Explore the haunting world of Hana Piranha as she delves into the profound influences behind her music, from a turbulent upbringing to the therapeutic nature of raw, candid expression.
1. Your music is often described as being driven by
nightmares, loneliness, and dark desires. Can you share more about the creative
forces that influence your songwriting?
My songwriting is a very sincere documentation of my journey through life. I’ve
always found navigating the world a difficult thing and writing songs has
always helped me to find the language I need to make more sense of this. For
this reason, it sometimes feels like life imitates art - I won’t know what I’m
feeling until I’ve written about it and songs can often trawl up deep wounds.
I’ve also often struggled to communicate what I’m feeling and, again,
songwriting helps me do this in the most articulate way I’m able to.
2. Growing up as the daughter of a Catholic priest and being born during a
hurricane seems like quite an unusual background. How has your upbringing and
early life experiences shaped your music and artistic identity?
I feel like my arrival into the world was simultaneously accidental and also
very “deliberate”. I had a strict Catholic, academic and musical upbringing but
my family are also quite unconventional and I was always encouraged to think
for myself and be creative - so all of this has kind of stretched me in
opposing directions, I guess contributing to my feeling of strangeness within
the world.
3. Moving from New Zealand to England at a young age to pursue a career as a
concert violinist is a significant journey. What led to your decision to
transition from classical music to your unique style of artistry?
I got to a certain age where I realised that I didn’t want to work this hard
just to express myself within the rules and confines of classical music. (This
is certainly not knocking classical music and the people who make it - I’m a
huge classical music fan!) But by the end of my teenage years I had all this
angst and darkness inside of me that felt like poison needing to come out and
that required a different musical approach altogether. At the time it felt like
the ultimate rebellion!
4. Your music is often characterized as disturbing and turbulent. How do you
find the balance between pushing artistic boundaries and maintaining an
emotional connection with your audience?
I feel like the kind of people who are drawn to my music are the kind of people
who have the same kind of darkness inside them as I do. Ultimately, I’m just
trying to make sense of the world which has been at times a pretty dark place
for me, and I hope that I can connect with others along the way and make them
feel understood on their own journey.
5. Can you describe your approach to songwriting? Do you draw inspiration
from personal experiences, or is it more of a conceptual and abstract process?
I always draw inspiration from personal experiences. Every line that I write is
valuable to me in my need to really say something and I try and keep my lyrics
as plain as possible while trying to communicate exactly what’s in my head.
6. You've mentioned that life is an opportunity to create art. How does this
philosophy influence your daily life and your approach to your music career?
I have quite a nihilistic view of the world and making art helps focus and
soothe me. As humans we have a biological need to leave a legacy and this is
mine. I find it difficult to focus my thoughts and physically stop moving and
playing instruments is the only thing that really grounds me so it’s very
therapeutic. Finding a purpose for this activity elevates it from being simply
a hobby.
7. Your music is known for its raw and candid nature. What motivates you to
share such personal experiences and emotions with the world through your music?
I share so candidly because I simply have to. I need to get all the poison
that’s in me out and live a happier life as a result. How other people receive
it is a side product.
8. Can you tell us about a specific song that holds significant personal
meaning to you, and what inspired it?
The concept for The Devil Always Pulls Through comes from a particularly
haunting story I was told by my former boyfriend of the time he spent on the
streets as a heroin addict. He never knew how he was going to get his next fix,
but every evening by about 8pm, like clockwork, something would arrive. And I
just remember thinking, yeah, the Devil always pulls through. It’s a song about
how much easier it is to give into temptation and be pulled down into dark
places than to make decisions that are good for you. It’s also about my
personal lack of faith and rebellion against my religious background; another
characteristically bleak song to exorcise the darkness within me and try to
make sense of it.
9. How do you see the evolution of your music over time, and what can
listeners expect from your future projects?
When I was younger, my music was so punch-in-your-face raw and angsty, I was
literally spitting poison out. My vocal style was also a reflection of this. I
feel like as I get older I gain more perspective and my music and way of
communicating is a bit more sophisticated and refined. I hope that it will
continue in this direction!
10. Your music and image are often described as enigmatic. Can you shed some
light on the artistic concepts and visuals that you incorporate into your work?
A lot of my music is inspired by nightmares, which is represented by a black
horse. I’m figuring this all out as I go along so I guess if our music is
enigmatic it’s because it doesn’t really provide any answers or neat little
boxes for ideas and experiences.
11. You've had an eventful journey in the music industry so far. What have
been some of the most memorable moments or turning points in your career?
Turning my back on classical music was a monumental change for me and something
I felt a lot of guilt around for a long time.
My guitarist Jim joining my band in 2014 was the point that formed my band into
a band and not just me as a single musician trying to keep a lineup together.
When I joined the band Birdeatsbaby in 2014 I finally found my musical tribe
and have felt so supported and uplifted ever since - the singer Mishkin now
even writes and plays bass for Hana Piranha
12. As a multi-instrumentalist, how do you choose the right instruments to
convey the emotions and themes in your songs?
I don’t deliberately choose certain instruments to write on, it feels like they
find me when the time is right. When I started playing harp I was inspired to
write a softer solo album and for Wingspan I have been mostly writing on piano
because it needed that big melodic scope.
13. Your music often explores the darker aspects of human nature. What do
you hope listeners take away from your songs, both emotionally and
intellectually?
I hope that my music can make people feel understood and also emboldened. For
example, my latest single Lorelei is about an abusive relationship I had and it
was pretty scary to share that, but I hope that it can be a small stone in the
long path that still needs to be paved for other women to be able to own and
share similar experiences.
14. Can you give us a glimpse into any upcoming projects or new music that
your fans can look forward to?
We have two more music videos that we will be releasing soon and we are always
working on new music.
15. If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it
be, and what kind of project would you envision?
I mean… Trent Reznor??? I love the vibe of all the stuff he does.
16. What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are looking to
express their unique, often unconventional, artistic voices in the music
industry?
I don’t really know if I have any advice to give to other people. But the stuff
I say to myself now that might be relevant to others is: work as hard as you
can, don’t wait for perfection, and don’t let fear stop you from doing
anything.
(@hanapiranha) • Instagram photos and videos
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