Q&A: Inside Cameron Hayes ‘The Fault Is Mine’: Raw and Unfinished
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KATHERINE CHUNG ☆
Photo By @samiktay
CAMERON HAYES UNDERSTANDS THE BEAUTY OF HEARTBREAK. In her debut mixtape, The Fault Is Mine, she is brutally honest in both her lyricism and sound. The collection defies genre, focusing instead on emotion. For Hayes, music is about the feelings it evokes, not the category it fits into.
The mixtape opens with the pre-release single “Lover, Please Stay” and closes with two raw, honest tracks: “Forgive Forget Part 1” and “Forgive Forget Part 2.” Each song differs in tone and range. Though she holds a degree in Contemporary Music, Cameron is carving her own path in the industry. Her mixtape draws inspiration from Lady Gaga and blends the sounds of Radiohead, Mitski, and modern pop. She was born to stand out, not to fit into a box.
Fans may recognize Hayes as the opener for The Beaches’ 2023 UK/EU tour. This year, she took a break from live shows to focus on her mixtape. Hayes values every audience—whether it’s 50 people in a bar or 5,000 in an arena. She says this project has healed a part of her and hopes it helps listeners heal as well.
Luna sat down with Cameron Hayes to talk about her mixtape and 2026 goals.
Photo By @vladovojtela
LUNA: Since you are based in the UK, could you give Luna’s international readers a brief introduction to your musical journey?
HAYES: My name is Cameron Hayes. I have been making music since I was about 11 years old, when I wrote my first song. Throughout my career, I have released a variety of music. I have always taken inspiration from different genres.
I am now at the point where I am releasing my first-ever mixtape. This is crazy, like seven whole songs. I have never released a body of work this big.
LUNA: As more musicians turn to sonic diaries to tell their stories, what makes The Fault Is Mine unique? Why did you choose to create a sonic diary?
HAYES: I think everyone is doing that right now. What makes my sonic diary different is that it is all for me. These are all my personal stories. The way I tell them is very introspective of myself; rather than looking at other people and their impact on me. I look at who I am as a person.
The entire concept of my sonic diary is that music has been and always will be my therapy. I grew up writing songs. I used to sit at my piano and spill my heart out for three, four, and five hours on end. That was always the way I would process my emotions.
Music for me has always been my diary. I am not one to write in a book at the end of the day. But [songwriting] is a chance for me to explore everything that I am feeling and thinking. Then, the song writes itself through everything I have been through.
LUNA: How would you define your sound? Some listeners will say it is pop music, while others think it is a mix of alternative or mixed genres.
HAYES: My genre is very muddled. Because when I started releasing music about six years ago, I was going down a very left-of-center route, doing more Portishead-inspired alternative tracks. I started doing more rock-based music. Then I started doing drum and bass features. So everything became very confusing.
Right now, I would say I don’t have a genre. I think it would fall into the world of pop, if I could define one. When I create a song, I like for the song to tell me what genre it should be in. For instance, if I have a specific message or way that I sing a melody, I don’t ever want to force that into a genre. I want each song to shine through its production and overall vibe. My genre has definitely started to lean a little bit more into pop. You kind of get a little bit of everything at the same time.
LUNA: Speaking of pop and alternative artists, are you a Lady Gaga or a Wednesday fan? Your cover photo and music are giving off early Gaga vibes.
HAYES: Oh my god, Lady Gaga’s first album, The Fame, was the first album I ever bought. I was obsessed with her as a kid. I absolutely loved her. I think there is something about the fact that she is just herself. That is something I aspire to be: authentically me. I take a lot of influence from women who have that alternative persona and look.
LUNA: When you’ve finished your lyrics and recordings, do you dive into details like music videos and the EP cover photo, or do you take a break from music?
HAYES: I always write first because I am never too sure what I am going to come up with. Most of the time, my songs stem from particular feelings that I have. Then there are certain ones that I will continue developing. Then that together forms a project.
It is very different from how Charli XCX did BRAT. She had the whole title and concept for it. That led to the entire album. So far in my career, I have never been conceptual with my work. It is more about what happens. I always start the songs rather than the concept. I never know what I am going to end up making.
LUNA: Your song titles are mostly conversational or direct to someone. Was there a reason behind that?
HAYES: I love that. That was a big part of this project. Especially one of the tracks, “Who was I to want you?” It is literally a question. I liked it when I went for more non-traditional things. Rather than one word, that is the hook for the title, like with “Lover, please stay.”
It’s because there are so many parts of the songs that I deeply connect with. Some of those moments felt like they could be song titles on their own. The whole project feels more like a conversation with myself than anything else—and I think that’s why it turned out the way it did.
LUNA: Could you share more about “Forgive Forget Part 1” and “Forgive Forget Part 2”? They feel like the most intimate and emotionally charged tracks on the mixtape. The earlier songs have a strong, pop-driven energy, while these last two feel more like personal diary entries.
HAYES: The reason why they are at the end of the project is that is how I want to close off this project before I go into the next one. Y’know? It is a bit of a shift from the start of this mixtape. And these two songs were one of the rare times that I have been super personal in my writing. They are about very toxic and abusive relationships that I had, sadly.
The thing is that I don’t even remember how I wrote it. I felt like one day I woke up and then these two songs existed. For me, with these two, it is very much like a different world. They are sparse in production. It is more theatrical. It sounds like it should be in a film trailer rather than the rest of the project. I really love that.
The people who have listened to the other singles and genres of mine are not going to expect it. I love people not knowing where I am going to go next. Ultimately, it is a bit more confusing not knowing that you like this artist because of this sound. But this time, I love that nobody knows what is going to come next.
LUNA: Aside from songwriting and lyricism, how do you approach the instrumental side when recording? Do you collaborate with a band, or do you play the instruments yourself?
HAYES: I produce myself. Then I work with one main producer called Blueprint, who is brilliant. I also worked with a couple of other people on this project. And a guy called Mave and Callum George. Nevertheless, everything starts with me.
In songwriting, I write a song, it will either be on piano or, as I’m producing, I will come up with a really cool bass line. And I will think, “I am going to listen to this song.” Lots of the time, I love when the song production goes in a different direction as a producer versus as a writer. Most of these stories start at home. Then I take them to my little trusted group. After that, Mave and I explored the songs more from there.
LUNA: What are some of your goals for your music journey? And, are you excited for 2026?
HAYES: I am one of the artists who is extremely excited for 2026. This project has taught me a lot. A lot about the music I want to make. The sounds I want to craft. And I know that for next year I want to be releasing more music. It has been nice to actually be putting out a consistent stream of songs.
Next year there will be more new music. I also want to do more live shows next year. I had some time off doing shows this year. Next year, that is very much on the agenda. I want to do everything I have been doing. But one-upping everything is a level, like appreciating every little achievement. I always take in the little things. There have been some amazing things that have happened on this project. Ultimately, the main thing for me, with any music I put out is to connect with people.
LUNA: That is an amazing goal to set for 2026. What is your dream venue to play at in the U.K?
HAYES: I’d say somewhere like KOKO in Camden or The Roundhouse in London. They are both incredible venues where I’ve seen some amazing shows. I remember thinking, “How cool would it be to perform here one day?” But honestly, whether there are 50 people or 50,000 in the audience, what matters most to me is the feeling of having people there to experience my music.
