Today we’d like to introduce you to Hazl
Hi HAZL, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In the summer of 2023, I was a small-time artist living in my hometown of Portland, Oregon, fully immersed in electronic pop and doing my best to carve out a path in music. Then, everything changed.
I remember sitting on my front porch, tears streaming down my face as I read the words: “Congratulations! You have just been granted a full-ride scholarship to LAAMP (Los Angeles Academy for Artists and Music Producers).”
Not only was I about to spend a year at one of the most immersive music programs in the US, but I’d also be mentored by the legendary production duo Stargate—the team behind Rihanna’s Diamonds, Katy Perry’s Firework, and some of the most iconic work from Beyoncé and Coldplay. As a queer artist from a small city, this was beyond anything I had ever imagined.
For the next year, I joined 45 other mentees in the most intense creative environment I’d ever experienced. We wrote and produced 1–3 songs per week, participated in workshops, and pitched directly to some of the biggest names in the industry. Five days a week, from 10 AM to midnight, we lived in the studio, pouring ourselves into our craft. It was a whirlwind. (Here’s a short reel that captures some of the ride:
it:https://www.instagram.com/reel/C89v1DKSKeG/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==).
By the end of 2024, I had written 127 songs. Before LAAMP, it would have taken me months to finish just a few. Now, I had the biggest portfolio of my life and a fire under me saying: Now the real work begins.
Enter USTF (U Saw Them First)
Alongside Eric Bronner, I co-produce USTF, a monthly show designed as an “Intentional Listening Space.” These are phone-free events where the sole focus is on the artist—giving audiences the chance to discover their new favorite act before they blow up, and giving emerging artists a space to feel seen, valued, and truly heard. It’s a show created by artists, for artists and their future fans.
Present Day
When I’m not producing USTF, I’m grinding away at my own music career. I’m independent, fully backing my own dreams, and the work never stops. Between booking shows, building a band, and finishing my album (set for release in September 2025), I’m a busy bee.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, the smooth roads I wish I had traveled to get here.
I didn’t come from affluence. My childhood was shaped by one parent in prison and the other doing everything she could to make sure dinner was on the table every night. When I moved here in the fall of 2023, I had $400 to my name. I was incredibly lucky—a friend and her father took me in for my first year, offering me a room at a rent I could afford while my time was spent attending LAAMP. When the program ended, I found another job to keep my bills paid and my artistry funded.
(Side note: If you’re a new artist, get a side hustle. It’s not glamorous, but damn, it’ll teach you how to manage your time. Haha.)
The reality of being an emerging artist in 2025? We are the working class. We have to work every single day to create art that sustains us. The difference is, there’s no guaranteed paycheck. No clocking in and clocking out. Our ability to put food on the table is directly tied to our artistic output.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My sound leans indie folk, with lyrics that explore love, identity, and the human experience. I love hard, thrive in community, and embrace my inner queerdo and silly goose. I want my music to remind people that being human is everything at once—it’s as difficult as it is beautiful, as terrifying as it is peaceful.
In 2025, the world needs more safe spaces, and if someone finds themselves at one of my shows this year, I hope they leave knowing they’ve found one.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
It might sound cliché, but honestly—just being me. If I’m not fully myself through this entire journey, then what’s the point? I want to show people that it’s okay to be messy, and silly, and love yourself all at once. My “brand” isn’t some curated persona—it’s just me.
Me when I’m sad. Me when I’m being a silly goose. Me when I’m exhausted. Me when I’m celebrating a big win. Me when I’m struggling. And every version of me in between.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/hazlsradworld
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hazlsradworld/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hazlofficial/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazl-puterbaugh-0985a7242/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hazlsradworld
Image Credits
Alex Kawasaki
