_{By Trevor Myers}

If there’s one thing I’ve been learning about musicians, it’s that you can’t tell what their music will sound like based on where they’re from. 

Bad Heather grew up and lived in Utah County for most of his life, and first started playing drums at the age of 13. By the time he was 16, he got more into producing music, which became the backbone of his process. “I almost always start off with a production idea. It’s the most inspiring part of the process for me,” Bad Heather said. “After that, I’ll figure out a vocal melody idea then bring in someone to help me write lyrics.”

It’s that production on his self-titled 2021 EP Bad Heather that makes the project stand out in my opinion. The first time I listened to the five-track EP, I was blown away because it doesn’t sound like a first project. According to the artist, the EP is primarily about “sh***y relationships and being depressed” — and while he sings about drinking diet soda to drown out his problems, there’s not much else of a “Utah” sound. 

Maybe it just doesn’t sound like Utah because of the cool drums and swear words.

Between the first two tracks alone, Bad Heather has more than 55,000 streams on Spotify, and it’s not hard to understand why. The first track, “Honest,” starts the project off with a bang, especially when you hear the beat drop for the first time. The song sounds way more mature than one might expect from an artist’s debut EP, and to me, it sounds like a song that would fit perfectly in the soundtrack for a movie.

The second track on Bad Heather is “Her Sorry,” which is the only explicit song on the EP and perhaps the track where the theme of “sh***y relationships” is most apparent. He sings about apologizing to a girl, but then says “f**k your sorry” and lashes out at her because of how he was treated. Around the 1:36 mark, the song ramps up, and the first time I heard it I did a double take — it’s such a different sound that I didn’t expect based on the beginning of the song.

“20” is the third and longest track of the EP and stands out a little bit from the first two songs, sound-wise. It showcases more of Bad Heather’s vocal range and features some more drums than the previous songs. There are some cool backing vocals and vocal effects on the track, and it’s a song about — you guessed it — what it’s like to be 20 years old.

“Juliet” is the fourth song on the project and has some pretty fun instrumental breaks where things flow from ear to ear. “Not Giving It Up” then closes out the EP and is a little more chill than the other songs on the project — there’s even a sax solo, which is pretty sick.

Since releasing his first project in 2021, Bad Heather has already gotten one of his songs on MTV, which he considers his biggest accomplishment so far in his career. “My goal as an artist is to find the people who ‘get it,’” he said. “Seeing the people stoked on my song after hearing it on MTV was huge for me.”

With several projects under his belt — and a few collaborations with fellow Provo Music Magazine featured artist future.exboyfriend — Bad Heather is only planning on getting bigger and better. When asked where he sees himself five years from now, he said, “Making f***ing sick records.”

There’s no telling what Bad Heather will do next, but I, for one, will be tuned in. Make sure to follow Bad Heather on Instagram. You can listen to “Honest” below!