With the release of her captivating new lyric video for anti-social media anthem ‘Get Off Your Phone,’ Hanna Andrea is preparing to unveil the next chapter of her upcoming EP, ‘Braveheart’ – a distinctive sonic journey of perseverance and discovering your strength.
We talked to Andrea about exploring genres, artistic growth, and how penning the soundtrack for a Shakespeare-inspired musical isn’t all that different to crafting her trademark cinematic pop….
‘Your upcoming EP, Braveheart, arrives this August. How did the project come together, and what can listeners expect from it?
Braveheart is a collection of songs I’ve written in collaboration with other songwriters over the last year or so. This was my first time writing with other artists, so it was a very new and exciting experience for me. The EP has a wide range of styles from pop rock to piano ballads and follows a journey of perseverance and finding your strength.
The EP showcases a range of styles and sounds, from cinematic pop to hints of rock and even trip-hop. What inspired this fusion of genres? Was it a deliberate creative choice, or a natural progression of your sound?
When I walk into a room, I love seeing what my collaborators bring to the table and for many of these I tried to be open to see where the music and our combined creativity naturally took us. I think that this is what makes the best music because you are creating what you are in the mood to make rather than trying to squeeze yourself into a certain box. This mindset naturally led to us creating a variety of sounds, which I think is really fun.
From the euphoric title track to the anti-phone anthem Get Off Your Phone, the EP explores a variety of themes surrounding life as a young person, including the pressures of social media and the pursuit of perfection. How do you hope these themes will resonate with listeners, particularly young women?
I hope that when people listen to my songs they might see a part of themselves in me and feel seen. One of my favorite parts of listening to music is when I find a song that expresses something that I’m feeling and that it seems like no one else relates to. Those songs give me so much peace and comfort so I hope I can provide that for someone else.
What’s one thing listeners might not expect from Braveheart?
I would say one of the most unexpected things about Braveheart is the variety of styles on the EP. I feel like most EPs stick to one general sound, but this one really explores while somehow still feeling cohesive.
It’s not the only major project on your radar this year – a musical you’ve written songs for is premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer. Congratulations! What are you most looking forward to, and how does it feel seeing your songs performed by others compared to performing them yourself?
I’m really excited to see this show take a new form. The show has been performed before, but now the script has grown, new songs have been added and we have a new cast, director, and many more team members, so I’m really excited to see how the show develops. It’s really fun hearing other people sing my songs. We all have different strengths and interpretations of the songs so it’s really fun to see the ways different people can make the songs come to life. It’s also a really special feeling to realize that other people are taking time and choosing to sing the songs that you’ve written. It’s really cool.
It’s a pop-focused musical inspired by Shakespeare. Can you tell us a little about the story, and how you approached writing songs to serve the narrative?
The show is about Shakespeare before he got famous. Our young Shakespeare has been given the opportunity to publish one of his works but he isn’t able to choose just one play. He enters a dream world where his characters compete for their play to be the one he picks to publish. In order to make songs that serve the narrative I took into consideration the characters’ stories and personalities both in our play and in their original Shakespeare plays. I was of course conscious of the arch of our show and what needed to be communicated at each moment.
Your own music often features atmospheric production and a cinematic quality. How did those elements influence your approach to writing for a musical?
I approached writing for the musical fairly similarly to when I make my own pop songs. When we produce my own songs we think a lot about the story and feeling of the song and what we can do to serve the song best, so a lot of that mindset did carry over into the MUSE songs. There is a range of sounds in MUSE, from rock to jazz, so obviously we had to use a lot of different tactics and inspiration, but a lot of the sounds that you find in my pop music you will also find in the songs in MUSE.
Writing for musical theatre must offer a different kind of creative challenge. Do you have a favourite song from the show, and what makes it stand out to you?
I would say my favorite song is Juliet’s Lament. It’s such an emotional number, and I love the way it takes me into the world of Juliet and our show. When I get to sing it, I just find it so fun to act, and I love seeing other people’s interpretations of it too. I also just find it to have a catchy and beautiful melody that I enjoy listening to.
Which artists are inspiring you at the moment – particularly those you feel are doing something bold, innovative, or unique?
I’ve been enjoying listening to Adela. I love how she mixes dance pop styles while talking about meaningful topics. Also, I’m really inspired by Camilla Cabello’s C, XOXO because of its world building by creating a consistent soundscape throughout the album.
You’re known for continually evolving your sound while maintaining a strong sense of theatrical storytelling. Does that storytelling thread continue throughout Braveheart?
For sure. I think storytelling is a little different when you write songs in collaboration with other people. When you write alone everything can be very specific to your life, but when you write together things become slightly more general, but at the same time you are also taking into account more people’s experiences. Even so, storytelling is very important to me and is always at the center of my songs. I always want to be writing about things that feel meaningful and important to me.
What are you most proud of about this EP? Is there a particular song you’re especially excited for fans to hear?
I’m really proud of just my personal growth as an artist and as a collaborator. I’ve gotten to work with so many amazing people while making the EP and I think I’ve learned a lot about communication and collaboration. I’m really excited for people to hear Float. It’s a song that has grown on me a lot over time and that I personally really enjoy listening to.