Hannah Grae is a Welsh rock musician from Port Talbot. Several of her works have gone viral online, and she released a mini-album, Hell Is a Teenage Girl, in April 2023. She is a member of Loud LDN.
Hannah Grae | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Musician |
| Member of | Loud LDN |
Life and career
editEarly life
editGrae was born in Port Talbot, and has a brother.[1] Her parents worked as a drama teacher and in the film industry.[2] Growing up, she was a fan of Hannah Montana, having first developed interest through a shared given name, and found her double life as a schoolgirl by day and a popstar by night aspirational; from her, she became a fan of Taylor Swift.[1] She later became a fan of Justin Bieber when she was ten. She was inspired to make her own music after watching an episode of Friends in which Phoebe Buffay wrote a song; her first work was a song called "The Chicken Song", and her first works were acoustic piano-based songs.[2]
She later took over her father's studio; in a September 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, she stated that her father had built it in her garden seven years earlier, that it started off as his office but turned into a Ninjutsu studio, and that they had to soundproof it after her brother's band took over the cabin and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council complained.[3] She later diversified into rock-based cover versions and reworkings,[2] such as a version of Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" from the perspective of her ex-boyfriend's new partner.[3] In 2021, she uploaded an anti-sexual harassment parody of Aqua's "Barbie Girl" to YouTube and TikTok, which went viral on both platforms, with commenters treating the comments section as a safe space and sharing their own stories of abuse; moved by the response, she began composing original songs.[2]
Hell Is a Teenage Girl and Nothing Lasts Forever
editGrae's debut single, released in September 2022, was "Propaganda", a song about the pressures of social media.[4] In November, she released "Time of Your Life", a song about adolescent issues, alongside a video filmed in a Port Talbot comprehensive school.[5] She then released the singles "I Never Say No" and "Hell Is a Teenage Girl",[6] the latter of which took its name from a line in Jennifer's Body (2009),[7] and then in April 2023, she released "Jaded", an attempt at writing about feelings of inferiority in relationships; all five singles appeared on her mini-album Hell Is a Teenage Girl,[6] which she released later that month,[8] and intended as a riposte to her bullies.[9] After she finished writing Hell Is a Teenage Girl, she took a five-month break, during which time she moved to London,[3] doing so in January 2022;[2] she resumed writing as a way of distracting herself from external pressures.[3]
Her next single, "Screw Loose", was released on 25 August 2023, and was written about feelings of confusion in her new surroundings;[2] the following day, she and Nieve Ella performed at Reading Festival.[10] In September 2023, she then released "It Could've Been You", a pop-punk record[11] about heartbreak which had previously been teased on TikTok and gone viral, and which NME likened to Blink-182's "All the Small Things" with lyrics "similar to Paramore’s "Misery Business";[12] a music video was filmed at The George Tavern, and was released in October 2023.[13] For Halloween, she released "Who Dunnit?", an experimental song about not being taken seriously accompanied by a music video,[14] and in December 2023, she appeared on Dork's Hype List.[15] She announced her second mini-album, Nothing Lasts Forever, in February 2024, and released "Better Now You're Gone" at the same time,[16] releasing the mini-album the month after.[17] In May 2024, she released "New Temptation", which she wrote towards the end of writing Nothing Lasts Forever, and "Aeroplane Jelly".[18]
Artistry
editHell Is a Teenage Girl was inspired by Paramore, My Chemical Romance, Queen, and Taylor Swift.[2] In an interview with The Line of Best Fit in September 2023, Grae cited the honesty of Alanis Morissette as a "huge influence"; the piece also noted that Grae's music was "littered with female influences, from Swift’s songwriting sentimentalities and melodic prowess to the energy of No Doubt" [sic], and sported "a powerful vocal dexterity that, at its highest reaches, carries echoes of [...] Hayley Williams and [...] Demi Lovato".[1] When writing "It Could've Been You", she referenced Bowling for Soup, Green Day, Paramore, American Hi-Fi, Avril Lavigne, Mean Girls and Shrek,[11] and when writing "Who Dunnit?", she was initially inspired by "Heart of Glass" by Blondie.[14] For some of her songs, she writes as her influences, imagining what Swift or Morissette would write about a particular topic.[1] She is a member of Loud LDN,[19] a collective of London-based women and genderqueer musicians founded in May 2022.[20]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Hannah Grae is on the rise | Interview". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Shutler, Ali (25 August 2023). "Hannah Grae: "I wanted to take over the world. I still want to"". Dork. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d Wilkes, Emma (6 September 2023). "Meet Hannah Grae, the fledgling rock hero who wants to take over the world". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ "1883 On rotation: Generation Feral, girli, Ethan James". 1883 Magazine. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ "Hannah Grae Releases Relatable New Track 'Time Of Your Life'". Rock Sound. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ a b Ackroyd, Stephen (6 April 2023). "Hannah Grae has unveiled a new single, 'Jaded'". Dork. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ "Hannah Grae On Pop Punk Influences & 'It Could've Been You' | Breakout". Rock Sound. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ Ryan, Gary (7 June 2023). "10 emerging acts you can't afford to miss at Sziget 2023". NME. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ "Hannah Grae - 'Hell Is A Teenage Girl'". When The Horn Blows. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ Shutler, Ali (26 August 2023). "Nieve Ella and Hannah Grae both show they're set for big things at Reading 2023". Dork. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ a b Taylor, Sam (29 September 2023). "Hannah Grae takes inspiration from Avril Lavigne, American Hi-Fi and more for her new pop-punk tune, 'It Could've Been You'". Dork. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ Campbell, Erica (3 October 2023). "New Bangers: Hannah Grae – 'It Could've Been You'". NME. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ Taylor, Sam (19 October 2023). "Hannah Grae has released a video for her new pop-punk tune, 'It Could've Been You'". Dork. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Hannah Grae drops new Halloween single, Who Dunnit?". Kerrang!. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ Shutler, Ali (15 December 2023). "Hype List 2024: Hannah Grae: "I want people to feel alive when they listen to my music"". Dork. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ "Hannah Grae announces mini album, Nothing Lasts Forever". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Sam (15 March 2024). "Hannah Grae has released her new mini-album, 'Nothing Lasts Forever'". Dork. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ "Hannah Grae unveils two new singles, "New Temptation" and "Aeroplane Jelly"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ "proud is an understatement! Congrats to our members who've been placed on @readdork 2024 hypelist! ⭐️ excited to see what 2024 has to offer 🎸". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ ""We're taking over the scene": meet Loud LDN, dance music's most vibrant new collective". NME. 19 December 2022. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.