- Words Notion Staff
Dream-pop riser HÅN shares her musical firsts, from being inspired by Paramore to signing a record deal to her first festival.
Music and dreams can so often be tied together, and that’s something HÅN has taken directly to heart. Her experimental approach is influenced by acts such as Cigarettes After Sex and Bonobo whose woozy, intriguing music demands interpretation and active listening – and she’s learned directly from them too, having toured alongside those acts in the past.
HÅN’s ethereal pop has been a staple of the underground music scene for a couple of years now, but 2022 makes a new era for the artist with the drop of her debut album, ‘projections on a human screen’, where she unveils the full gamut of all she can do, as exemplified by absorbing lead single “Chiro”.
On the album, HÅN says, ‘”‘projections on a human screen’ is my personal diary, written between London and Milan during the last year. I felt the need to document a series of personal experiences and represent them through music & visuals. each song has its own life and imagery, its colours and sounds. and together they form their own world, which is a representation of mine. It takes form from my bedroom (where I write most of my music) and then enters the real world. the effects of the real world are metaphorically projected on a human screen (me), generating all these thoughts and, therefore, this album.”
To celebrate the album drop, we caught up with HÅN to discuss some of her key musical firsts, from her love of Miley Cyrus to signing a record deal to meeting Bonobo.
First song you ever made?
I don’t really remember. But actually my first EP contains a song that was one of my firsts ever made, it’s called “Hands”. Listening back now I think it’s definitely too slow lol.
First song you released officially?
The Children in 2017. Seems such a long time ago and it actually is. I’ve become a whole different person.
First CD or record you owned?
Probably something by the queen Miley Cyrus.
First time you realised you wanted to be an artist?
I think it was during a live show of Paramore in Milan? We waited in line for like the whole day, I’m not sure we were entirely alive by the beginning of the gig. When the show began I felt my energies coming back to me and I was like “whoa, this is powerful. I should do it”. In general, live shows had a huge impact on my decision of doing music.
First festival you went to and the first one you played at?
First real festival I went to was Sziget in Budapest. We basically didn’t sleep for three days so it was very intense. The first “real” festival I played at was Eurosonic in 2018, in the Netherlands. There was a storm which delayed our flights so we couldn’t play one of the two showcases that we planned, but it was an interesting experience anyway. Met a lot of bands and saw Superorganism and Pale Waves live.
First time you faced an obstacle in your career?
Every dayyy? That just never ends lmao. But the first time was probably when trying to find a label to get some budget on the project. I think everybody in the music industry knows the struggle to find a team that actually works on your project and I’m not quite sure I’ve figured that out yet.
First instrument you owned?
A violin when I was 12. Now I totally forgot how to play.
First time you felt like giving up?
To be honest these past months have been quite rough. I’ve been in a difficult place with trying to understand what I was really doing with my music career. I always want to be honest in what I do but it’s never that easy and for me it’s hard to compromise. Now I feel like I’m heading to the right direction.
First time you felt starstruck?
When I met Bonobo in Naples. We had to play before him at this huge venue and we were pretty intimidated by its perfectly constructed live show
First time you ticked off a bucket list goal?
Signing a major deal.
