Hannah Stow – Sidelined

By starrymag | August 6, 2024

By: Mariah Thomas

 

 

Q) How would you describe the sound of the music that you make?

A) It’s definitely a style that is hard to pin down. I’d say it’s indie pop at its core but with some hip-hop infusion. People often say that if Allday, Amy Shark and Camp Cope had a baby it would sound like a Hannah Stow song.

 

Q) Who are some of the musical artists that have had an influence on you?

A) In terms of my own writing I model my style from artists that tell detailed stories in their music and who are specific in their intention and delivery – much like Sam Fender, Georgia Maq and Peach PRC.

 

Q) With “In the Dark,” the track beautifully keeps pace with your inflecting emotion. What is your songwriting process? 

A) Each song always eventuates from a different origin. Sometimes I will pull lyrics from poems that I jot down in my notes when I’m feeling inspired and other times It will simply be a melody and I will build lyrics around that. With “In the Dark” I wrote this song with a simple four chord progression. I then sat on it for a while until it got turned into a DNB track called “obsessed.” Crazy, right? [laughs] I didn’t release this version and instead decided to strip it right back and remake it with Calvin Bennet. I re-recorded all the vocals in my bedroom and together with Calvin Bennet made this song into my rawest track yet.

 

Q) Your newest single “Dawson Road” has an accompanying lyric visualizer. How does the visualizer play into the theme of the song?

A) The visualizer was filmed in a suburban house, and I wanted this to feel like childhood. I wanted to capture the normality of growing up in a family home. This was shot by Joel Baker.

 

Q) Your debut EP is titled Sidelined. What are some themes you will be exploring?

A) This EP was titled Sidelined because it was all of the songs that had been “Parked” or put on the “sideline” that I couldn’t quite give up on. I was once told by a label that these wouldn’t get radio play or playlisting and that I should focus more on “going viral on TikTok with something catchy” – yet every time I would post snippets of these songs on my Instagram or Tik Tok people would go wild for them. The track list is diverse and is bound to give you whiplash, but I feel this perfectly resembles me and my own personality. Sidelined isn’t just an EP – it’s a testament to all the people that were told their dreams were too vivid. To all the times they were told they didn’t fit the mold or were told to manipulate or bend their quirks to fit in with a construct. It’s a message to encourage people to express how they feel in a way that is authentic to them and to remind people that nobody can tell you the “right” way to creatively express something if it’s your story.

 

Q) The tracks released so far from this project are notably more acoustic compared to previous releases. Was that an important choice in your storytelling process? 

A) I feel like my voice can connect really well with a stripped undertone of a track. “In the Dark” was very stripped whereas “Dawson Road” I decided to add more elements and make it more of a band anthem that people can scream. The next single from the release “But I Lie” is very much going back to my roots with an Alt-pop vibe, some catchy synths and a ridiculously sexy guitar riff in the chorus. As the tracks are released you will notice as they start to pick up in energy a bit more. The last track on my EP is called “Shade on Your Name” and I purely put this in because I got bombarded with requests. This is a DNB track and is a polar opposite of Track 1 “Leave Perth.”

 

Q) “But I Lie” drops August 7th. LGBTQ+ representation in music is so important. Given the context of the song, what does it feel like to play a role in that representation? 

A) I think it’s important to always be authentic with how a scenario plays out. From a marketing perspective it would have been easier for me to change the storyline and make it a track about a love that may relate to more people but it goes against everything I believe and I will never hide/bend details for the sake of success. LGBTQ+ representation in modern music is extremely important to me and if my music can positively affect even one person and encourage people to speak and act in their truth then I’m happy. I put myself and my own feelings under a spotlight by putting out very intimate details of my life because I want people that don’t have the words for their own situations to be able to piggyback off of mine if they need to.

 

Q) Which song from the EP are you most excited to play live?

A) There is a song on the EP called “Hard Facts” and it is such a hard song to sing. It’s basically a rap and I lose breath every time I sing it, but I’ve managed to rehearse it so much that it flows smoothly now. In its core the song explains that you can blame your star sign for making you toxic or blame your upbringing or your ex for not treating you right but at the end of the day – it’s up to you how you carry that energy into your next situation.

 

Q) What do you hope lingers with listeners that explore Sidelined – either as a message or an emotion?

A) That just because someone gives their “opinion” on something doesn’t make it factual. If you do everything with love, express it authentically, stay in your lane and believe in yourself – the universe will support you and push you towards where you need to be.

 

Q) Who are some artists you would love to work with in the future?

A) I’m really banking on an “Allday X Hannah Stow” collab. I think that would slap. Tom, you up?

 

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of you and the music that you make?

A) This life and the ability to be able to put my music out, have people stream it, steal it ([laughs]or even come to my shows is wild. However you choose to support me, I will always be humbled by it and it’s something I never thought would be possible, so thank you.