From Fanboy to Frontstage: How Haiden Henderson Landed the 5SOS Tour of His Dreams

The vampire aesthetic synonymous with Haiden Henderson, sharp lyricism, leather jackets, and an intentional, moody gloom is evolving. While his previous project, the Tension EP, served as a raw, documentary-style autopsy of a fractured relationship, Haiden is now stepping out of the shadows of the past and into the blinding spotlights of the UK’s biggest arenas.

Opening for 5 Seconds of Summer isn't just a career milestone for Haiden; it’s a full-circle moment for a self-proclaimed "diehard fan" who once found solace in their music. In a candid follow-up to our conversation four months ago, Haiden reflects on the surreal nature of his ascent, the shift from "grungy" club sets to 20,000-seat venues, and why this tour represents the definitive closing of the Tension chapter.

Q: What went through your head when you found out you were the opening slot here in the UK for them? Not just in a career way, but personally, knowing you’re such a fan.

Haiden: To be honest, the first thought was complete disbelief that it would happen. I was like, “Okay, maybe they said yes right now, but something is going to happen. There’s going to be an earthquake or a hurricane that would prevent it from happening”.

We had been talking about this tour for maybe six months, and it just seemed like every single day that it was increasingly not going to happen. Then when my manager called me, she said, “You’re not going to believe this”. And I was like, “No fucking way did we get the 5SOS tour?”

It pours over into my reaction as a 12-year-old, chronically. The little 5SOS fan inside of me would be absolutely geeked. It doesn’t feel real at all, and it probably won’t feel real until we’re halfway through the first show.

Q: You immediately went live on Instagram when the news broke. Was that a planned marketing move, or just an impulse to tell everyone?

Haiden: Any major announcement that I do, I like to go live or tell my Discord early. I’m usually the one to say it. I think it makes these big moments feel a little bit realer. If the fans can see how excited I am, I think it makes them feel like they are a part of it too because that’s the only reason any of this happens, because people listen to my music and come to my shows. It felt like a win for the whole "Haiden Nation". We have all been fans of them together for a few years.

Q: You’ve been playing smaller, darker, grungier venues. Now you’re in big arenas with big spotlights. Are you going to change the way you do your shows?

Haiden: I think I’m just going to probably be a little bit bigger. As much rehearsal as you do in a rehearsal space, nothing can prepare you for having all of that happen. Some people flourish in that environment and some people crumble or get small underneath it. My reaction will be to be as big as possible.

I’m excited as a "big person" because I’m tall and I bump into things all the time. I’m so used to smaller stages where I may or may not be hitting my head on things or knocking things over. I’m honestly just excited to be able to jump around and run around and actually have some fun and not be worried about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S70IcG9nip0

Q: Last time we spoke, you mentioned that being on tour felt like seeing "ghosts" because you were in rooms where you had been with the person you wrote Tension about. Does this arena tour feel like a closing chapter?

Haiden: It totally, totally feels like that. Yeah, that door is closed. I think that I needed to write the Tension project to process a lot of those feelings, and in a lot of ways, time has just healed a lot of it. That person no longer lives down the street from me, which is huge.

I am no longer writing Tension and I’m no longer writing about these feelings. I’m working on my debut album and it’s about a totally different thing how I am different because of all of that. Though that was not fun and painful in a lot of ways, it was necessary for a rebirth of sorts. This feels as definitive as closure can get.

Q: Now that you’ve fulfilled this dream, what is the next "impossible" goal?

Haiden: I think it’s a debut album. That’s what I’m working on right now with one of my heroes. When the spotlight gets on you, you have two reactions: to get bigger or to get smaller. I think that this album, the music is getting bigger.

I’ve only been making music for three years. For those last three years, I’ve been trying to prove to myself over and over again that I can make good music. Now that I feel like I’ve done that, I’m just trying to make music that doesn’t sound like anything else that’s out there right now. I want to surpass any artistic goal or endeavor that I’ve ever set upon.

As the Tension era draws to a definitive close, Haiden Henderson is no longer haunted by the "ghosts" of his past. Instead, he is stepping onto the world's biggest stages with a newfound sense of clarity and a debut album on the horizon that promises to be his most ambitious artistic endeavor yet. For the kid who grew up idolizing 5 Seconds of Summer, the dream hasn't just been fulfilled, it's being reinvented in real-time.

Article By Inês Barny