Artists To Watch: Heno.
Heno. is an alternative soul artist based between LA and the Bay Area with roots in Maryland, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. His full first name Yihenew is Amharic meaning “this Is It,” or “what you see is what you get”, a fitting name for an artist who exudes a cool vulnerability through his lyrical delivery. Last month he released his striking self-produced LP, Death Ain’t That Bad, a 14 song, genre-blending meditation on mortality. Amidst soulful, atmospheric, and at times yeezus-esque hip-hop beats, Heno. maintains a clear and candid tone as he reckons with the loss of loved ones, shortcomings of past relationships, and the importance of embracing the inevitable.
Death Ain’t That Bad cover art by Nick Francis
Beyond the tape’s already immersive soundscape, the accompanying visuals Heno. chose were especially effective in building a world around the tape that fans can engage with on a multitude of levels. For one, the collaged cover art by Nick Francis aptly captures the tape’s dark frenetic tones. Heno. also released two music videos, two lyric videos, a mini documentary discussing the tape’s themes, an instagram filter to mimic the crown he wears in the Blackstarrr video, a limited edition cassette version of the LP, and an animated NFT in collaboration with @taramoves.
We caught up with Heno. to learn more about artistic approach and the circumstances inspired this latest release.
Heno. captured by Hunter Cates
Who is Heno? Is there a story or significance behind your name?
My mother named me Yihenew while in labor because she said God told her to and my father let it be. “Heno” was the nickname all my family & friends who grew up with me called me. Outside of that, I grew up in a neighborhood that made me ashamed of my name because it was different from the norm and difficult for folks to pronounce. I went years not correcting all the different variations of my name due to not caring and even went by different monikers to make it easier for people. But after getting older and more aligned with my culture, I made it a point to reclaim my name, make it clear that my name is Heno. and to only be addressed as such (hence my socials being “mynameisheno”); the period at the end is also important because it summarizes the whole journey I’ve been on to get to a point where folks just call me my actual name.
How would you describe your musical world?
I like to describe my sound and musical world as Alternative Soul; blend of Hip-Hop infused with my love of Motown/Soul, old school Ethiopian jazz known as “Ethiopiques”, R&B, Alternative and Experimental music. My father used to be a drummer for a band in High School and a guitarist. He put me onto so much music growing up; from James Brown, Jackson 5 & Smokey Robinson, to Tilahun Gessesse & Aster Aweke. My sister also showed me hella R&B records starting with Brandy while my older brother played a lot of Tupac & Bob Marley. I didn’t realize at the time but all my early years spent sitting in my living room nonstop playing CD’s and cassettes on speakers was me deeply studying music theory - from song structure, arrangement, composition, etc. That set the tone for my understanding and love for music; an appreciation that became an obsession which inspired a career.
The first thing that stands out about “Death Ain’t That Bad” is the cover art. Can you tell us about the artist and how it came to be?
The album cover was created by Nick Francis - an incredibly gifted talent in Oakland, CA. He’s one of the main folks I work with when it comes to doing covers and is responsible for most of the ones in my discography. Working with him for years now, our approach has usually been the same. I send him a finished body of work for him to sit with and really feel out, we’ll go over some ideas back and forth but I will ultimately give him the room to really execute. As an artist, I hate being the guy telling folks what to do - that usually yields an uncomfortable “too many cooks in the kitchen” energy I’m not a fan of. I like to bring folks together that are good at what they do and put them in positions for them to win. Help guide the process but ultimately know when to back off and let someone flourish; which comes from a place of trust. The work usually comes out better that way.
Heno. captured by Hunter Cates
Why did you find this album necessary to make?
To put it frankly, If I didn’t make this album then I wouldn’t be here today talking with you about it. Death has been in and out of my life so frequently [from youth] that my view of death, early on, changed from being this thing we have to be afraid of, loathe or constantly question into something I frankly was okay with the logic of. I started to look more into the philosophy of death and realized that in many cultures and countries, death is often looked at as a celebration of life whereas in the US it’s looked at as the mourning of a loss. In a world where we have very little control, it's important to recognize/focus on what we can control; like how we perceive things, what we react to, and what/who we choose to give our energy to. I made this album to open up a bigger conversation about how we view and perceive things that make us uncomfortable and find comfort within that. Knowing and being at peace with the idea of death allows you to have a better quality of life because you can spend it exactly how you want to and less time fearing and loathing the inevitable. Making time for the people you need to make time for and recognizing what really matters in life.
Are you able to find beauty in death?
Death is a bad thing but I do see beauty within it. I think about how I’ve attended funerals of people to pay my respects, even if we weren’t the closest, and end up seeing & reconnecting with folks I haven’t seen in years; and probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise if I didn’t attend. Although the circumstances could be better, death has a bittersweet way of bringing people together from all over to honor the life of a mutual. The community that they had along with their legacy that everyone in attendance will continue. I find beauty in honoring my lost family and friends. Keeping their names alive is a beautiful thing.
Who/what are some inspirations, musical or otherwise, that guided you through the making of this project. What were you listening to? Reading? Who were you talking to? Etc.
I tried not listening to too much while I was making this project but was inspired by the work of Flying Lotus (“You’re Dead”), Kendrick Lamar & Frank Ocean’s styles of writing/storytelling, Kanye West (from a production standpoint) & the late great Mac Miller; who I feel was one of the best at talking openly about his life, adversity, and being transparent about it all. I was also diving into a lot of different readings and theories of philosophers like Epicurus, Stephen Caves (Immortality), Frank Eyetsemitan, Alan Watts (The Acceptance of Death) and more. Every single record on this project was inspired by me taking what I read or what I was thinking and speaking to each person involved on the project prior to doing any work. My intention was to make sure every featured artist, live musician, or collaborator was heard when talking about their own views/feelings about death and could also hear where I was coming from by providing context; and it all organically synced up nicely.
Heno. captured by Hunter Cates
Beyond death with a capital D, the album touches periodically on death in a symbolic sense. On “Hurt People”, you speak about the end of a relationship and your propensity to fuck up the things you care about the most. Is your perspective on these symbolic deaths the same? Are they also “not that bad?”
I think that all forms of death are bad, to some degree, but they are also “not that bad” too. The making of “Hurt People” was one thing, the whole understanding of what those feelings are, how those played into the demise of a relationship, assuming accountability for my actions, and recognizing my own flaws. But the release of the record is another, that comes with the acceptance that I have to lay in the bed that I made & I’m now at peace with that relationship coming to an end. I had to learn the hard way and sometimes that’s how a lesson sticks. You get to confront what makes you uncomfortable to be able to find comfort within it and move on. Getting through this situation really helped me grow as a person. It’s the death of a former self. I’m not as reckless as I used to be and I got a lot more to live for nowadays.
How do we stop the many cycles of harm? Any ideas?
I’m not an expert on the topic but some ideas I have integrated in my day to day to help stop these cycles are by taking accountability, acknowledging the faults one has committed, listening to others, being mindful of the ripples you make, and validating other people's emotions by SHOWING EMPATHY . I think we don’t really do that last one as much as we should. Even if you disagree with somebody the least you can do is understand where they are coming from and empathize instead of gaslight and further exacerbate the hurt/harm.
These days artists have to think about so much more than simply making music. Judging by your intentional visuals and recently released Instagram filter and NFT, you seem to know that well. Can you speak on that? Do you enjoy the ancillary world-building tasks or do you wish you had more time to simply create?
I enjoy spending my time creating music & art the most however, I do see the importance of diversifying how you present and create a world around it. Being both a producer and artist allows me to be as intentional as I want when creating the Alternative Soul world. I think providing folks with an overall experience (especially during the pandemic) is so much more important than getting someone to like a song or a singular thing. Buying into the whole world that someone creates and making folks feel like they’re a part of the journey is what makes people really stick around and support - buying merch, physical goods, tickets, NFT’s, and more.
Heno. captured by Hunter Cates
How do you see the artist’s experience changing as technology evolves?
As technology advances and innovates, we as artists are tasked with trying to present our art in different ways to meet what the market demands- both a challenge & also fun at the same time.
Do you think about your many homes when you create? Ethiopia, DMV, Oakland, LA… Were any of these lenses especially influential to the making of this album?
I think about the many homes of mine all the time; creating or not creating. Being the introspective writer that I am, reflecting about the times & experiences I’ve had in each of these places have all ultimately shaped who I am today. I wouldn’t have been able to make this album if I didn’t have as much perspective as I do which comes from all the moving and traveling I’ve done.
I understand that much of the tape was recorded in Toro Y Moi’s studio. Can you tell us more about that?
I worked on Death Ain’t That Bad with my dear friend Anthony Ferraro extensively, also known as Astronauts etc. & keyboardist for Toro Y Moi. He and Chaz share a 2 floor space in the Bay Area where I had the honor of working on all the production for. I did most of the recordings at the Conservatory of Music in San Francisco and had it all mixed/mastered by Jose Soberanes. Great conversations were had during this period and all my ideas were welcomed and embraced. I try not to get too comfortable with what/how I create things so it was nice to go in a direction that people weren’t going to expect from me and find validation in those decisions. That, along with having access to hella different types of gear, made this some of the most fun I’ve had making a body of work. Also not gonna lie, being a Toro y Moi fan since high school to being fortunate enough to work and chill with him and be respected, in my own right, was validating as hell.
What is your vision for the future?
I have no control of the future ahead but my vision for what I can control is one where I continue to release great music through different mediums, expand into business/film, tour extensively around the world, continue to build great relationships with those who support the art, inspire folks to live and love now in the present by doing what they want and working towards those things, create generational wealth for my family and leave behind a legacy that will continue to help my community in the US [and] back in Ethiopia & Eritrea. I do see other accolades like Grammys, Emmys, Billboard Charting records, Gold/Platinum records and more in my future but those things will come the more I focus on what I can control.
Keep up with Heno. here.
