From Poland to Hollywood: an Interview with Hania
[UNPUBLISHED:] Tell us about your song “Hollywood” and how you came up with it.
[HANIA:] I wrote the song back in November last year and for some reason it stood out from the rest of that time. Around March I wanted to take it to a producer for a long time but I connected with John. He's actually based in LA, so I was there and we worked on the song together. The idea behind it, I wanted to write about something that I saw happening a lot. I feel like a lot of people around me are ending a chapter and a lot of people are growing apart in a way and they're just splitting their ways and I just observed this conflict between them: choosing if they should listen to their heart or if they should follow their career goals and I feel that too. There's a lot of questions in me regarding God as well. So it's definitely not anything uncommon. When I was writing the song I saw this scene in my head for some reason. This scene of a couple driving, just driving away and it was kind of like they left together but they know that they're going in a direction where it's not going to be beneficial for the relationship. I pulled through that image of a thriller movie like Basic Instinct. I wanted to capture a sense of suspensefulness to it and mystery. Actually my first idea for the track was much denser and happier but when I talked with John, the producer of the track, he wanted to actually take the song to that mystery kind of lyrical direction. That's what it ended up being and I'm really happy with that.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How did you first get into music?
[HANIA:] When I was really young it started. My mom saw some potential in me and she was very happy to support me through it. She was very supportive and started taking me to piano lessons and then some time went by and around the age of eight I asked my mom to give me a guitar, because I really wanted to play guitar for some reason, and she did. Then I started taking guitar lessons, then played piano for some time again and I would always sing along to it. From there I started writing and it was like a snowball, it was just rolling through. I was in school but I was always thinking about music. I didn't have music classes in school so when it came around for me to decide what I wanted to do after high school I knew I really wanted to try so I left for Berklee in Boston.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Which musicians have inspired you to make music?
[HANIA:] In the very beginning I definitely had a big Erykah Badu phase. That was the first time when I was like, wow, music is more than just what teachers are telling me. I felt like it was just a feeling, an energy, and I found something more in it than just notes. Right now I'm definitely obsessed with Alina Baraz, when I heard her Urban Flora record I was just head over heels. I've been loving Sabrina Claudio. Also pop writers like Olivia O'Brien, I really like her.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How would you describe the music that you typically create?
[HANIA:] A crossover of alternative pop and alternative R&B. It's definitely more of that Lo-Fi chill mellow type of music. It's just the energy that I tend to project. I have been liking some 80’s sounds and I feel like there are some things that come and go in music, just like in fashion and makeup, there are things that come and go and I like having fun with those things. I try to not limit myself, I want to be an artist and have a clear image of what I am. I let myself try some things out.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is your creative process like when it comes to creating a song?
[HANIA:] It depends on who I'm working with. As far as it goes with Hollywood, I started with a little demo I created. I use a software, Logic Pro, because it's very simple so I plug my mic in, I plug a keyboard in, and I doodle around a little bit on the keyboard, and see what I vibe with. Then I come up with some hook ideas, something that I feel could go somewhere. Then I make around a minute, minute and a half demo and I listen back to it later. I always let it sit because it's really easy to get excited over something like that. In the moment you're like, “Oh my god this is great”, and then it's just not. So, I give it a rest and then I listen back, and if I really resonate with it I usually wanna take it somewhere and actually finish writing it. From the demo, I send it to a producer or I sit with the producer in the room and we listen and we create.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How has quarantine affected your natural ability to make music?
[HANIA:] It's definitely been an interesting time and I know a lot of people have been struggling mentally and I have definitely, it hasn't been easy. It's just intense, it’s an intense situation. I have a roommate who's into music, he does a lot of music so we invested in a little home studio situation. We've been, in a way, making music. I've been having a lot of time to do it and he's really into it so we've been sitting down and recording and I've ended up with a lot of material. There are some days where I just don't want to even think about doing it because days blend into each other and it's hard to like even imagine getting out of the situation. But it's been good for me, just having this time and really discovering a new thing I have going on with Sergio. After “Hollywood” I will be releasing something that we’ve created together and I’m very excited about it because we would never have invested the time into it. There are good things that came out of it, really.
[UNPUBLISHED:] If you could collaborate with any artists, living or dead, who would you pick, and why?
[HANIA:] I thought about this Kali Uchis and Tame Impala collaboration. Dang, to do a song with Tame Impala, I would die. He's amazing, I'm really really into this stuff. I would just love to collaborate with him because I feel like he would bring so much, he has such an established sound and artistry I feel like it would be very interesting to blend into something.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Who are you currently listening to right now?
[HANIA:] I have an 80’s playlist that I'm rotating pretty heavily. Something about it, there's something very nostalgic and the whole 80’s aesthetic is summery. I'm feeling both like I want summer to happen but I'm feeling nostalgic because I feel like it's not gonna happen so it's been resonating with me. Alina Baraz has just dropped an album, I have been listening to that. Dua Lip’s new album, also been listening to that and Harry Styles has been like killing it. That new music video for Watermelon Sugar, It's pretty cool, I love the video.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is the best advice you would give to someone who wants to break into the music industry?
[HANIA:] You know, I would love some advice. I don't know myself, I barely know what I'm doing. There's so much advice out there and it kind of blocked me in the past, I felt overwhelmed with how much feedback people have. I feel like sometimes listening to less advice is better and just do something that makes you happy.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What can we expect from you next?
[HANIA:] Since the quarantine happened I've had a lot of time so I have decided to release an EP, at the end of summer beginning of fall. Still looking into the whole planning and the dates, I'm very excited about that. As of now, just more music, my options are a little limited, there's a lot of things that were canceled due to the situation. Right now it's still too early to plan anything else other than just like sitting at home and doing what I can do.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Other than taking music lessons and writing songs, what other aspects of your childhood and your overall upbringing and culture affected your music and do you find it still impacting the kind of music that you're making?
[HAINA:] I grew up in rural Poland so there was barely anything around me. So I definitely feel the urge to go back home a lot and just let myself be free when I'm at home. It's kind of new for me to live in a city. When I'm at home I get to really really let myself go and do whatever I want and walk around me, like, barefoot, not naked. The deep connection I have with not having the restrictions on me. I do miss home, I like right now, I really feel like the urge to go back home and it's still something that inspires me because I feel like as an artist, you just need to like shut down your inner critic and your inner voices and literally allow yourself to whatever.