Spotlight On….Hannah Robinson

Spotlight Artist Profile

One thing I love about supporting the msucians that I do is getting to know the person behind the music. From finding out their roots in music to what inspires them as they make their next moves. Each artist, like their music, is unique and harbours something that only they can create. So, I’ve decided to create a new way of us all getting ot know these amazing people even better. As you know (or at lest you wil ldo after reading this) I put together a playlist on Spotify each Friday celebrating the latest releases from some of the best unsigned and independent artists out there. As part of this I select an artist each week to be the cover of that playlist or as the title suggests, my Spotlight Artist. So to kick things off this weeks artist is Gateshead’s very own Hannah Robinson. She was kind enough to answer a few questions for me and here is the results.

Lets get to know Hannah a little bit better…..

Q: How did your musical journey start?

A: When I was around 8 years old, I was gifted an acoustic guitar from a family friend in the hope that I would get creative with it. So, my mam took me to guitar lessons where something just instantly clicked, I knew how to navigate chords and fell in love with it. I was writing and recording little demos in my room from the age of 12 – some of these songs are on my Spotify now!

Q: Who were your main inspirations during the start of your musical journey and how have they changed up to now?

A: KT Tunstall was the first ever artist I truly looked up to, I sang ‘Other Side Of The World’ at a school talent show and knew I wanted to be like her when I grew up. Ladyhawke also had a major input on my vision as a musician, I remember seeing the video for ‘My Delirium’ and thinking how cool and rocky she sounded compared to all the male bands that populated the music scene. My influences have progressed towards the shoegaze scene now. Beach House, Warpaint, Alvvays, Wild Nothing, Wolf Alice and Fazerdaze (and wayyy more) have lead me down a new path in recent months, I’ve now began to focus on developing a dream pop/dreamy rock sound.

Q: When writing and releasing songs, what is your favourite part of the process?

A: For me, the recording part is my favourite! As much as I love losing myself in the song writing, to be able to take that music I’ve wrote and bring it to life in the studio is just so exciting. Every little element from layering up the harmonies to filling up the track with dreamy riffs really drives me as a musician, and to hear the final mix is like Christmas morning.

Q: Now, which part does your head in?

A: The lead up to release day can be really daunting. As a grassroots artist it can be nervy as you have no clue how the tune will do, you have to have posts ready to share, playlists ready to pitch to, photoshoots to prep, bios to update… the list goes on and on. It’s all worth it to have an excellent release but sometimes it can be overwhelming!

Q: What inspired you to write your latest single Hypnotised?

A: As an artist, I’ve always found it so important to write music that people can relate to. I like to dive into the minds of others and really capture their narratives. With ‘Hypnotised’, I thought it would be clever to interpret two sides to a story therefore the idea of a breakup seemed like an interesting way to achieve this. The first verse being from the perspective of someone who finds it impossible to let go, the second being from the eyes of someone who is desperately trying to escape. To me, the beat of the song represents the beat of a heart pacing through the difficult times, it drives energy and excitement to such a distressing story.

Q: What’s next for Hannah Robinson?

A: After establishing a new sound this year, I’ve been working behind the scenes to develop this and experimenting with different angles to take my music that step further. I’m currently working on some tunes that I’d love to bring together to produce my next EP in the new year. The songs take a turn down the grungey/indie route with (of course) a load of melancholic tones and haunting vocals. As well as this, me and the band are getting ready for a year of great gigs which we can’t wait to start sharing soon!

Now for a bit of fun….

Q: Favourite Artist/Band?

A: The Beatles! Always has been and always will be. I absolutely love how much they display the evolution of a band. From ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ to ‘Let It Be’ I find it fascinating to see how much their sound and styles changed throughout the 60’s. Paul McCartney is a genius when it comes to song writing, he makes it look so easy and after watching the Get Back documentary I was absorbed in how fast he could come up with a melody just by sitting and jamming the same chords on repeat until the magic happens.

Q: Guilty pleasure Artist/Band (we’ve all got one)?

A: Definitely Girls Aloud… They were the first band I saw live when I was young and to this day there’s nothing I love more than dancing about my living room with my best pals singing our hearts out to ‘Sound Of The Underground’!

Q: If you could perfrom with anyone, who would it be?

A: I’ve always thought Dave Grohl looks so fun to play on stage with! The chemistry he has with other band members and artists he’s collaborated with is amazing. You can just tell how passionate he is about music and the way he plays is almost as if he’s in a practise room jamming away with his friends, yet he has thousands of people in front of him. He certainly knows how to own the room.

Q: If you hadn’t chosen music, what do you think your passion would have been?

A: My day job is a graphic designer, so I feel like if music didn’t take up the rest of my time, I’d definitely be drawing in my sketchbook 24/7! But it’s nice to have that balance of two different areas of creativity.

Q: Finally, can yo utell us something interesting about yourself?

A: I have 13 tattoos in total including one of my best friend’s names tattooed on my foot that I had done when I was drunk in Magaluf…

So there you have it. Hopefully you learnt something new about Hannah that’ll make you fall in love with her music even more! Now go hit the link below and share in her journey by following her in all the usual social media places and give her new single a spin. Plus check out her artist playlist below to hear the rest of her back catalogue.

Follow Hannah Robinson

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