Fresh Face: Hannah Grae

I’m good! Just getting ready for release day which is today, so that’s exciting.

I was always so obsessed with Hannah Montana and her lifestyle. I found that show fascinating for so many reasons, I loved the music so much, but I really just loved seeing her come off stage. I loved that she had sparkly microphones and sparkly in-ear monitors and I really wanted that to be me! I didn’t know how that could be possible. I also fell in love with Phoebe Buffay from Friends just because her music is such an expression of her. I think as silly as her music is, I still very much take that sort of carelessness into my own writing.

They were the first ever break-up songs that I wrote that were about me, so I was kind of nervous. I wrote ‘Better Now You’re Gone’ first, and I remember being really nervous about what people would think – I guess they’re so personal, break up songs. When it got to ‘It Could’ve Been You’ I was a bit more comfortable – that was one of the last songs we wrote for the project. They’re special because they helped me get over a mental block that I had about writing break-up songs.

Yes, definitely. I think that’s why I do it and I think that’s why most people do make art or write. I turn to music in general when I need to figure out how I feel. I love it when songs tell you how you feel, and I can’t even explain the feeling of actually putting how you feel into a song and hitting the nail on the head with the concepts. It’s so satisfying, it’s like a jigsaw puzzle. I do find it very therapeutic.

I initially sent an idea that was loosely about me going on a night out and running into my ex and then slowly becoming more and more unhinged. I sent that to Lola, and she pulled out the expectation vs reality theme which I thought was so clever because that is exactly what the song is about. We sent loads of mood boards back and forth. I really love working with her and she nailed it. It was such a fun experience making that music video!

‘Screw Loose’ was the first song that I wrote for the project, and I think it’s a pretty good representation of the mini album. It’s about writer’s block, being in a period of time where every day feels the same and you feel like you’re not getting anywhere. Even sonically, I think that song does tie it all up quite nicely. I think ‘It Could’ve Been You’ is a little bit brighter; it’s the sunshine of the mini album. ‘Who Dunnit?’ is a complete anomaly! They’re all quite different but that one is very different. ‘Better Now You’re Gone’ is a good indicator of what’s to come. ‘When I Had Hope I Had It All’ is a bit different, it’s more heartbreaking and a bit of a ballad. They all sit on different ends of the spectrum and the songs that are coming out kind of fit in between the songs that are out.

I listened to a lot of Weezer, Paramore, Green Day and all of the pop-punk artists. We also watched a lot of film and TV; I love putting scenes on a screen, muting them, and writing to it. For example, ‘Better Now You’re Gone’ was written to the closing scene of Flushed Away where all of the slugs – are they slugs? – are dancing. Influences come from all over the place, and film and TV are some of my main influences.

It was a bit of a longer process! Hell Is A Teenage Girl was written within six months whereas this was over the span of a year. There wasn’t too much difference from the first two projects, I think I’m sort of in a state right now where I’m exploring different creative processes. I basically bring in a concept, sometimes even like a verse idea, and usually just go from there. I tend to write lyrics and melodies at the same time. I guess the main thing that was different was that in my first project I had a big whiteboard that was drawing on whenever I had a song we were writing, whereas my second project I started using my iPad and I made artworks for each song! It just helps me visually see the song.

I just wrote about how I was feeling on those particular days and really just zoomed in on those feelings. I love when albums don’t just explore one thing, and this is definitely all angles of that year which was 2022, I was 19, and this project really explores all angles of what I was going through. I fully committed to doing that and writing about all these different things. Each song took about a week maybe, give or take, so I could really just commit and not think about anything else.

I love those artists so much, actually more than anything I love their performances, especially Alanis! I do take inspiration from how carefree she is, and how she’s doing it from the heart, she’s just so free and it really is just an expression of how she feels, and I love that so much. It makes me feel so alive when I listen to her songs. So I take that into my own music.

I guess I’m just really honest with my lyrics and that’s how it’s my own unique perspective – because it literally is! I don’t necessarily hold back, and I guess the older I’m getting and the more I’m writing, the more honest I’m getting as well. All of those artists I think about every day.

All of my stand out moments have been with fans. I started out on YouTube and on social media in lockdown. Since then, I’ve done shows and travelled and seeing the audience actually be tangible is so special. I just see numbers when I’m at home and on a screen, I forget these people are real people. Then I meet them and they’re the sweetest people and I just can’t believe that they love my songs in the same way that I do. They pick up on lyrics or something that I’m trying to say, and they tell me how much that meant to them, and I dreamed about that when I was writing the songs! One in particular for me, is in ‘It Could’ve Been You’ there’s a backing vocal in the bridge that screams “hey Troy!” and I remember writing it and thinking “I really want people to notice this and comment on it and scream it!” and they are, they’re commenting on that lyric all the time and I love it so much! I guess in terms of evolving in the future, I just wanna hang out with my fans more and nurture that community because they’re the best people ever and they make me so happy!

Interesting… I think my relationship with social media is forever changing, I go in and out of loving it and hating it. I think I’m just trying to work on having a more consistent, healthy relationship with it. I guess because of the way I started in this career I have something in my brain that tells me that I won’t be successful unless I’m successful online. Which I know is somewhat true nowadays, but it’s also not. Being successful isn’t having millions of followers. I would rather have what I have now, 30k, and be happy and love making music rather than having loads more and being unhappy. So I’m just trying to balance that and not take it too seriously because I have done. I’ve literally treated it like it’s my whole life and that’s not good, that never ends well. So yeah, it’s a long process but we’re working on it.

It is like a big adrenaline wave that I feel like I’m just riding right now. It’s really exciting and I guess this year I’ve been trying to be a bit more positive and grateful that I’m here because this is my dream. I can’t believe that I get to do it! I think I have, in the past, let pressure or my own stresses get in the way of actually enjoying what’s going on and I’m just really actively trying to not do that this time.

I’ve got quite an exciting year! I hopefully will be doing some shows and of course releasing this mini album. I’m just writing all the time and I’ve actually – touch wood – never been more inspired than I am right now. I’m just really excited for what’s to come this year and I’m not gonna set too many goals or put too many plans in place – I did that last year and ended up disappointing myself. This year I’m just gonna live in the moment and enjoy what’s to come!