Introducing Hartley, who makes a splash with her debut single, Used To

It seems that Brisbane's music scene is undergoing a revolution at the moment, with the city's front-runners in pop music - Cub Sport and Mallrat the two that come to mind first - joined by an incredible collection of up-and-comers which seem to grow every week, from Jaguar Jonze to Keelan Mak; both names which have become Pilerats favourites over the last twelve months. Hartley is another young artist navigating this bountiful music scene and coming out the other end as an artist-on-the-rise, taking a deep-dive into left-field pop music with her captivating debut single, Used To.

Despite being only out officially for a few weeks Used To has been quick to make a splash, and when listening to the track, it's not too hard to figure out why. It's a captivating synth-pop gem that showcases Hartley's multi-disciplinary skillset, from the self-produced quick-firing and slightly left-of-centre production rich with cloudy synth work to her captivating vocal, which soars over the top with tall-standing confidence that you'd expect from artists far beyond their first single. "Used To was a way for me to portray feelings of desire towards a person, it felt easier putting these thoughts into music rather than telling them face to face," she says on the single and you can hear that soft touch of romanticism in her vocal, and how it swells and moves amongst the rhythms with its sighing breaths and direct focus.

There's a lot to love in Used To and there'll be much more to love in Hartley as she continues to make herself and her vision known over the next twelve months, so dive into the track below, and better get to know her while you're at it underneath:

Tell us about yourself?

I’m a singer/songwriter/producer from Brisbane. I’ve been making songs for a while now in the peace of my own comfort zone - my bedroom - but I’m finally releasing them!

What’s the vibe music-wise?

If Wafia, Rudimental, and Lorde all had a child... I feel like I sit in that space. I’ve definitely been influenced by the pop music of my childhood like Avril Lavigne and Ellie Goulding, but I wanted to have a twist on my music to create something I hadn’t exactly heard before. Because I made the songs in my bedroom, it was fun being able to be experimental in the creative process without judgement. I never really know what style I’ll be writing in from day to day and I love the freedom of that.

What are your production and writing processes like?

I usually start with a message that I want to convey, or even just a cool word that I feel like has a good energy to it. After that, I stick to a chord progression or sample that I feel like captures that theme and I build the production around that on Ableton. I don’t have a super-specific vision from the start though, I usually just take it step by step based on what I’m feeling sounds right in the moment. Then I’ll record the first melody that comes into my head on my iPhone voice memos before I forget them, and later I’ll add lyrics and record them into the project.

Can you tell us about your new single, Used To?

Used To came about when I first discovered the world of music production. It was the first song I actually completed after a mountain of half-finished ideas that I’d given up on. I started with the chords and quickly brought in the drum and bass drum patterns to the drops and mix of genres just felt right to me. I was listening to a lot of intense drum and bass music at the time, as well as tropical house, so I guess I sub-consciously combined the two.

Any tour dates coming up?

I’m setting up my live show as we speak! I’m really keen to be able to showcase the songs in a live format. Performing my music and seeing people enjoy it face-to-face will be a whole new experience for me, I can’t wait.

What does the rest of 2019 have in store for you?

I have a bunch of songs to release throughout the rest of the year which is so surreal to me, they’re all my babies! So excited to see how people react to the music I’ve been keeping to myself all this time.

Where can we find more of your music?

Hidden in the depths of my computer! Stay tuned to hear them roll out throughout the rest of the year though.

Follow Hartley: FACEBOOK