Toronto Based Havelin Releases Irreverent New Single “Dancing At My Funeral”

Havelin, also known as Alex Zaichkowski, is an acclaimed (unofficially) singer-songwriter (allegedly) whose passion for music began at a young age and will continue until his untimely demise (which will likely come at the hands of some great warrior or foul beast…or, more likely, slipping on a banana peel). The Edmonton-born, Toronto-based Zaichkowski was once described as “a real pleasure” to listen to by Shania Twain (a thing which actually happened, there’s proof). His songs weave rich narratives into pleasant melodies, while his storytelling strives to unpack complex emotions in a way that is both uniquely personal and heart-wrenchingly universal. 

His upcoming record, Who Among Us… (release date TBA), deals with themes of life, death, love, heartbreak, and identity. It’s a tribute to feeling intensely and embracing the strangeness and beauty this world has to offer. Havelin’s latest single, the blithely “Dancing At My Funeral,” is all about recontextualizing death. It’s about taking that deep-seated fear that we all have and laughing in its face. We’re all gonna die someday – it’s the most human thing there is. 

“Every funeral I’ve ever been to has been a profoundly sad experience, and I don’t want it to be that way when I go,” Alex explains. “I want the people I love to remember the good times and to know how lucky I was to have them in my life. It’s about putting the ‘celebration’ in ‘celebration of life.’”

Featuring a fantastic saxophone solo from Bruce MacKinnon, “Dancing At My Funeral” evokes the evocative, party-like feel of 70s good time, acoustic folk-rock tracks. The song screams “it’s okay to be sad but don’t get hung up on it, focus on the good time” – a message that Havelin always aspires to put out into the world.