HAYLA Releases Sophomore Album 'DARK' and Kicks Off North American Tour August 6

HAYLA released her sophomore album DARK today, July 31. The 11-track project follows her 2025 debut DUSK and marks a move away from the electronic dance collaborations that built her profile toward solo alternative songwriting.

The album includes previously released singles "Heal," "Enough," and "Easier," plus the title track "Dark," which HAYLA says centers on grief. "This song is about grief," she said in the release. "All of the conversations that weren't had, all of the memories I keep and the heaviness felt in the aftermath. The dreams that bring a lost one closer again and the glow that you find in the darkest of nights that remind you you're not alone. Sending love to anyone who's grieving."

Of the album as a whole, HAYLA added: "I wrote this album in the darkest period of my life. A time when I wasn't sure if I knew how to vocalise my feelings and what I had been through. It's written extremely authentically and for the love of writing, connection and catharsis."

The album closes with "I Just Hope We Don't Run Out of Time." A live performance video of the title track, filmed at St Pancras Church in London, is available on YouTube.

HAYLA is a GRAMMY-nominated, Gold-certified artist from Liverpool. According to the press release, she has accumulated over 1 billion combined streams on Spotify across her solo work and collaborations, which include records with John Summit, Kygo, MEDUZA, ILLENIUM, and Nelly Furtado.

The Dark Tour launches August 6 at Concord in Chicago and runs through September 4 at The Fonda in Los Angeles. Full tour dates below.

For independent artists, HAYLA's pivot is worth watching. She built a large platform through high-profile features, then used that foundation to release a personal solo project on her own creative terms.

The Dark Tour Dates:, Aug 6, Chicago, IL, Concord, Aug 8, Toronto, ON, Cabana, Aug 9, Montreal, QC, Ilesoniq, Aug 12, Cambridge, MA, The Sinclair, Aug 13, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts, Aug 14, Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn Steel, Aug 16, Washington, D.C., 9:30 Club, Aug 18, Atlanta, GA, Terminal West, Aug 21, Dallas, TX, Studio, Aug 22, Austin, TX, Emo's, Aug 23, Houston, TX, White Oak Music Hall, Aug 26, Kansas City, MO, The Truman, Aug 28, Denver, CO, Ogden, Aug 29, Salt Lake City, UT, The Complex, Sep 2, Sacramento, CA, Ace of Spades, Sep 3, San Francisco, CA, The Regency, Sep 4, Los Angeles, CA, The Fonda

Tickets at ffm.live/rrpv2be.