Following her recent success of her song, ‘No Gravity’ being featured on Grey’s Anatomy, UK based artist, Hannah Scott joins us to talk all about her album release, ‘Drawn To Darkness’.
Hannah is an emotive songwriter, who works with creative partner Stefano Della Casa (Ultra Music Publishing) to blend sounds of organise live instrumentation and electronic sounds for a unique signature style.
In her late teenage years, Hannah spent a year living in Tuscany, Italy.. This experience was a life shaping period for Hannah and much of her songwriting inspiration is drawn from these experiences. It is also the place where she and Stefano first met.. in a Tuscany train station where he was working at the time.
As you begin to listen to the 8 track album, you are immediately in awe with the striking and beautiful vocals of Hannah, combined with the more electronic harmonies within the first title track, ‘Drawn To Darkness’.
Throughout the album, you are continually faced with this perfectly balanced blend of the organic and the produced sound, along with a blend of emotion and a ‘just want to dance’ feel.
Take the time to listen through this album and you will truly be inspired!
You can listen to ‘Drawn To Darkness’ below:
Tell us a little about who Hannah Scott is in everyday life.
I would describe myself as a sensitive, creative person, hard-working and organised.
I love my family and friends and would do anything for the people I’m close to.
As well as writing and releasing music I teach piano and I enjoy sharing my passion for music with the next generation.
What was it that first got you into music?
My Dad asked me if I’d like to learn the piano when I was about 4 and when I said yes, he bought a second hand upright piano from a guy in the pub for £70.
That piano saw me all the way through to Grade 8…
I was brought up very much on classical music but by the time I hit my teens I started to discover artists I still listen to today such as Counting Crows and soon after I bought an old acoustic guitar from a friend, learnt a few chords and started writing my own songs.
You spent a year living on an olive press in Tuscany, Italy.. how has this shaped your journey in life and in your music?
That year was so important to me.
I always say it sounds cheesy but I really did arrive there as a girl and left as a young woman.
So much happened that year – I lived alone for the first time, built a life from scratch and fell in love for the first time.
I think there is a small piece of Italy in every song I write.
The experience really has seeped its way into my very being and therefore into my writing.
You have released your new album, ‘Drawn to Darkness’. tell us a little about how this album came about.
My collaborator, co-writer and producer, Stefano Della Casa and I decided we would start working on a new record in the summer of 2019.
We had written a few songs following the release of my previous album, Pieces of the Night in 2018 and decided we would start working on their production.
We were lucky to be awarded a grant from Help Musicians UK towards the end of 2019 and not long after we went into lockdown…
Instead of feeling defeated that the album release would be undoubtedly put back, we released a series of singles throughout 2020 and supported these by regularly live streaming.
We finally finished the record in the summer of 2021 and we funded the print and a forthcoming video thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign.
What do the songs on the album mean to you?
Each song means something a little different to be honest and I could take a very long time to answer this question!
Collectively I feel like they are reflective of the human condition and that they represent where I am as an artist and writer right now.
Although they were written across a number of years, they feel like they fit together in one body of work.
You worked on the album with a long-standing creative partner, Stefano Della Casa (Ultra Music Publishing).. how has working with Stefano impacted the way you create your music?
I genuinely believe working with Stefano has made me into a better writer.
Working with someone who has a much broader range of talents (the man can write and produce music in literally any style) has definitely helped me broaden my own horizons.
I think working together also makes us more likely to discard something which is “just OK” – we are very honest with each other and regularly tell the other we can do better.
That pushes us to make each song the best it can be.
What is your creative process like, when you are creating your music?
When Stefano and I write together, either one of us will bring an idea to the table that we then work to expand together or we will jam together until one of us plays something that the other likes.
Generally we write the music together first, possibly around a lyric idea or hook and then I take the music away and write the words.
When I write alone it varies – sometimes I write the words and melody alongside each other, sometimes I write the music first. I never have a complete lyric before the music though!
Has there been anything along the releasing process that you would do differently next time?
Hopefully next time we won’t have a global pandemic to deal with in the middle of the process!
I think Stefano and I have decided to regularly release music going forwards, rather than deciding we are going to record an album and then having the pressure of having to complete 8+ songs from scratch while there are many other things going on in our lives – we both have other jobs and commitments.
But in the end, this album kind of worked out that way anyway!
What would success in your music look like to you?
Definitely different to the success I would have imagined in my early twenties when I was just starting out…!
Back then it was probably being top of the charts and filling stadiums.
Now I would like to be able to make the music I want to make, hear more of my music in TV and film and be able to play regular live shows in intimate venues where the music I make can really be appreciated.
And to make my living from those things.
Is there any message that you would like to share with your audience?
To the people who have been following me for a while – thank you for your ongoing support and for sharing this journey with me.
To those who may be discovering my music for the first time, I hope you enjoy listening!
Where can people go to find your music?
My website, www.hannahscott.co.uk is a good place to start and there are links to streaming platforms to listen to the album and to my social media
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.