hemlocke springs springs into sydney!
Words by Ava Lau
Photos by Elise Abotomey
The ever so harmonic hemlocke springs leaped into Sydney following a momentous day at Sydney Laneway Music Festival. Prior to her first Sydney headlined show, at the notable Oxford Art Factory, we had the opportunity to chat with the vibrant newcomer.
After bursting onto the music scene with viral single ‘gimme all ur love’, hemlocke springs has quickly established herself as one of the most innovative new talents in alternative pop. Following the outstanding success of her eagerly awaited debut EP ‘going...going...GONE!’, the Medical Informatics graduate is a testament that pursuing our academic interests doesn’t mean that our creative facets must cease.
Perched together on a couch in her hotel, I had the opportunity to sit and talk with her about her whirlwind music career so far, the polarity of academic and creative pursuits, and taking opportunities as they come.
Pleaser: Around this time last year not all of your family were completely aware of your shift into music, how was it telling them about your move into a music career?
hemlocke springs: I think my Dad is still confused but I don’t blame him because I’m also a little confused. He’s definitely more accepting now and I think my Mum is a bit more forward, as in she’ll show photos and videos of me to the handymen that come to the house and tell them “this is my daughter!” *laughs. I feel like there are people I still haven’t told but for the people I have told I feel very blessed.
P: So when it came to sharing your music online what was it about ‘gimme all ur love’ that made you not delete it straight away like you did with others?
H: Honestly, it was just because people saw it. When I first uploaded the second video that’s when people started seeing it, and at that point I was just like I’ll do these silly little things and I’ll get it out of my system and then I’ll delete it and it will be fine. Then with that one, overnight Grimes had seen it and commented on it. I could have still taken it down but at that point I was like what is going on? The excitement of it all pushed me to put it out.
P: Do you believe the pandemic served as a catalyst for your career or do you believe you were always going to take the leap with music?
H: I feel like the pandemic was when TikTok really blew up so I feel like without the pandemic I wouldn’t be here now, I would still be making music but I don’t think people would know me, which is interesting to think about.
P: Was your interest in making music spurred by teaching yourself Garageband?
H: I started on Garageband in late high school and then went into undergrad and spent money I didn’t have on Logic. I would have to search up on Youtube how to do certain things and then you realise you can search up so many things that you just need to figure it out for yourself and do it. I started on my own using the keyboard to make a pattern and I would just see where that would take me.
P: How did you find compiling one body of work such as the EP?
H: I think that it’s more of an intuition thing now because my intuition sucks but particularly with songs sometimes I often take from different parts of songs I’ve done and put it together, sometimes I try to force it and my intuition will be off it. Sometimes you know you’re almost there when you know where it needs to go but you don’t know how to get there. I have found I just have to keep writing until it all feels right.
P: Do you find that your writing is influenced by where you are and do you miss your hometown and your own spaces for inspiration?
H: I think I have trouble touring, and feel like I’m always getting sick. Seeing fans from computer to real life has been really rewarding and I love that part of touring and everything else can go to hell *laughs. When it comes to songwriting, I still write when touring, but in my mind I’m just getting something out there and I know it might not be involved in a project or be the next project but at least I’m getting something out. Or sometimes I think I don’t really have anything and that’s fine, just put the laptop away or don’t put it away and watch anime *laughs.
P: Your intuition definitely hasn’t failed you so far and you are such a well-rounded artist in all aspects of who you are. Have you found it easy to attract people in the industry who support your personal interests and choices?
H: People who are on the team understand that being myself is how I got to where I am today so once I started getting more corporate aspects involved I didn’t mind but whenever it comes to music it’s kind of a dealbreaker. Even TikTok, I try to keep doing what I want because I think people can tell when it’s not genuine. I really love the people on my team and they can also see that sometimes people can tell when things are a bit corporate and when you’re doing videos to hit the algorithm and go viral. Something I’ve had to get over was even after this viral moment, what’s next? I’ve had to set boundaries when it comes to my music and how special it is to me and then voicing where I need help on the business side of things.
P: It’s really easy when you’re focusing on study and college to abandon any semblance of creativity, how do you believe you managed to maintain expressing that aspect of yourself and was writing a priority for you?
H: It used to be I would put certain time towards it but as I got more through my undergrad and then grad school, I just started just doing it. It was between undergrad and grad school the pandemic happened and everybody was and probably is still depressed *laughs and at a certain point I would just think if I do this assignment, another assignment will still be waiting for me so I’ll just do music and then two assignments will be waiting for me. At a certain point I just made music regardless if I had the time or not, I would just step away and take the time to do something that I wanted to for a change. I’ve always had an interest in music and wanting to create, honestly just to do something other than assignments.
P: In saying that and feeling that constant chase towards assignments, do you feel a different sense of achievement from your creative pursuits in music compared to your academic pursuits?
H: I feel the same level of fulfilment with both things honestly. I feel like when I complete an assignment I feel just as good and fulfilled as when I complete a song. Or if I don’t do an assignment and I’m failing a class I feel just as bad when I can’t make a song or when I feel I make something bad. It’s interesting because there was a point where it was almost like I had to choose to do my PHD or see where music would take me and I was actually leaning towards the PHD as that’s what I was planning to do my whole life. It wasn’t until some of my grad friends told me to take the opportunity. The pandemic also added to the “why not?” of it all. I’m very proud and really excited to be discovering this new pathway that I didn’t think I would be on.
If you missed hemlocke springs whilst she was in Australia, her EP going…going…GONE! is out now!
PLEASER ISSUE 4 COMING SOON
