Hannah Elizabeth Thacker

Music PR, journalist and A&R scout

[hetmusic]

Well, hello there.

Nice to meet you! I’m Hannah Thacker, a freelancer PR and music journalist with a decade of experience in the music industry. Here you’ll find some of my work and if you’d like to know more, then please head on over to my LinkedIn or email me - [email protected].

[hetmusic]

Latch Explores: British Asian Identity in the Music Industry with Deep Shah — Latch

I think the biggest shift in the representation of British Asian people in the music industry is coming from British Asians themselves: from artists like Rina Sawayama calling out the industry for its ignorance, from Joy Crookes wearing a sari at the Brits, from Riz Ahmed questioning what it means t

Next in our series of interviews exploring identity and representation of British Asians in the music industry, we had the great pleasure to speak with Deep Shah, the multi-talented music lover who runs independent platform ocean deep, is the online editor for COLORSXSTUDIOS and has worked with Paul Institute (founded by Jai Paul and A. K. Paul).

Through these various platforms, Shah has sought to foster greater diversity and equality for artists, bands, producers and other creatives and he is undoubtedly the driving force behind COLORS’ online brand as a destination for all music lovers, whatever their background, skin colour or nationality might be. Even still, this music curator has found that there simply isn’t enough representation of British and non-British South Asian artists on more established platforms, which led him to found ocean deep.

This certainly isn’t the first time that we’re hearing about smaller, independent spaces doing the necessary work to push the wider industry towards making equal and fair representation for Aisan artists the norm, as opposed to the “flavour of the month” practice, as we often find with publications, companies and brands following calendared representation, which is ultimately a symptom of capitalism. In the same way that corporations have commodified Black History Month or Black Lives Matter (check out this great opinion piece on The Diamondback), and therefore further profit from the historical and current oppression of that particular group, the representation of Asian people within the music industry as pivoted by the major companies has the risk of trying to hit a demographic for financial gain - and financial gain alone. It’s undeniable that capitalism is built into the very fabric of our society and so we shouldn’t be surprised by this obtuse profiteering, but it’s the lack of consistency and deluge of unacknowledgement that is the real issue. We examined Reading & Leeds Festival under this same lens in our Hilang Child interview, discovering a severe lack of representation for British Asians in that line-up, and the same can be said of many mainstream music events. Like Deep Shah truthfully states below, “One article here, one booking or signing there isn’t enough.”

As well as celebrating these independent spaces, Shah also gives a nod to British Asian musicians like Rina Sawayama (who we highlighted in our talks with Dog In The Snow and Asha Gold), as well as Joy Crookes wearing a sari at the 2020 Brit Awards and Riz Ahmed questioning what it means to be British on last year’s album, The Long Goodbye. It’s evident that British Asian identity doesn’t belong to one genre or sound, in the same way that any identity doesn’t, for example London composer, pianist and music director Yshani Perinpanayagam is currently writing a piece that draws connections between Indian classical music and Western classical music inspired by how it feels to be British-”Aisan Other”, as shared on Twitter. Once again, Deep Shah hits the nail on the head by saying “Even though we shouldn’t have to, I’d like to think we’re taking things into our own hands. After all, if they won’t give you a seat at the table, make your own table, right?”

Below Deep Shah goes a little deeper into his experience and thoughts on British Asian, and in particular South Asian, representation in the music industry, with several awesome resources if you want to expand your own horizons.

Tell us about yourself and your role in the music industry.

My name is Deep Shah, a Kenyan-born Indian living in Leicester, who loves to find, share and write about new music.

Whilst I’ve lent my words to a number of publications over the years, my passion for music discovery began in 2013 when I started a Tumblr blog called ocean deep, a project I’ve since relaunched during the start of lockdown last year.

I’m the Online Editor at COLORSXSTUDIOS, a platform shining light on emerging talent from around the world through live sessions. At COLORS, I’m responsible for curating the Music section on the website as well as doing the write ups for the sessions.

I also did a few bits and bobs for a couple of years over at Paul Institute, a venture founded by Jai Paul and A. K. Paul, who were probably the first artists I’d come across who shared a name, and had a skin colour like mine.

What do you think about the representation of British Asian people in the music industry right now?

Aside from the fact that I love to share great music, one of the main reasons I decided to relaunch ocean deep was because of the lack of representation of British South Asian artists (and South Asian artists in general) on more established platforms.

Of course, there are lots of publications, record labels, radio stations etc in the industry who’re supporting and championing British South Asian music, but what I feel is lacking the most, is regular representation. One article here, one booking or signing there isn’t enough. With ocean deep, I wanted to make a conscious effort to highlight South Asian musicians, singers and producers as regularly as possible.

I think the biggest shift in the representation of British Asian people in the music industry is coming from British Asians themselves: from artists like Rina Sawayama calling out the industry for its ignorance, from Joy Crookes wearing a sari at the Brits, from Riz Ahmed questioning what it means to be British on his album “The Long Goodbye”.

Even though we shouldn’t have to, I’d like to think we’re taking things into our own hands. After all, if they won’t give you a seat at the table, make your own table, right?

Which platforms do you think are doing a great job at highlighting British Asians in contemporary music culture?

Amad Ilyas (of amad.studio) who designed the stunning identity for ocean deep introduced me to Daytimers and juice. Both are collectives/platforms doing INCREDIBLE things for British South Asian artists and South Asian creatives in general. They’ve put out two sick compilations championing SA artists, and have also been giving back to the community through events like the livestream fundraiser for the farmers protest in India as well as hosting an event in London for COVID relief in India in March and May this year.

This summer, Daytimers teamed up with fellow UK-based collectives No ID and Chalo for Dialled In, a festival with the aim of showcasing “how South Asian artists have been boxed in by a predominantly white-focused creative industry”.

juice has been championing the diaspora and giving SA creatives a voice and platform to express themselves and have announced that they’re putting together a directory “to showcase a wider range of South Asian talent”.

[hetmusic]

Latch Explores: British Asian Identity in the Music Industry with Dog In The Snow — Latch

In general the representation for POCs in independent music is lackluster and it's not because there isn't any great music out there (there 100% is), but it's because the gate-keepers in the music industry are still white older men and this then reflects the lack of diversity.

Continuing on our series exploring some experiences relating to British Asian identity and representation in the music industry, we had the pleasure to speak with Helen Ganya Brown, better known by her musician moniker Dog In The Snow. Already, we’ve spoken with musicians Asha Gold and Hilang Child, as well as Managing Director of Killing Moon, Achal Dhillon, so be sure to check those out for more essential opinions and findings of our research.

One of the reasons that we wanted to create this interview series is because last year we launched our companion record label, Bad Key, and after a little bit of brainstorming, we decided that it would be the perfect home to platform British Asian creativity. As the label’s manager Alex Treharne shares, “I started Bad Key in order to platform contemporary sounds from artists across the Asian diaspora in the UK. I want to show that the audience for Asian artists isn’t limited and that you can have multiple Asian artists on your roster without compromising on opportunity. I’m also really passionate when it comes to international audiences, fans are incredibly valuable regardless of their location and yet Asian audiences have been viewed as ‘other’ traditionally in the West. I grew up with a genetic connection to both the UK and Malaysia, and I want to explore that culture blend in all its beauty and complexity through Bad Key.”

Coincidentally, Dog In The Snow also started her radio show Mixed Tapes with the intention of showcasing music from people of colour in the independent music world, which she’s also a part of as a Thai-Scottish artist signed to indie label Bella Union. The weight of Ganya Brown’s frustration comes down to “othering” of certain groups, such as people of colour or British Asians or women, across the industry. Even as we’ve embarked on looking for research and statistics for this series, we quickly came to a halt in being able to access readily available materials, aside from a few useful, but not specific, Guardian articles and the vague bulked-together findings of UK Music’s workforce diversity survey. This lack of nuance and broad statistics has the danger of communicating to British Asian musicians, producers, professionals, venue owners, music journalists etc. that their experience is perceived as invalid or at the very least shoved to the side of what is deemed important by the industry’s decision makers. Surely, many people in this community already feel that way, one of the most out-spoken of whom is Japanese-British pop star Rina Sawayama who has vocalised her experience in several interviews, including Time Out, where she cited a myriad of microaggressions, and in NPR, where she also talks about the lack of Aisan pop artists that could could name or relate to in her early years.

As Simon Frith, Tovey Professor of Music at the University of Edinburgh, so wonderfully outlines in his Live Music Matters paper: “Music is now tied up with people’s sense of self. Listening to music has become a way of laying claim to one’s own physical and emotional space. We therefore make both a new demand on music (to meet our personal needs) and a new commitment to it, as a symbol of our individuality.” While our personal access to music needs to be as diverse and representative as possible, so do group and community events, such as festivals. In a paper studying UK–Asia music business collaborations by Haekyung Um, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Music and the Institute of Popular Music at the University of Liverpool, we are shown that “Live music, place and identity are often inextricably linked to each other, bringing the culture, economy and geography together. For example, live music venues, according to, play a vital role in creating localised place-specific music scenes because these music venues facilitate opportunities for the musicians to connect with one another, with the music industry and with their audiences. These spaces also contribute to the cultural and creative identities of the communities and cities in which they operate.”

While the aforementioned UK Music survey suggests that there is the greatest increase of diversity at entry-level positions, amongst younger groups and for lower-income roles, it’s well recognised that more often than not a white, straight, cis-gender man holds a senior position, is on the highest wage and sees more longevity in their career. As we can read in the survey’s report, “The number of those from a Black, Asian or ethnic minority background decreases as the age of respondents increases, with only 15.7% in the 45-64 bracket coming from a minority background and falling again to 13.6% for the over 65s.” In response to the lack of representation within sectors of the industry that have the greatest influence on our mainstream radio broadcasts, on the acts booked for the biggest festivals, or on the albums most widely promoted, artists like Dog In The Snow are creating spaces for themselves and those who share this experience of being unfairly “othered”.

Tell us about yourself and your role in the music industry.

I am a Thai-Scottish musician who plays under the moniker Dog In The Snow currently based in Brighton. I also run a radio show called Mixed Tapes which plays music from POCs in the independent music world.

What do you think about the representation of British Asian people in the music industry right now?

It's really poor. In general the representation for POCs in independent music is lackluster and it's not because there isn't any great music out there (there 100% is), but it's because the gate-keepers in the music industry are still white older men and this then reflects the lack of diversity in record labels, festival line-ups, BBC 6 Music (presenters and music played), music journalists, record shops etc. POCs are "othered" and generally not given the same opportunities as their white contemporaries, and if they are given the visibility then they are usually seen through the lens of their heritage. I think for British Asian people specifically, there's usually an unwanted narrative of how our Asian identity is linked to our music. For me (probably being a woman as well) my "Asian aesthetic" is usually used to define my music. Whether that's quotes such as "the mixed race look is really in right now" or "you have a really asiatic look on stage" or the classic "where are you from??" which completely distracts from the actual music itself (!!)

Which platforms do you think are doing a great job at highlighting British Asians in contemporary music culture?

gal-dem are amazing, plus Daikon Zine and the musician Bishi who runs Witcih is doing great things for British Asian women in tech and music.

[hetmusic]

Latch Explores: British Asian Identity in the Music Industry with Achal Dhillon — Latch

This year is probably the first year in my life I've truly felt comfortable talking about it, mainly because I understand change doesn't happen when you're silent.

Our third interviewee in this series examining British Asian identity and representation in the music industry is Achal Dhillon, Founder and Managing Director of Killing Moon, which started out life as a music blog and has since gone on to become a record label, management agency and live promoter.

In the interview below, Dhillon speaks about his experience growing up as the son of Indian migrants in a predominantly white, middle-class neighbourhood in West London and how coming up in the music industry continues to be littered with micro (and sometimes much more obvious) aggressions directed towards his race and heritage.

At this point, we’re going to look back to our old friend the UK Music Diversity Report from 2020, which shows an enormous disparity between entry-level and senior positions in the industry when it comes to ethnicity. According to the report, which surveyed 3,670 participants (and considering that prior to the pandemic 197,168 people were employed in the music industry in 2019), 34.6% of entry-level positions were filled by people of Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds with a considerable drop off to 21.6% at the mid-level and then 19.9% at the senior level. While these figures are an improvement on the 2018 numbers, it does show a systemic failure by the industry to support Asian, Black and ethnic minority employees into more senior roles. Of course, what we’re talking about here isn’t isolated to the music industry, it’s in every industry and at every level. For example, the 2017 McGregor-Smith review identified discrimination and bias at every stage of an individual’s career, sometimes even before it began.

The only way that we can move ahead and away from a system of discrimination is through frank, honest conversations and companies coming forward with actual solutions. As Dhillon mentions below, one such organisation doing great work to foster greater diversity is Liverpool Sound City. Their Rip It Up initiative, a programme through which Sound City, Youth Music, sm-mgmt and others have come together to drive real change by offering ten bursaries and providing the framework for young talent to emerge and enter the music industry. As they say, “Racial inequality within the music industry remains a vital issue, one that needs to be confronted with action rather than words. Rip It Up furthers Sound City’s work in championing young, diverse creative and business talent from all backgrounds.”

The festival also held a talk between Ammo Talwar (Chair of UK Music’s Diversity Taskforce), Paulette Long OBE (Co-Chair of UK Music’s Diversity Taskforce) and Jennifer John (musician, choir leader, businesswoman and part of Liverpool City Region Music Board). That talk is full of food for thought, so before we dive into the interview with Achal Dhillon, we’ll leave you with this motivational comment from Talwar: “it’s about explaining to people that this is a journey but we’re going to put some smart targets along the way. It’s not going to take forever because we don’t have that time and we’ve had hundreds of years of the other stuff. I like the phrase ‘nudge and nurture’. In the music industry it’s double nudge and nurture. Ultimately it’s really important that you’ve got an accountable person that really drives it and is in those decision making rooms. This is systemic racism. It’s going to take systems change, not tokenistic talent development schemes for black women. It’s root and branch.”

Now to Dhillon, the head of an ever-expanding music company, who is doing his part to change the narrative on diversity for those working in the music industry and for those yet to enter it.

Tell us about yourself and your role in the music industry.

My name is Achal Dhillon. I'm basically a man. A brown man. I was born and raised as a second generation immigrant (which means you're the child of the ones that actually immigrated, so I'm not sure how that makes me an immigrant given I haven't actually emigrated anywhere. I've had plenty of people to remind me though, throughout my life) in West London. My parents are "really" from India originally, but came to the UK when they were very young following the British withdrawal from India. I didn't grow up with a lot of people who looked like me, outside of my immediate family; I grew up in a white, middle-class area which exposed me to a lot of different cultures and opportunities therein, such was my parent's insistence that I be sent to a state school, rather than a private school. This did not stop people from singling me out due to my skin colour, and the first time I was called a Paki was when I was maybe 3 years old. I used to play drums in a lot of punk and emo bands at school and at university, which I've recently started doing again. I've worked for independent labels and managers, as well as the majors. I founded Killing Moon as a blog about 7 years ago when I found it impossible to break into the industry jobs market properly. It's now about to turn into something massive that our General Manager will yell at me about if I say what it is too early, but it's going to be fucking great.

What do you think about the representation of British Asian people in the music industry right now?

I think it's about the same in terms of representation of British Asian people in general - I'm supposed to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or an accountant, or like Chancellor or whatever. Some of the less-violent encounters I've had to remind me of my station in society, including being told at an early job interview I had at a well-known (at the time, I guess) indie label, by the owner, that Indians don't tend to make very good A&Rs. These days the very worst I have to live with are microaggressions, which following the events of last year I've become more responsive/confrontational about. I think beforehand I had this idea in my head to never draw attention to my Indian-ness. I felt embarrassed about it. I would just smile politely when any comments pertaining to my race would come up, however uncomfortable that made me. I'm even starting to feel I shortened my name to "Ach" to make it sound "less foreign", I remember in primary school being told that I was saying my own name incorrectly...

This year is probably the first year in my life I've truly felt comfortable talking about it, mainly because I understand change doesn't happen when you're silent. I've also come to appreciate that there is a racial hierarchy of sorts, often hiding in plain sight in the UK, and perhaps I'm more in the middle of it rather than at the top or, as George Floyd's killing revealed to a lot of people, at the very clear bottom of it.

Having said all of that, I am patently aware of the hypocrisy that exists between different minority ethnic groups and the microaggressions that exist between them. Just look at what is happening in India politically right now. I do wonder where [Narendra] Modi learned his shit from, though. I want the conversations on diversity to be holistic, self-reflective, and honest.

Which platforms do you think are doing a great job at highlighting British Asians in contemporary music culture?

Without agenda or reservation, I think we are, as a company. Myself and our project manager Sam speak on this issue often, and we try to reflect what we're doing into business practice, and probably in our personal lives as well, I would hope. There are also initiatives like Rip It Up and Power Up and others that are specifically aimed at POC enablement within the music industry, who are awesome.

[hetmusic]

Latch Explores: British Asian Identity in the Music Industry with Hilang Child — Latch

We ask musician Hilang Child about British Asian representation in the music industry. "It’s a cold hard fact that compared with the actual level of diversity within UK society, the indie music world is overwhelmingly white."

We’re continuing our exploration of British Asian identity in the music industry with Ed Riman, a musician who records and performs under the moniker Hilang Child.

This investigation was sparked by the launch of our companion record label, Bad Key, a platform for British Asian creativity. As the label’s manager Alex Treharne shares, “I started Bad Key in order to platform contemporary sounds from artists across the Asian diaspora in the UK. I want to show that the audience for Asian artists isn’t limited and that you can have multiple Asian artists on your roster without compromising on opportunity. I’m also really passionate when it comes to international audiences, fans are incredibly valuable regardless of their location and yet Asian audiences have been viewed as ‘other’ traditionally in the West. I grew up with a genetic connection to both the UK and Malaysia, and I want to explore that culture blend in all its beauty and complexity through Bad Key.”

In the interview below, Ed Riman touches on some of the issues raised in the first installment of this interview series, such as how the broad-strokes approach to diversity completely misses the mark and how the music industry as a whole doesn’t truly reflect the makeup of the British population. As Riman discusses, British Asians are especially left out of indie spaces and if you try to do any research into Asian representation in this corner of the music industry you’ll be disappointed as it quite simply doesn’t exist.

While there have been some efforts to bridge this gap, such as with the Arts Council funded Decolonise Festival, which showcases the burgeoning resurgence of POC guitar bands, or as the festival organisers themselves say “created by and for punx of colour”. It’s apparent that there’s clearly a systematic and deeply entrenched idea that indie music is white, but as Darren Louciades reports for The Guardian, “British guitar music wasn’t always so white”. Decolonise Festival’s organizer and current writer for Gal-dem Magazine June Bellebono furthers this by stating the fact that “Bands with people of colour have always existed and lots of them have been successful.” This attitude is a stark contrast to just a decade ago when 2008’s Love Music Hate Racism festival at London’s Victoria Park at which only one British Asian musician, namely Jay Sean, was on the line-up. You might be wondering, “surely we’ve come so far?”, but let’s challenge that assumption with the much maligned Reading & Leeds Festival line-up, often the topic of men-only band redaction to make a point about the lack of gender equality amongst performing artists. Despite much of the well-deserved criticism in recent years, Reading & Leeds is still considered a cornerstone of the indie music scene and yet this year many shared their disappointment at the fact that representation of women (as you can read about at Indie Is Not A Genre) is still falling far behind that of the global population. As it’s technically an international festival, we’re looking here at Asian identity as a whole rather than specifically British Asian, and even with that discretion you’ll only find Beabadoobee and Bloxx guitarist Taz Sidhu, with MCs Central Cee and Mastermind tracing some of their heritage to the Asian continent, and special mention for the American import Michael Sue-Poi, bassist for Nation of Language. Once again this mainstream okay-ing of white, cis-gender, heterosexual men as the majoriy party in music (and especially indie music) rears its ugly head and it’s as tiresome as ever.

All this considered, you can totally understand Ed Riman’s frustration as an indie artist in a space that quite simply isn’t doing enough to change.

Tell us about yourself and your role in the music industry.

I’m Ed Riman, a musician from South London now living in Brighton. I principally write and record under the moniker Hilang Child, with which my latest album has just come out on Bella Union Records (in January 2021). I also variously tour as a drummer with other acts and have worked on a few soundtracks and production bits. For context with regards to this article, I'm mixed-race British and Asian (half-Indonesian, half-Welsh).

What do you think about the representation of British Asian people in the music industry right now?

It’s a cold hard fact that compared with the actual level of diversity within UK society, the indie music world is overwhelmingly white, not just in terms of the the music and musicians who break through, but also in terms of behind-the-scenes decision makers, the journalists, the gatekeepers, people in positions of power within the industry. And those peoples’ personal preferences then naturally have a trickle down effect on what is given a platform. I sometimes wonder if I just haven’t looked in the right places, but then even the fact I’m having that thought tells me something’s wrong if from the get-go one has to actively scour to find what should be a more accurate representation of society’s diversity within music. I do think that’s changing and obviously there are exceptions, you do have artists like Rina Sawayama and Nabihah Iqbal breaking through recently and I have a few non-white friends working in great roles the industry. But if you look at the rosters of many of the main indie labels, or the lineups of many music festivals in the ‘indie music’ world, or the list of DJs on lots of the indie music stations, the level of general POC representation is often still tiny, let alone British-Asians, compared to the percentage of the population which is made up of people of colour. Many of these people are well meaning and a lot of the time they don’t realise the role they’re playing in it, it’s an unconscious one, but the results are there to see.

Also on a related note, whilst I’m personally proud to wear my heritage on my chest, I’ve noticed there’s sometimes this weird expectation that everything you do has to be defined by it... I recently saw a review for my new album which literally marked me down for not 'making more use' of my ethnic heritage in my music, as if having one Asian parent means I have a duty to bring something mysteriously foreign to proceedings. Some British-Asian musician friends of mine regularly put up with this too, we often share these pieces and reviews with each other when they come in and it’s mad how often it happens.

Which platforms do you think are doing a great job at highlighting British Asians in contemporary music culture?

My pal Helen Ganya Brown (a.k.a. fellow Bella Union artist Dog In The Snow) has a great radio show called Mixed Tapes where she spotlights music from people of colour in general in the indie music world, she’s doing a great thing and has probably been my main source of discovery recently!

[hetmusic]

Latch Explores: British Asian Identity in the Music Industry with Asha Gold — Latch

We ask musician Asha Gold about British Asian representation in the music industry. "Growing up, I didn’t see many Anglo-Indian women on 'Top of the Pops', I didn’t hear them on the radio, and I didn’t see them sell out shows at the o2."

Some of you reading this may know that last year we launched our companion record label, Bad Key, and after a little bit of brainstorming, we decided that it would be the perfect home to platform British Asian creativity. As the label’s manager Alex Treharne shares, “I started Bad Key in order to platform contemporary sounds from artists across the Asian diaspora in the UK. I want to show that the audience for Asian artists isn’t limited and that you can have multiple Asian artists on your roster without compromising on opportunity. I’m also really passionate when it comes to international audiences, fans are incredibly valuable regardless of their location and yet Asian audiences have been viewed as ‘other’ traditionally in the West. I grew up with a genetic connection to both the UK and Malaysia, and I want to explore that culture blend in all its beauty and complexity through Bad Key.”

While British Asians make up the second largest ethnic group in the UK (4.2 million people in England and Wales according to the 2011 census), there’s a  lack of representation throughout all industries, the entertainment and music sectors included. In 2020, UK Music’s workforce diversity survey took data from almost 3,670 staff from major and independent record labels, music publishers, managers, producers, royalty-collection societies and the live music industry. The survey found Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority representation in the workforce to be 22.3%, which was higher than the figure for the UK population as a whole at time, but therein lies the issue raised by many around blanket terms like BAME, POC and the grouping together hugely diverse and broad groups. This labelling all too easily skips over the needs of individual ethnic groups and highlights the limited thinking on the side of policy makers. For example, when speaking with the BBC, actor Nicole Miners shared her annoyance: "Being a British East Asian actor, or just a person, this was something that really aggravated me. The 'A' in 'BAME' means Asian, which, in itself, is a very broad term. Does it mean 'South Asian', 'East Asian', 'South East Asian', 'Indian', 'Pakistani', 'Chinese', 'Thai', 'Vietnamese'? The list goes on. It misleads people into thinking that everyone who isn't white English should come under the term 'BAME'. And on top of that, I'm mixed, which, for me, is even more confusing."

The UK Music survey also found an incremental drop-off in diversity through the progression into senior roles and older age groups, meaning that only one in five senior positions are filled by Black, Asian or other ethnic minority professionals, and the exact breakdown of the numbers regarding each ethnic group escapes us once again. Undoubtedly, there are positive strides forward, especially in entry-level positions and amongst younger people in the industry, but considering that there were 190,000 employees of the music industry in 2020 (The Guardian), the majority of whom were not surveyed, we have to take these findings with a grain of salt.

You only have to sidestep the statistics and simplified graphs to find subjective experiences like those explored in Malvika Padin’s article for Gal-dem in which she delved into the lack of representation of South Asian women in UK music. It was only last year that global sensation Rina Sawayama (a Japanese national with an indefinite leave to remain in Britain) was barred from being nominated for The Brits and the Mercury Prize due to her lack of British citizenship. As she told BBC News, "It was just heartbreaking. I think a lot of immigrants feel this way - where they assimilate and they become part of the British culture... and to be told that we're not even eligible to be nominated is very othering." Thanks to Sawayama speaking out and the public outcry that followed, BPI have since changed the rules to allow British residents of five years or more to enter the awards.

As UK Music chief executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin said upon the release of UK Music’s latest report, “If our music industry is to tell the story of modern-day Britain, then it needs to look like modern-day Britain too.” We agree with that sentiment and so over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing the opinions, thoughts and experiences of music professionals to go beyond the numbers and to begin to uncover what British Asian representation in the music industry means to those that identify as such.

Since it all started with Bad Key’s flagship artist Asha Gold, that’s exactly who we’ll be hearing from first.

Tell us about yourself and your role in the music industry.

My name is Asha Gold and I’m a singer-songwriter based in London.

What do you think about the representation of British Asian people in the music industry right now?

Ever since I started pursuing this career path, one of my main ambitions has been to contribute to a greater representation of British Asians in creative industries. Growing up, I didn’t see many Anglo-Indian women on 'Top of the Pops', I didn’t hear them on the radio, and I didn’t see them sell out shows at the o2. I believe that this is changing through my generation of musicians, in which we see artists such as Joy Crookes expressing their South Asian heritage proudly through enchanting visuals or traditional lengha dress on the red carpet. I am motivated by my aspiration to be a key part of that change.

Which platforms do you think are doing a great job at highlighting British Asians in contemporary music culture?

I think certain online platforms and communities such as GUAP Magazine and Gal-dem are leading the way in their spotlighting of British Asian creatives and questions of culture and identity. I’d love to see further inclusivity on key platforms such as YouTube, and more illuminating channels (as the BBC Asian Network) across digital streaming platforms and other radio stations.

[hetmusic]

2020: A Look Back - Hannah Thacker | Latch Media

This year has been nothing short of a challenge and our thoughts are with everyone who has experienced loss, anxiety, depression, and isolation.

However, despite the many issues we have faced and are still expected to overcome as an industry, the PR team at Latch is taking a moment to celebrate this year's personal bright spots.

Hannah Thacker, Head of Music PR

My highlight of the year was taking part in Latch's inaugural Open Door mentorship scheme. The opportunity to give back to the industry and helping the aspirational mentees form a deeper understanding of PR, as well as their own goals, was an absolute joy. I also learned so much through our in-house webinars, exploring topics such as sync, radio, branding, and the experience of being an independent artist.

For as much as this year has been one of fractured groups and distanced socialization, it’s also been one of growth and I couldn’t be happier with Keely and Poppy completing our little trio of musketeers (and shout out to Alex for being our D’Artagnan).

The most vital lesson that I learned this year is that human connection is everything. In 2020, that's been harder to find, although, at Latch, I have an incredibly supportive and compassionate team, who I have the great delight to call my colleagues and friends.

https://latchmedia.co/news/latch-media-2020-in-review-hannah-thacker

[hetmusic]

Meet The Team: Hannah Thacker | Latch Media

Hey! Tell everyone something about yourself that they wouldn’t find out otherwise.

I went to the University of Leicester where I specialised in Old English and American Modernist Poetry, so if that isn’t evidence of not using your degree, then I don’t know what is. Gehwilc gewille eyre! Whatever will be!

Did you always know you wanted to work in the music industry?

Aside from the usual kid dreams of being a vet or lawyer because that sounds impressive and will probably get you an extra biscuit from the adults, yeah I’ve always been drawn to the music industry. I perhaps didn’t believe that the industry had a place for me. I’m your stereotypical poor kid from a single-parent family with a standard education; there was no extra money in the pot for music lessons and I was sternly instructed to get a “proper job” as soon as I could. Yet, it was for that same reason that a new CD, a gig, or my first festival experience was so precious to me and provided an escapism from the rough neighbourhood and the school bullies. I’d stay up late listening to John Kennedy’s show on XFM and trawling SoundCloud with a notebook listening out for the best tracks so the next day I was always a step ahead with music amongst my peers. I didn’t have the latest fashions or academic accolades, but I did always have the best playlist. From there on out, I knew that being separated from this world of music was never an option.

What was your path into the industry?

Now this is a story that I tell a lot, because I think it demonstrates how there’s no direct route into the music industry. Between my second and third years at university, summer holiday boredom set in like it never had before, and so I did what every teenager was doing at the time, I made a Tumblr blog. My goal was to post a song review at least once per day, which I did for four months until I received two offers, to be a writer for global online music blog Unrecorded and to be an A&R Scout for Los Angeles label IAMSOUND Records. All of a sudden, I was no longer a nameless bystander of the industry, but an integral part of it. From there it’s a long and winding road to where I am now, which includes being the online editor for pioneering music discovery platform HumanHuman, festival manager for a charity organization, team manager at Parklife Festival and Warehouse Project and a whole host of other odd jobs. I made the switch over to PR, thanks to encouragement from friends in the industry like Alex Treharne, the MD of Latch Media, who was my very first PR client when I worked his debut EP back in 2015.

Was there a particular learning curve you remember encountering at the beginning of your career?

In the first year of working full-time in the music industry, I got an artist signed to an independent record label, which I assumed would lead to further involvement or recuperation for my time and talent. I shouldn’t have assumed. I should have got the deal with my fair portion down on paper, but being the bright-eyed and trusting soul I was back then, I thought it would all just work out. So what I’d say is don’t assume that other people have your interests at their heart, they may well do, but until you have that in writing, you can’t be certain.

What is your current role?

I’m very proud to say that I’m the Head of Music PR here at Latch Media.

What does that entail?

Alongside my regular duties running digital PR campaigns, I also put together pitches, take client calls, delegate campaigns to other PRs on the team, and also guide the team to ensure all campaigns are being worked to the highest standards.  

What is a common misconception about the job that you do?

That all PRs are bad PRs. There’s no doubting that certain chancers have tainted the perceived reputation of PRs and there’s an awful lot of less-than-desirable practices out there, but there’s also so many brilliant, talented and passionate people who do PR because they believe in the music. I’ve had the pleasure to work with some of these good eggs and they’ve inspired me to be the transparent and diligent PR that I am now.

What was the last track that you listened to?

Hilang Child’s ‘Seen The Boreal’.

What is the most rewarding part of working on artist projects?

Personally, being one of the first people to lay your ears on a piece of music and being trusted with it, is incredibly gratifying as a lover of new music. Professionally, nothing makes me happier than landing a great feature for an artist’s project; it’s those times that I’ll hop out of my chair with excitement knowing just how much this will mean to my client.

What are the changes you want to see in the music industry?

Right now, we’re starting to see more diversity within the music business at the lower and mid-tier levels, with a greater number of women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ people in the industry than we’ve seen in the past, but the closer that you travel up the hierarchy, the paler and maler professionals seem to get. Naturally, I’d love to see more opportunities for progression for underrepresented people to ensure the vitality of the industry in the future. We’re not going to get anywhere by upholding the status quo.

I’d also love to see more investment into spaces that aren’t currently accessible to those with disabilities, whether that’s a live music venue or an industry workspace. As someone with a bone disease, trickily called Ankylosing Spondylitis, I’ve directly felt the impact of being in a venue that doesn’t cater to your needs and being in a workplace that couldn’t care less how much pain you're in. This ableist society of ours has a lot of work to do.

Tell us about something you do outside of work.

Out of all the questions, this one was the hardest! Music is genuinely my life and makes up most of my friendships and my social life. That being said, my job is pretty full on and so I’m always looking for ways to zen out. I draw, paint, practice yoga, go on long walks, I constantly have a few books on the go and I listen to a shed-load of podcasts.

What artists should people be keeping an eye on?

Obviously, the Latch roster is banging and you should be keeping an eye on all of our artists, but here’s a few more for you. Look out for Haich Ber Na, Jareth, seeyousoon, Madge, Lazy Day, MICHELLE, Sans Soucis, Nia Wyn, A. O. Gerber, Japan Man, Peter Manos, Love Level… I really could go on all day, but I’ll save you a few hours and leave you with those for now!

https://latchmedia.co/news/latch-media-meettheteam-hannah-thacker

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Open Door: The Life Of An Independent Artist | Latch Media

As part of our Open Door mentorship, we put on weekly webinars that gave our mentees extra industry insight.  Hosted by Alex Treharne (Latch’s MD) and Hannah Thacker (Senior Music PR), this particular week was about the journey of an independent artist and what they have learned along the way. We also delved into building a team and promoting a record.

Our guests were Asha Gold, Qhairo and Latir.

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TMR TALKS TO… Jonah Yano | The Most Radicalist

In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet. This time we had a chat with Japanese-Canadian auteur Jonah Yano about his new album, souvenir. We first featured Jonah Yano on TMR with the tender collaboration ‘shoes’ between the young musician and his father, which came about upon their reunion in Japan after a fifteen year separation. As you’ll read, Yano sheds more light on that song and how the album became a way for him to come to terms with that relationship in his life. Following that single, ‘strawberry!’ was next on our radar, which explores the artist’s identity as a Japanese person in Canada. This is something we also ask Yano about, particularly in relation to the lack of asian representation within the music industry. Overall, Jonah Yano is a calm presence with an ultimately humble attitude to his music and all the attention that his new album has received. Clearly, this is an artist determined that his music should speak for itself.

TMR: Congratulations on the release of your album! What was the significance of releasing souvenir on Father’s Day? Well for people like me whose father's situation isn't so nuclear, fathers day isn't generally much of a cause for celebration. so it's more or less a reclaiming of that day for me. It's now the day when I put out my first record. That feels good. TMR: We witnessed through the DIY footage for your single ‘shoes’, the reunion between you and your father after fifteen years. Did you go to Japan with the intention of writing music or did it happen organically? I should clarify that the song ‘shoes’ with my dad, was originally written by him like 20 years ago. It's a song about a pair of shoes he bought me when I was a kid. I just recorded english verses in the instrumental gaps, but yes, going to japan the plan was to write even more music with my dad and we jammed and stuff but we mostly just spent time catching up. TMR: The response to the tracks that led up to thee record has been outstanding, with everyone from Highsnobiety to Fader to KCRW singing your praises. How have your received all this acclamation? You know, all that stuff is cool but the attention isn't something I really consider anymore. I'm grateful for all the good press and the writers that have taken the time to write about my work or ask me questions but I try not to think too much about it. I don't want to get caught up in feeling some pseudo importance or something like that you know. TMR: The most recent song to hit our radar here at TMR was ‘strawberry!’, a song about your identity as a Japanese person living in Canada. Has music helped you to navigate this? I think in terms of my music, ‘strawberry!’ is my first attempt at using songwriting to explore that. I think there’s still a lot of ocean to navigate on that topic though. TMR: There’s evidently a lack of representation for Asian creatives in the music industry, although have you begun to see a change for the better in recent years? I mean over the last couple years it's been changing in terms of representation for asian people in music, but just representation alone isn't necessarily a change for the better. Representation has to come along with normalization and actual opportunities for it to mean anything. Hopefully, we see more asian artists being taken seriously over the next few years. Actually, hopefully we see more non-white people in the world of music in general. TMR: ‘Strawberry!’ was also a collaboration with the familiar name Monsune, and so we’re wondering which other Canadian artists and producers you’d love to collaborate with? I really want to make music with an artist in montreal who goes by Sea Oleena (among other names). We have been friends for a little bit, but I've never had the chance to make tunes with them, so Charlotte if you end up seeing this, text me and let's jam sometime TMR: Let’s get to a groovy little number by the name of ‘delicate’. It’s a daydramy departure into an imagined future which is reminiscent of BADBADNOTGOOD, who you collaborate with on the Nervous EP. Did that experience leave an impression on you and your music for this album? Actually, they're on this album a bit too! Leland of BADBADNOTGOOD helped me with a few of the songs on the record and Alex played drums on the song ‘anywhere’. Those guys are huge inspirations to me in music and also in life. Great people all around. TMR: As well as funk and dream-pop, there’s so many genres woven into souvenir, such as krautrock, singer-songwriter, jazz and soul. Would you say that these are musical souvenirs from your life thus far? Yeah all these songs, and genres, articulate different memories and stories that I'm trying to tell on this record. No two things are the same ya know? TMR: For someone who has never heard of Jonah Yano before, which song would you recommend for them to listen to first? Just to throw them for a loop, I'd ask them to listen to "what i can do to help" first. I think the population of people on earth that might enjoy that song is a small group of people, but I want those people who would like it to find it. TMR: Looking to the future, what else do this rather strange year have in store for you? I think it's very much to be determined. However, I've just got an air conditioner, so you can be sure that no matter what happens at least my apartment will be at a comfortable temperature. 

http://www.themostradicalist.com/features/tmr-talks-to-jonah-yano/

[hetmusic]

TMR TALKS TO… MF Tomlinson | The Most Radicalist

In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet.       This time we’re catching up with MF Tomlinson, the captivating songwriter whose debut EP, Last Days Of Rome, is strangely prophetic for today’s current situation. In fact, it was the EP’s title track that first introduced us to the London-based Australian artist. If we take our minds back to a time before the all-consuming pandemic news cycle, our screens had visages of other disastrous world events, such as the uncontrollable wildfires in Australia, the tedious nature of Brexit, and the inflammatory relationship between Iran and the US. We were teetering on the edge of tragedy, and yet little did we know that it wouldn’t be all-out-war between peoples, but a continuous battle against a near-invisible virus. In a way, the message of Tomlinson’s ‘Last Days Of Rome’ portrays how the lack of foresighting clairvoyance means that we never know when, how and where the end will arrive. While this might sound like an overwhelming narrative to weave into a typical three minute thirty seconds of audio, the resettled performer delivers it with panache and theatricalism over a stretching seven minutes. It was a seriously impressive listen that meant when the EP came around, we knew that we had to ask MF Tomlinson more about that bar-setting single, the EP and the contrast between then and now from the perspective of this skilled songwriter.

TMR: How are you holding up through the lockdown? Keeping in touch with your family back in Australia? We are doing really well - I'm really lucky to be isolating with my wife. We've been working away and making extravagant meals. Very carby meals. Since when were carbs extravagant? Definitely going to unrecognisably change after this lockdown, like when someone gets ugly for a movie. But I was no movie star to begin with : / My wife looks fabulous though. Radiant. The main thing I have ended up filling my days with has been writing loads of music and collaborating with all the guys in the band. It's been getting me through! When I am not doing that I work at a bakery, we were furloughed for a bit but now we're back at it! The bakery is taking the brunt of people's newfound interest in baking. Pleased to be of service. One of things that feels very worthwhile about the job is taking the extra bread to charities like St Mungo's to help out and also seeing people who are working with vulnerable people everyday. They are just amazing. There are so many aspects to frontline work and you begin to understand how long we are going to have to keep giving back to the community to heal the damage that has been done. My family are all good thank you! It's been nowhere near as severe in Australia. Lots of Zoom chats, it kind of takes distance out of the equation. My Dad is apparently ordering little juice boxes of Negroni to support his local bar. My sister in law is stuck in Australia, at the beach poor thing! Not jealous. TMR: Your single ‘Last Days Of Rome’ turned out to be oddly prophetic for the times we’re living through right now, yet what was the original inspiration behind the semi-apocalyptic song? I'm not saying that I expected anything that has happened this year, but somehow doesn't feel like too much of a surprise -  if that makes sense? It was gutting, and heartbreaking but it did feel to me like somehow, something like this was going to happen - something big. The last few years have seemed like it was one thing after another. So that was the inspiration - I felt an increasing sense of urgency to get Rome out as 2019 unfolded, it felt like the message of the song message became more and more relevant. When it's a song like Rome there's a satisfaction in being able to express what you're feeling but you also really don't want it to be accurate or true. So it was a weird one. Maybe people don't want to hear more bad news, but a lot of my favourite singers have always sung about the events going on around them. The hard thing is you don't want to be singing with nothing to say and for that reasons Rome was one of the hardest songs I've written. There was living up to the standards my collaborators Angus, Ed, Ami and Connie and co-writer Paul brought to the track, but moreover there’s always a feeling of ‘am I overstating this?’ I wanted to externalise the feeling of the world at the start of 2020 very precisely. With a lot of help I feel like it achieved that. This feels like a new era. TMR: You were lucky enough to play shows in London last year, so let’s reminisce about the times we could still venture out to gigs… what was your favourite live show? And why? Last year were so lucky! I will have to list a bunch of equal faves. All the headline shows: were so busy and the band grew every time, and that was such a good feeling. It was so daunting to book bigger places like the Lexington and the Moth Club but on the night it always came together. Another was the Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever at Village Underground - they’re great friends and one of my favourite bands around right now. That stage is amazing too, and the lights and the audience - all of us in the band really felt it, and afterwards the MF's all became big RBCF fans too. It was really special evening. The very next day I flew out to LA to do the Sum of Nothing video - big! Also the last show we played before lock down at the Shack - it was our first show for EYOE and we decided let's just go for it and had an 11 piece band, which was wild. We had Ed, Viljam and Angus in the arches just like Joni Mitchell in the last Waltz. Just before the show I dropped the big heavy keyboard on my hand and it was so swollen it looked like a whoopee cushion with fingers. Classic Times. TMR: With live dates shelved, we’re enjoying lots of new music online. What have been your favourite album releases since the lockdown started? Well can I start by saying the new Marcus Hamblett album ‘Detritus’ arrived in the post today. Cleaned up on Bandcamp Friday! Got Modern Nature too. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever have of course been releasing singles ahead of their new record - I'm super excited for the release! Also been enjoying new music from Dick Dent and the Death of Pop and very big fan of the new Katy J Pearson too! Whenyoung have a new song and Sinead O'Brien AND KLO aka Kelly Lee Owens has a new track which is epic as usual, can't wait for her new record. And Forest Law have a new EP on Brownswood and also Clementine March's album on Lost Map <3 Who else? And Wesley Gonzales! Always brilliant. Also be on the look out for stuff from Neolithic Records - extremely cool stuff coming out on that label. And Ajimal - his new album is coming soon and has been dropping amazing tunes. He was kind (pun intended) enough to ask be in the vid for 'Above All, Be Kind'. Whole lotta legends in that video. It's a great time for new music. TMR: Any old favourites that are getting you through? You bet. Listening to a lot of Nina Simone and Chris Cohen. Learning so much by listening to these two. Also a lot of John Martyn. And now Tony Allen and Kraftwerk. The inspirational figures at Atlantis Records in Hackney recommended Porgy and Bess - Miles Davis featuring the orchestral arrangement of Gil Evans. I picked that up right before lockdown. It's amazing when someone can point you at a classic record that is brand new to you. I recommend you pay them a visit. TMR: Of course, you also released your EP, also titled Last Days of Rome. Does this release mark a significant milestone in your career? Massively - I had no idea what a journey it would be to start releasing solo material. All these unchallenged notions of who I was and expectations of the finished product. I've felt constantly under a microscope, in a way that I've never done before. I’m always falling short and trying again and again. I always have my heart in my mouth and I always feel like I'm running out of time. And I am glad for all of that cos I think it's led to the best stuff I've done so far. Thanks to all the people that I worked with I was able to live up to my lofty expectations. They really pushed me and were there for me - it's really been a group effort. That's not only in the creation of the music but the videos, the photos, the design. I feel like I'm asking a lot of people - what's been the most inspiring thing, the quality and how much work everyone's put in. That's very humbling. I just hope that I am organised, respectful, inspired and sane enough to make it as fun for them as it is for me. TMR: We love ‘Sum Of Nothing’ as it’s a warning against global warming through your lived-in gaze and oxymoronic joyful instrumentation. Why did you take this more upbeat approach as opposed to a “serious” sound? Sum of Nothing is a mediation on two things. It's celebrating the incredible socially progressive culture that exists at the moment - that’s where that upbeat feeling comes from. That's what life feels like, or what normal life feels like to me when you think 'Ah man aren't my friends great' or 'Isn't that thing or idea or tv show or artist or anything really saying something amazing and there's an audience for it and it's growing'. I get a lot of purpose, get a lot of power out of that. And the other aspect of the song is of course addressing is the diametrically opposing sentiment that at the same time as you're doing all this great stuff, you are simultaneously erasing that amazing future you're creating. For people my age and younger, this knowledge has underpinned everything we’ve ever done. This is definitely a feeling unique to our generation, and I feel like we should really own that. I feel like that's why Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion resonated so wonderfully. Everyone has always felt like the world was ending but this time it actually might, Y'know? When you're talking about the here and now it's always complex, so often these songs have a duality to them. It's also putting it cynical and funny way that maybe helps me rationalise this stuff on a personal level, and hoping the listener will crack a smile too. TMR: The last track to be revealed was ‘You & Me, Babe’, which also shares a name with a song by Ringo Starr. Did you take inspiration from the Beatles member? I did not know this! Listening now! It's quite a different take on the topic isn't it? There's some interesting song titles on that album… TMR: Of all the five tracks, which explore everything from loss of innocence to the climate crisis, what’s the one that you don’t get tired of hearing? I’m so attached to all of them but probably on most days the ‘Nietzsche’s Day Off’, because it’s pure fun - reminding me to relax, which I often need reminding of! Also the video shoot was such a hoot. TMR: During lockdown, have you been writing lots of new music, perhaps leading up to an album? I have been writing furiously since lockdown began - I needed to now more than ever. As I said, it's the way I process things and how I find my purpose. I can get through a lot if I feel like I've got a new tune coming along, something really good. I really fall apart without that though! Unsurprisingly I now have a lockdown album - all my friends and collaborators across Europe and in the Southern Hemisphere have been sending me parts - guitar solos, drums even the flugelhorn and the tuba! My painter friend Chiara Baima Poma has been doing an incredible painting for the cover. Very excited! I've been returning the favour by playing a little saxophone here and there on other people's tracks which has been super fun. Really hope I'll have something to share soon. You can’t rush these things, but you can try. Thanks for checking in on me - hope you're good! Stay safe <3

http://www.themostradicalist.com/features/tmr-talks-to-mf-tomlinson/

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TMR TALKS TO… A. O. Gerber | The Most Radicalist

In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet.       This time we’re speaking with A.O. Gerber, the Los Angeles artist whose folksy alt-rock songs examine the intimacies of human relationships. Raised in America's Pacific Northwest, Gerber took the adventurous way around when it came to her music career. From early fawnings with the guitar, piano and choirs at elementary school to university studies of Italian and Art History to a two year sabbatical working on farms; she certainly explored many avenues before arriving at her current destination. After the time spent away from academia, Gerber returned with a renewed eagerness for composition and songwriting, which has set the basis for her life as a musician in Los Angeles’ enduring indie scene.

We first came to know A.O. Gerber through ‘In The Morning’, a track inspired by the freedom of travel following the end of a traumatic relationship. Later, we heard ‘All I’ve Known’, a beautiful haunting song that displays Gerber’s skill with light and shadows throughout her music. Shortly ahead of the release of Gerber’s debut album, Another Place To Need, the songwriter today reveals a new single called ‘Tell Me’. Here, the artist takes her confidential narrative to another level as she discloses the experience of female masturbation, which is layered with intention and dissociation. Her vulnerability is one of the things that makes Gerber one of the most endearing musician’s we’ve come across in some time. Keep in mind that Another Place To Need LP is out digitally this Friday, 22nd May, and on recycled vinyl on Friday, 12th June, via Hand In Hive / Copper Mouth Records. Pre-order here.

TMR: We first introduced you to our readers with ‘In The Morning’, a contemporary guitar song rich with hand-picked influences and an explorative narrative of loss and freedom. For those new listeners, what is this song about? For me that song is about finding freedom in the moments you feel most stifled, and trying to hold that complexity—that beauty can exist alongside pain, love with anger, independence with loneliness. TMR: In our initial review, we called on similarities to Waxahtchee, Julia Jacklin and Angel Olsen, but we’d like to know, which artists have influenced you most? This question is always hard for me because I’m really reactive musically. I can get obsessive about an aspect of a song or an artists work very easily if you put something new in front of me, so the list changes all the time. But for sure there are artists that have had a lasting influence on me: Sufjan Stevens, Nicholas Krgovich, Julia Holter, Arthur Russell to name a few. TMR: Outside the world of music, where did you derive your inspiration from for the new album? Human relationships. TMR: What’s the significance of your album’s title, Another Place To Need? The album is a lot about fantasy, delusion and longing, as well as the anxiety that often comes along with those feelings. The phrase “another place to need” comes from the lyrics of one of the songs on the record and just felt like a good summation of those ideas—the feeling of continued lack, and the belief that some “thing” (a person, a place, an idea) could satisfy that. TMR: The first track you unleashed upon the world back in 2019 was ‘Strangers’, why did you choose this one to set the precedent for your sound and also your relationship with fans? At that moment with the songs I had recorded, it was just the one I felt most excited about releasing. There was no real thought behind it but that. TMR: Another song we’d like to dig into with you is ‘All I’ve Known’, which you reportedly worked on for three years. Why did this one take so much longer? It was just a mixture of life circumstances and the fact that I started recording the song before I played with a band, so it had the opportunity to evolve once it became something we could perform live. I started working on it with producer Jacob Goldman in January 2017, about five months after I’d moved to LA. I had just released an EP which I’d recorded and mixed almost entirely alone. I wasn’t yet looking to work on the next thing but I was sort of in the place to just say yes to anything that felt interesting. Jake and I ended up really clicking creatively and decided to work on All I’ve Known. I’d never worked with a producer before and was really excited about the idea of just letting him take the lead and seeing what happened. We worked on it for some months, but then because of some different things going on in each of our lives decided to take a break from it. It didn’t feel quite finished to me, though, and I couldn’t place why. When I started playing it live with a band (drummer Alex Oñate and then guitarist Madison Megna) in January 2018, the energy of the song totally changed. I went from whisper singing to belting. So when we started recording other songs, we decided to try some new things on All I’ve Known as well. Jake’s an incredible producer and I love what he brought to that track (so much of which remains), but I think I had a hard time feeling like it was mine when I’d originally made so few of the production decisions myself. I’ve learned over the course of the process making this record that I really need to be hands on in order to believe in the final outcome. The rest of the album took two years mostly because all the songs weren’t written when we started recording. It happened in batches. So the process of digging into the All I’ve Known recording and making it feel like my own was stretched over all that time. TMR: Your approach to releasing music was also a rather cautious process, from learning guitar at twelve-years-old to detouring into your studies to working on farms before delving into songwriting. Have these life experiences enriched the music, and more specifically your album? I’ve actually been writing songs since I was very little, but didn’t have a way to put them to music until I was twelve. I also played in and released music with a band in college. But I would agree that there was definitely a lot of waiting for what felt like the right moment to make a full length. I absolutely think that time has enriched the music. I think the things that we create are inevitably informed by the time we take to create them. TMR: Did the fact that young boys are more encouraged with their instruments, sports or other hobbies compared to young girls, have an impact on your confidence with music? I don’t know if it’s always true that girls aren’t encouraged with their hobbies. My parents have always been incredibly supportive of me and the things I’m interested in. But in recent years I have thought a lot about how, on a cultural level, I feel like young cis-boys are often much more encouraged to “tinker”—to play at things they don’t understand and may not be good at, but develop a skill for in the process. I felt a lot of pressure to be good at everything I did growing up. If I didn’t think I’d be good at it, or I wasn’t naturally skilled, I was scared to commit. That dynamic absolutely had an impact on me and my confidence in my music. I feel like it’s only been in the past four or five years that I’ve started to grant myself the freedom to play and have started to come to peace with the possibility of being really bad at things—which is the only way to get good at them. TMR: Of the previously unheard songs on the album, which one are you most excited for your audience to hear? I think 'Old Blue' and 'Tell Me'. TMR: Naturally, we can’t avoid the elephant in the room… how are you keeping happy and healthy during the covid-19 pandemic? Like many people, I’m struggling with that. But getting outside safely has been the most important thing for me. I’m lucky to live in a neighborhood with lots of quiet, beautiful streets and hills to walk. I have a whole new appreciation for riding my bike. And I’m reading a lot.

http://www.themostradicalist.com/features/tmr-talks-to-a-o-gerber/

[hetmusic]

Toronto artist Tasha Angela combines RnB, soul and pop into her contemporary songwriting, a talent which has been recognised by a signing to Universal Music Canada and Public Records. Charm Factory was brought onto the team to further promote Tasha Angela in the UK and Europe through online and radio exposure. From her Hidden Gems EP, we worked on the videos for ‘Lost In Nostalgia’ and ‘Undescribable Feeling’.

Our Work:

‘Lost In Nostalgia’ praised by online platforms Colors, Clash Magazine, The Digital Fix, Top 40 Charts, Stereofox, Earmilk, Elevator and more.

‘Lost In Nostalgia’ featured on BT TV’s FRESH MUSIC landing page.

Interview with When The Horn Blows for in-depth explanation of ‘Lost In Nostalgia’.

Tasha Angela chosen for Found’s Discovering DIY: Best of 2019.

‘Undescribable Feeling’ reviewed by Elevator, The Word Is Bond, Mystic Sons, IGGY Magazine and more.

‘Undescribable Feeling’ airplayed on Hoxton Radio’s weekly show Get In Her Ears.

“Hannah’s drive, commitment and expertise is unmatched as she delivers quality results, making her the ultimate team player.” – Maria Giuliana, Public Records

[hetmusic]

Case Study – Amaal

Amaal is a contemporary RnB artist hailing from Toronto, and currently signed to Universal Music Canada.

Amaal is a contemporary RnB artist hailing from Toronto, and currently signed to Universal Music Canada. We’re working with this Somali-Canadian musician on the release of her brand new EP, with our central aim to break ground in the UK music community through online media, radio and TV appearances. Since January 2019, we’ve released two singles ‘Not What I Thought’ and ‘Coming and Going’.

Our Work:

‘Not What I Thought’ premiered on The Line of Best Fit as their Song of The Day.

Further online coverage for ‘Not What I Thought’ from Alfitude, The Most Radicalist, Born Music Online, Blanc Magazine, Fashionably Early, Cool Hunting, Mystic Sons, Going Solo, The Word Is Bond, I Heart Moosiq and more.

‘Coming and Going’ featured in i-D’s The Best New Music playlist, The Independent’s New Music This Week and Nylon’s Soundcheck.

Further online coverage for ‘Coming and Going’ from Hot New Hip Hop, Earmilk, Elevator, Variance Magazine, Bristol in Stereo and more.

‘Coming and Going’ played by Jamz Supernova on BBC Radio 1Xtra show.

Both singles received multiple airplay spots on Hoxton Radio’s Get In Her Ears.

Interview and playlist feature with Fred Perry Subculture.

Artist Spotlight interview with Earmilk.

‘Coming and Going’ music video selected for BT TV Music Channel playlist for the week commencing May 22nd.

“Hannah has been an incredible asset to our team. She’s earned consistent and quality media coverage and is a genuine pleasure to work with.” – Rakhee Sapra, Director of Communications, Universal Music Canada

[hetmusic]

Case Study – VC Pines

Campaigns for 'Golden Gai', 'Vixen' and Indigo EP for London alternative-soul artist VC Pines.

London musician Jack Merecer, aka VC Pines, is the former frontman of indie-rock band The Carnabys, and so central to our role was to separate this new project from the former. We worked with VC Pines, his manager and later the label Fierce Panda Records to release ‘Golden Gai’, ‘Vixen’ and debut Indigo EP for the duration of around six months. Throughout the course of the campaign, we found consistent supporters within the blog and radio community, as well as setting up interviews and special features that explore VC Pines’ passions for synaesthesia awareness and fashion.

Our Work:

Interview and photoshoot with fashion retailer The Idle Man as part of their Collective series.

Interview and playlist feature with Fred Perry Subculture.

Headline London show review with photo gallery on Sync.

‘Vixen’ premiered on Clash Magazine

‘Vixen’ as Today’s Song on Atwood Magazine

Amazing Radio’s The Audition show playlisted every song

Every song released featured by Mystic Sons and followed up with an interview

Interview with Vegan Recordings for their Talk Show Host feature

Interview with Turtle Tempo

Further coverage for ‘Golden Gai’ from Digital High Blog, Vents Magazine, Crack in the Road, The Grey Lantern, With Guitars, Trash and more.

Further coverage for ‘Vixen’ from Born Music Online, That Buzzing Sound, Eat This Music, Cool Music and Things, Bristol In Stereo, Skope Magazine, Headliner Magazine, Diamond Deposits, and more.

Further coverage for Indigo EP from The Most Radicalist, That Buzzing Sound, Trash, Floated Magazine, Comeherefloyd, Music Musings and Such, Fresh On The Net and more.

“Hannah has been an amazing asset to our team. She helped us grow and achieve some great media coverage. We’d defiantly work again with the Charm Factory in the future.” – Jack Fratini, VC Pines Manager

[hetmusic]

Case Study – POLO

A single campaign for the Leeds-based band POLO who are signed to independent label Tipping Point, part of Generator.

This was a single campaign for the Leeds-based band POLO who are signed to independent label Tipping Point, part of Generator. POLO have had support in the North West UK prior to coming to us for online press services, however the new intention was to create buzz further afield for this indie-pop outfit.

Our Work:

‘On My End’ premiered by Variance.

Successful acquisition of third-party Spotify playlists with Disco Naïveté, Talk About Pop Music, That Buzzing Sound, Oblivious Pop, B-Sides and Badlands, Deer du Bois, and Music and Other Drugs.

Radio play on Amazing Radio shows with Rianne Thompson and Charlie Ashcroft.

Radio play on BBC Introducing in York and North Yorkshire, BBC Introducing in West Yorkshire, BBC Introducing 6 Music, and BBC West Yorkshire – Monday Night Mixtape with Emily Pilbeam.

Radio play on Hoxton Radio’s Get In Her Ears.

Venue Talk interview with Will You Magazine talking about local Leeds venue Brundenell Social Club.

Other coverage for ‘On My End’ with Press Play OK, Neon Music, Indie + Tonic, Wonky Sensitive, Cruel Rhythm, She Makes Music, North Note, EQ Music, EQ Music, Acid Stag, Born Music, The Most Radicalist, Turtle Tempo and more.

“Hannah provided us with a really succinct campaign, honest direction and a strong flow of feedback – I’d definitely work with Charm again!” – Charlie Dancer, Talent Development Manager at Generator

[hetmusic]

Case Study – Matilda Eyre

Digital PR campaign for independent artist Matilda Eyre (2018)

On this campaign we worked with the independent, unsigned artist Matilda Eyre who had relocated from Germany to London to pursue her music career. This talented musician, singer, songwriter and producer has already begun her journey with promising validation from Mahogany (live performance at Mahogany Music Club) and Ableton (SampleNHold in Los Angeles). Our role was to deliver Matilda Eyre’s debut single ‘FYA’ and follow up single ‘The Calling’ to the online music community, with special focus on the UK audience.

Our Work

‘FYA’ single premiered by Atwood Magazine.

‘The Calling’ single premiered by Clash Magazine.

Radio premiere for ‘FYA’ on Hoxton Radio’s Get In Her Ears show, followed by Track of the Day feature. Plus radio play for ‘The Calling’.

Additional online coverage for ‘FYA’ from Omnii Collective, Floated Magazine, Soundspace, FAB UK Magazine, She Makes Music, Mystic Sons, Neon Music and even more features.

Additional online coverage for ‘The Calling’ from Born Music Online, Mystic Sons, Crack in the Road, Vanyaland and more.

Further radio attention for both tracks came from Amazing Radio’s Charlie Ashcroft on his Audition Show, BBC Introducing London and Soho Radio’s Soho Garage show.

Quote from Matilda Eyre:

“Working with Hannah has been absolutely amazing. She provides a super structured and pro-active campaign with wonderful features and lasting connections. This, alongside a tailored release schedule, has really pushed it to the next level”