Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Hendra.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a music creator so my whole life has been about writing and performing music. I started playing guitar at the age of 10, loved it immediately. Began writing songs in my late teens. At that point I was terrified of singing in public, but began to sing the songs I was writing out of necessity. I got enough positive reinforcement to keep developing my vocals to the point I could sing live to front my band.
It the age of 23 I heard that my hero, an Australian Icon by the name of John Farnham, was making a new album. I recently had written a song that I was really excited about and managed to drop a demo at his record company office in Melbourne. To my astonishment, about 6 weeks later my cell phone rang and it was Farnham, calling to tell me he had listened to the song, loved it and wanted to record it. It actually made it the cut and was featured on his Multi-Platinum album “Romeo’s Heart”. The track is called “Don’t let it End”. Pretty proud of that!
Next came the move to the US. My band and I set up meetings in Los Angeles and quickly signed a recording deal with Hollywood Records (Disney). This began my journey here. Lots of problems, inexperience, and lack of guidance and label troubles led to us losing the deal and it was a trial by fire for me. I decided however that my life was about writing songs and making music and I would keep going, no matter what.
I had met my wife Tiffany during the first year in LA through mutual friends. Serendipitously, we ran into each other again right at this point and we married in Feb 2004. I worked a construction job during the day to pay the bills and kept writing and playing at night to keep the dream alive. My album, the burning reason that brought me here was still at the forefront of my goals, I had to finish it.
After nearly 5 years of construction, the chance to finish my album arrived when a successful financial guy from Florida heard my music and decided to back me. We set up a studio in LA, and we finished my full length album “Octobersong”. You can find it on iTunes now.
With the album complete, it was time for a change of scenery. I really wanted Tiff to be closer to friends and family. She’s a Texan, born in Houston. So we moved to Dallas in 2014.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a rollercoaster, full incredible highs, adventures and disappointments. The hard stuff is what makes us grow, there are really no short cuts. If you look at any success story you will find someone who has had to fight hard to overcome adversity, overcome personal weaknesses and fears. My faith in God has helped me keep going through the darkest times. I’m very grateful for that and for my wife Tiffany’s support the whole way. She has never wavered.
Aaron Hendra – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The move to Dallas has allowed me to perform live more than ever before. There is a thriving social scene in Dallas and a huge demand for live music entertainment. By the end of 2018, I will have performed close to 500 solo acoustic shows in the DFW area. In LA it was strictly original songs, but here I typically get booked for 3-4 hour blocks to entertain built in crowds. My cover repertoire has grown a lot and I always get compliments from people saying how much they love my song choice. I just play the songs I love, the big songs. Tom Petty, Eagles, John Mayer, Beatles, Zeppelin. It’s hard to go wrong with the classics.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m proud every time I touch someone with my music. Even in the noisiest room, when it feels like no-one is listening, there will be one person or group that comes up to me to say how touched they are by my music and that makes me proud. The John Farnham cut was definitely a highlight and I continue to look forward to and believe in the day that one of my songs becomes a US multi-platinum hit.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aaronhendra.com
- Email: ahpmusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: aaronhendra
- Facebook: aaronhendra
- Twitter: aaronhendra
- Other: youtube.com/aaronhendra
Image Credit:
Evan Duning, Melanie Swerden, Doug Hamilton
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
