to make what he labels as “left-handed” music, Hadji will soon have even more to offer with a handful of projects full of little twists and turns, favoring the scenic route over convenience.