Hartley reclaims power on new single ‘Own’
Brisbane’s Hartley is the latest budding talent to keep your ears peeled for. Brewing together lyrical sincerity, a vast synth palette and silvery, gleaming vocals, Hartley is destined to become one of pop’s next luminaries.
Coming off two 2019 releases; ‘Used To’ and ‘Mind’, Hartley makes room for her third single this year. Her newest single ‘Own’ marks a tonal shift in the Brisbane bred musician’s music catalogue. Yet again, providing her lustrous, scintillating vocal, the contrast comes from her sturdy and unperturbed lyricism and chilling, crunchy sonics.
To Hartley, ‘Own’ is a “statement people can relate to in terms of mental health and in terms of female artists in the industry”. A direct translation of what she “was mainly struggling with at the time” of writing, ‘Own’ is a liberation from toxicity to rally around.
We chat to Hartley about igniting her journey as a musician and the road to ‘Own’.
Hartley reroutes with a heavier ambience to her past two tracks. ‘Own’ diverges greatly from previous releases ‘Mind’ and ‘Used To’.
When did that song come along relative to the other two?
‘Mind’ and ‘Used To’ are more light-hearted. ‘Own’ came about as more of a mentally powering statement which is really different from the others. I was in a time of my life where I was changing, and I felt like I had to grow. I was surrounded by people at the time that I didn’t feel loved enough or respected enough by.
They were questioning what I was doing with music. All kinds of relationships like that [existed]. After feeling grief about that, I decided it was time to make the change by myself and do it by myself. I wasn’t going to expect that from anyone else anymore and it was up to me to give myself the love I was wanting. You can’t wait around for anyone else!
The narrative throughout the three tracks appears fluid and natural. ‘Used To’ begins as a song about love in its infancy, ‘Mind’ transitions to having a dependency on others, then tying in the theme is ‘Own’, centring on the prospect of relying on yourself.
Did you mean for the songs to take that chronological shape and order? I like your analysis! I did mean for ‘Own’ to have a moment of difference. You’re right, and I actually wrote the songs in that order as well. I started the idea for ‘Own’ quite a while ago, and then came back to it when I’d grown more. I added lyrics to that. I think that’s why the lyrics are so powerful for ‘Own’, because I wrote it over a period of time and growth. I did write it in chronological order.
‘Own’ possesses a BANKS resemblance in its empowering message, and layers with seductive, darker sounds.
Is she someone you drew on in that time?
She so is. Particularly in that time. She’s really self-empowering as well. She’s not afraid to be dark. She’s inspired me to be darker and not think about how I was represented or coming off. If you start thinking about that, that’s what is going to stunt you. I did have thoughts of, ‘this is so different from what I’ve done before’, but you listen to BANKS’ songs and she has all kinds of emotions thrown around the place. She’s a huge inspiration.
Do you think that being brave and being outspoken is something usually in your nature?
I definitely [am not usually outspoken]. I’m usually pretty introverted and quiet. People have described me as being mysterious and hard to figure out. I’m not extroverted and don’t always say what I mean. That’s why I find it easy when a song has one particular meaning and I can just talk about that and say as much as I feel about that. I don’t necessarily want everyone to know about [these things], but I guess that’s what happens when you release a song. Everyone finds out.
Is it almost an opportunity to play pretend?
Yeah! You can play a bit of a character for those three minutes. You can represent a different part of yourself for those three minutes.
Because there’s such opposing ideas and sounds between your last releases and ‘Own’, do you see yourself as more of the ‘Own’ character or the personality in the other songs?
I’m a pretty deep and emotional person, so I lean more towards the ‘Own’ side of things. I think so deeply, and I overanalyse everything. Nothing is simple to me.
Where does that depth come from?
I think it comes from life experience. Some people are really good at blocking out those emotions, but I have no choice but to face up to them. I wish I had some cool answer! Like I read some big books when I was little, but that’s not it.
But nonetheless, you’re still breaking those barriers through the music. Exactly! Luckily, I can do it through song writing. It usually takes me a while to write the song. I have to get through a lot of emotions and the thick of it before I can put it into words. I find it really hard. I’m not a musician that can just sit down and write a song in the moment. It’s hard to translate those feelings for a while.
What about sound? Where does that come into play?
It’s different for each song. For ‘Own’ the words came first. I was having a deep shower thought and I was like, ‘I need to put these feelings into a song’. I wrote the chorus of ‘Own’ in the shower. I didn’t have too much of a melody at the time because I didn’t have a backing track to base it off. I took the words and created chords on Ableton, then created the beat I really wanted to go with it, which has three kicks in the bar.
With ‘Mind’ and ‘Used To’, they both started with the chords in the song, and then I decided on the concept after hearing the kind of energy the song had.
Do you have a preference?
I’m happy with both! I do find that when I start with lyrics first, it’s because I’m feeling something really strongly. The songs will then turn own darker and more powerful, which is interesting. When I start with sounds, I’m usually going to create something more fun, and then put lyrics to them depending on how I feel about it.
Reflecting back on older music you’ve created, I noticed that your voice has gone through a transition somewhat. It’s distinctly airier, and almost sounds more free.
Would you say that the evolution of your voice is something you’ve noticed?
I think my voice has matured. I haven’t consciously changed the tone of my voice, but when I listen back to that song, I can hear that it’s much younger. Now, I have more of a grasp of how to perform in a studio and into a professional microphone. When I recorded ‘Skin’, I had no idea what I was doing, and I didn’t know how what my voice was doing was going to translate into Ableton. That was a big learning experience.
Debut single ‘Used To’ was reworked from its original form to its current format.
I couldn’t find the older ‘Used To’, but what did you add or change in it to bring it into its new phase?
We didn’t change too much. We kept the same vocal recording and didn’t change too much in the production. The major change came when I worked with Cassian. I sat in the studio with him and he just knew what he had to do. He mixed it and had this vision in mind for it. It took him a day and it sounded like a different song to me. I don’t know if it’s actually that obvious, but when you play them side by side, the difference is just beautiful. It blew our minds when he showed us the before and after.
Has Cassian been on board for ‘Own’?
He’s been on board for all three songs which is great. I was so excited that he was even happy to do one song, let alone all of my songs. That was huge. Now they all sound sonically in the same realm.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve taken from being in a partnership with someone else and recording in a studio?
I’ve somehow gotten really comfortable with the studio environment really quickly. I’ve had a lot of time in Studios 301 in Sydney. There’s not too much different in terms of my creative process because I still do everything in my bedroom and nothing’s changed.
It’s good because I think that’s my favourite still. It’s really good to have a proper microphone to record on. Collaborating is really new to me and it’s something that takes some practice because it can be really intimidating. You can worry about every little thing coming out of your mouth, but I love it.
Do you think you’ve grown to appreciate that second opinion?
Yes, I have. There’s so many opinions floating around, so it’s really hard to know which ones to listen to. Then, coming back to my bedroom and being by myself and only having my own opinion is a difference now. I have to be like, ‘no, my opinion is enough’.
That’s a big link to ‘Own’, in that you need to really support yourself. Exactly! I have to reference that song a lot.
‘Own’ truly is an empowering message to release into the public sphere, reminding people of the way they are consumed in relationships.
I’m so glad. I hope other people can relate to it as well. When I was writing it, I was writing it only for myself, but I realised it’s something most people need to hear.
Is that a case with a lot of the music? Do you think most of your songs will see the light of day?
I think they probably will. It’s one of those things where you get really nervous before you release it. You don’t want people to hear your most intimate thoughts, but you have to have no fear because I know people will be able to relate to it.
Will the songs following ‘Own’ take on that trajectory a bit more?
I do have more songs coming in the ‘Own’ style, which I’m really excited about. I like having light and dark in my range.
Lastly, what’s next for you after ‘Own’?
I have lots of single releases planned next and a live show coming together which I’m so excited about. We’ve been talking about doing some really cool first performances. I have to be patient with that, but that’s what’s coming.
Is live performance aspect newer for you than the creating music aspect?
The live part is so new to me. The thought of it still scares me. It’s one of those things where I just have to rip the band aid off and do it. It’s way more out of my comfort zone than anything to do with the studio or releasing music. But, it’s a good thing and a great thing to learn… I’m trying to make it as creative as possible because I want to be doing more than just singing, so I’m trying to brainstorm the most creative and interesting ways to do that.