Hazlett’s Folk-Rock Heart Shines on the Big Stage at BST Hyde Park

Sal Fasone
Jul 18
4 min read

With a voice that aches in all the right places and lyrics that read like torn-out diary pages, Australian-born, Sweden-based singer-songwriter Hazlett has quietly carved a place for himself in the modern folk scene. Known for his dreamy melodies and poetic vulnerability, he's spent years building a global fanbase one honest song at a time.

On July 4th, Hazlett stepped onto the main stage at BST Hyde Park, opening for music giants and captivating 65,000 people with a set that felt as intimate as a living room show. It was a full-circle moment for an artist who never even planned to sing — and now finds himself at the centre of one of the world’s most iconic festivals.

I’ve known you for a long time. We met once and you said "The dream is to open for Noah Kahan", here we are! Hyde Park, 65,000 people. Are you nervous?

Uh, yeah. Definitely. Especially now that I’m playing with a full band — it feels like a whole new world. I’ve been performing solo for so long, and now it’s like... we’ve thrown a bit of a spanner in the works. It's exciting, but it’s different.

When we saw you at Lafayette, I knew there was no turning back ...

Totally. Having people on stage with me makes it feel more like a shared experience. Even if I hit a wrong chord or mess something up, I can turn around and joke with the guys. Like, “Ben, what was that?” We laugh it off. It’s that camaraderie I missed from playing team sports growing up. Being on stage alone can get lonely. But now, someone else is there enjoying it too. It’s a new experience.

So how do you find the balance between being “Hazlett with just a guitar” and this bigger, fuller band setup?

That’s been the biggest learning curve — still being me, but letting the songs grow. Some tracks are meant to be raw, some are meant to feel larger-than-life. It’s about knowing when to hold back and when to let go.

So what’s next?

Tour time. We’ve done a few festivals, but now it’s a full tour with the band — which is exciting. We’ll be in the U.S. September and October, then the UK and Europe in November and December.

Union Chapel in London ...

Yes! That one’s going to be special. I saw a photo and just said, “That’s it — I want to play there.” It’s got this gothic, almost cathedral-like vibe. It’s beautiful. I’m excited to build a proper set, shape a journey through the songs. I hate saying “take people on a journey” — it sounds cheesy — but it’s kind of true.

And the album? What’s the latest?

It’s out September 12th. It’s called last night You said you missed me.

That’s officially announced?

Kind of? [laughs] I’m really bad at announcing things properly. But yes, it’s out there. People can find it. It honestly came together by accident.

How so?

When we last saw each other, I was touring like crazy: three months on the road with barely a week off. I told myself I’d rest, go home to Sweden, then head back to Australia to see family. But I got sick in December and couldn’t fly. So I spent Christmas, New Year’s, and my birthday alone in my apartment, just sick.

That sounds rough.

It was. But then in January, I finally picked up my guitar again and this song just... fell out of me. I hadn’t written in a while, I get massive writer’s block sometimes, but when inspiration hits, I feel like it’s almost disrespectful to ignore it. So I called Freddy, my producer, and said, “We need to record.”

Even though the last album had just come out?

Exactly. He was like, “We just finished one,” and I was like, “I know, but this is different.” The songs were coming so easily. So we went to this studio on the west coast of Sweden, this old orchestral hall and in about a month, the whole thing came together, and I didn’t realize until later that it was all stuff I hadn’t processed: a breakup, missing home. It was all bottled up. I hadn’t gone to therapy or anything, instead, the songs became the therapy. I wrote them on autopilot, and when I listened back, I was like, “Ah, that’s what this means.”

For emerging artists just starting out: what’s your advice?

Two things. First: songwriting is a muscle. Write as much as you can. Sometimes you need to finish a bad song just to get to the good one. Second: throw yourself into everything. I never wanted to sing on stage. But I got fired from my job and needed rent money. A mate said, “Come sing at my pub.” I did, and that led to more and more.

I’m still scared sometimes, but throwing myself into it is how I grow. Playing on huge stages helps prepare you for what’s next. So, go get experience. Say yes to as much as you can.

Who’s the next “dream”?

Hmm... Let’s keep it in the folk world. Opening for Lumineers. That’d be huge.

Okay, we’ll check in again in a couple months. You’re busy anyway, but you’re back in London in August?

Yep. We’re doing a pop-up then, actually. We were going to do it Monday, but decided to wait until closer to the album release. Ideally at Electric Cinema in Portobello.