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GUESTLIST EXCLUSIVE! Introducing: Hannah Eve
Thursday 29th November 2012 | Ruth
The Guestlist Network: Hi Hannah! How are you?
Hannah Eve: Hello! I’m good thanks; I’m in Portsmouth with family, nice to be away from big smoke for a few days!
TGN: So let’s talk about your recent set at Renegade Hardware! You're a classically trained singer, what made you want to sing D&B vocals and how did you go about getting into it?
HE: I think people are always surprised to hear that I am classically trained; it is quite unusual to come across classically trained singers in the D&B scene! But Drum & Bass has been a huge passion of mine and a big part of my life for a good few years, and it's always been very important to me as an artist to be involved in all different kinds of genres and not limit myself to one area of music. D&B is something that elates me and can make me giggle, jump for joy, and scream, and I just wanted to be a part of that. I got involved in the rave scene in London which helped me to make contacts; I then started working with Lynx which led to more opportunities, and that experience worked as a springboard for me to get more known in the scene.
TGN: One thing that struck me watching you was how confident you seemed - which was pretty impressive as it was your first live D&B gig! Do you think all your classical performances helped prepare you, even though it was a complete change of genre, audience and environment?
HE: Wow - really? I must admit, although I felt excited I was also very nervous, because it meant such a big deal to me as this is something I really want to be successful in! I wasn't used to performing in that environment which at first was difficult to adapt to – like hearing other tunes from Room 1 over my intro and getting used to the sound system and space, but actually I felt confident once I got used to my audience; the crowd was great and so supportive, which I fed off. I’ve had a great deal of performance opportunities with classical singing in so many different venues, and the best thing I've learnt from that is that things won't go perfectly, and the best thing is to keep going, have confidence in yourself, and respond to your audience. I'm very privileged to have performed in some amazing places with so many talented musicians, I just feel lucky that I can adapt quite easily to different kinds of musicians and scenarios. Music is music and I love that I can use all my previous experience to now bring a different element to D&B.
TGN: That’s what I really liked that about your performance - you don’t see live D&B vocalists very often, and it did add a different and interesting ingredient to the set. Is that something you think is important to keep D&B evolving, mixing it up with new elements like this? Do you think that having live singing will help expand the audience of D&B and attract new fans?
HE: You don't see that many live vocal performances in Drum & Bass and I do think it's really important - you can’t beat a sick DJ doing a banging set with a heavy sound system, but actually having live musicians performing over a set adds something so interesting and dynamic, whether that's a singer or a saxophonist/guitarist/brass player, it could introduce something more personal and melodic. Not that D&B doesn’t have that, but to someone who doesn’t know anything about D&B perhaps they would find it more appealing and accessible, and so help it to expand to a larger audience.
TGN: How do you prepare for a set like that? Do you know what tracks you’re going to be singing over, and what lyrics you’re going to use?
HE: I really wasn't sure how to prepare for it, but Kirsty [Kyrist] sent me the tracks that she thought she would play and I tried to prep something over it, but when we met in person we completely changed that! It was much easier to prepare together with Kirsty, and I just kind of went with what I thought fit. I actually started with a jazz standard and then used all my own lyrics and melodies that I've already written over different D&B tunes. It was a challenge for me to combine my songs over quite dark D&B, so I also just used elements of the tunes Kirsty played and improvised around them. To be honest I was expecting to stick to what I'd prepared but a great deal of my performance ended up being improvised, through how I felt at the time and what the audience wanted. I was surprised how I just went with it and felt it, I just kind of gave myself and my own personal musical sense to the performance and I was happy people responded well to that!
TGN: So you write your own lyrics as well then?
HE: Yeah, usually I’ll be sent a beat and I’ll come up with a melody first; I usually can hear quite a lot of different melodies over a tune, and once I’ve nailed that, then I'll prep some lyrics . A few times I've been given lyrics to work with but actually most of the time if I am inspired by an idea or some sort of theme I can come up with something fairly decent that people can relate to.
TGN: Is that the stuff you’re doing with Lynx?
HE: Yeah stuff I've done with Lynx, a few other up and coming producers, some who I've met through the scene in general and now more so through contacts I've been given though Syrenz D&B. I’m so proud that I had the opportunity to represent such a dynamic label at such a huge night, it meant a huge deal to me! I want to say a massive big up to Lisa Nyx, Kyrist and Syrenz for giving me this amazing opportunity – I’m so grateful for it.
TGN: Lynx is such a massive artist, how did you get hooked up with him?
HE: Well actually Lynx is from Portsmouth, my home town, and my brother knows the guy he's working with and mentioned I sang; then they sent a track, I sang over it and they liked it and it went from there basically. After that he gave me more stuff to work on. It’s been a really great starting point for me.
TGN: So what’s next for Hannah Eve vocal artist? Can we expect you at any more events soon? What are your plans for moving all this forward?
HE: Well I have a good few tracks being released in be new year with different producers, including all my work with Lynx which will be released in 2013. I am working on a 4-track EP with Syrenz and after my performance at Renegade I was told it would be happening again! So onwards and upwards from here I hope - fingers crossed anyway! And I'm keeping up the classical singing so you'll probably catch me singing a few carols this Christmas!
TGN: If you had to choose, would you want to do more D&B vocals or classical? Or do you think it’s important as an artist to do a variety of different stuff to give you good experience /bring a little something different to both genres?
HE: I'm so happy that I can do both, it is extremely important to me to be involved in different genres and keep my options open I guess, and I'm so happy and lucky that I can do that and I don't see why I can't be involved in both. If I had to choose I want to be more actively involved in D&B because it’s a bigger passion of mine, I am more involved in the scene and it is more accessible. I love going back to my classical roots but in terms of what I really really love and what elates me and excites me - that's Drum & Bass. I'm obsessed!
TGN: Finally, what advice would you give other aspiring D&B singers on how to get into the scene?
HE: I think it’s about having patience, being passionate, confident and also just making sure you go to big nights, talk to people and introduce yourself. There are so many talented producers, DJs, label managers and well-connected people at raves, it's just about being confident and talking to people as you never know who'll you'll meet. I wouldn't be here without the contacts I've made at these nights, where people know their music and the scene well. I think it’s quite amazing really seeing that that's literally how I got started – I worked on the basis that I was trained classically and I find it amazing people took me seriously with that!
TGN: Thanks Hannah! Loads of luck with everything and we’re really excited to see what the New Year holds for you!
You can keep up to date on everything Hannah's doing here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hannah-Eve-OReilly-Vocal-Artist/163889330337458?ref=ts&fref=ts
And with Syrenz here: https://www.facebook.com/syrenz.dnb
By Ruth Stewart
