BEATBUZZ QUESTION(s) TIME: HYDIE HUMBLES

We heard of Hydie Humbles via Musosoup when we bumped on her brilliant single ‘Barcelona’. We got hooked on her vocals and her melodies so we really wanted to hear more from her. Fast forward a few weeks and here we are, talking to her about her new single ‘Hippie Camp (Freestyle)’.

She opened up about her new song, her approach to music from her teenage years playing drums in bands and how it all evolved in her current project and her approach to playing live (or better say, not playing live). We also got a couple of great new music suggestions from her, so make sure you get to the end of the interview…
Enjoy her music while you read through. From our side we can only say we can’t wait to hear more from her soon.

We first heard your name and your music when we listened to your single
‘Barcelona’ on Musosoup and we are very glad you agreed to answer a few
questions about yourself and your new release ‘Hippie Camp (Freestyle)’.
Please tell us a bit more about your musical journey, when and how you
started getting involved with music? We read on your socials that you used to
play drums as a teen, was this your first passion?
Indeed! I started to learn the drums as a young teenager and played with a
rock/rap band up until I turned 20, which played a huge part in shaping my
musicality and strengthening my technique. I joined Tech Music Schools after
6th Form to study for a Higher Certificate in Drums but I didn’t seriously
consider singing until I was offered an opportunity to record for an album in
Paris. The album, as far as I know, never got released, but that helped inspire
me to write my own songs and practice singing techniques. I picked up playing
the ukulele when I was working in Barcelona for a few months – I’m not great,
but I like to use it as a writing tool.

Anything you want to share about the new single? What would you like to tell
the listeners about ‘Hippie Camp’?
Hippie Camp (Freestyle) is kind of a patchwork song; a number of different
musicians and producers have added to the final mix. I originally went to
Hermitage Works Studios in North London with a harp melody and beat and
invited a guitarist and drummer who happened to be there at the time to add
some parts. I wanted the song to feel like it had two distinct halves so the
listener could be taken on a journey, getting progressively more psychedelic
as you listen. The lyrics were inspired by the poetry of Tiger Singleton, who I
met at a retreat in Sweden right before I went into the studio. Finally, it was
mixed by Evil Genius (who produced Barcelona).

How did you find the first reactions to ‘Barcelona’ and now to ‘Hippie Camp’?
We felt Barcelona was really well received. What’s your feeling and how are
you promoting your music? Have you got any help/support or are you doing
everything DIY?
I think Barcelona was a good introduction to my musical style and voice,
whereas Hippie Camp is much more ‘niche’. It’s not the kind of track that will
be easily playlisted, but I think it better highlights my musical diversity and is
just a good vibe.
Barcelona and Hippie Camp are self-releases, so all the promotion is done by
me in my own time paid by my own money. I’m sort of figuring it all out as I go
and I’ve been learning a lot about the process, which is super fun.

How do you see your music right now, in the current situation and how/why do
you see it being relevant in the future? Do you think at all about this or you just
write and release what you feel in the moment?
I certainly write how I feel in the moment and perhaps that means it won’t stay
relevant, but that’s ok. My music fits pretty comfortably into the sounds coming
out of London in 2019-2020 and I’m proud of that. There’s something to be
said about capturing the time with a song, and I don’t think my music would
have any less value if it was being listened to with nostalgia.

About being relevant, who are the artists you follow at the moment (if any) and
you believe being the most relevant (even just for you) right now and why?
Can be more than one of course.
There’s lots of great music out there currently, what can I say? Listen to
whatever makes you feel good.

How have you been spending the lockdown? Obviously hoping you and your
family didn’t have to deal with the virus at all. Have you been more or less
creative and productive during the last 3 months? We heard from many artists
this hasn’t been the most productive of times for them as they felt they “had
to” produce just because they had more time on their hands rather than
feeling “naturally” more creative and it didn’t quite work out as they hoped.
What’s your take on this?
I created my entire release plan to coincide with free time I had as a result of
the pandemic, but I’m back to working full-time now and am busier than ever. I
wrote quite a few songs in lockdown but only two of them I think are any good
– I made a conscious effort not to put too much pressure on myself to write
amazing songs and that has helped to keep me sane.

Related to the previous question, how do you see your musical project in a
post-lockdown world? Releasing music during a lockdown has not been the
easiest of times, without being able to support it live. Are you already thinking
about a tour or are you just living in the moment and see what happens?
I probably shouldn’t say this, but I jumped at the chance of releasing music
this summer BECAUSE no one could ask me to perform live! Even though I’ve
done a lot of them, live performances have always made me super anxious
and I’m glad I’ve gotten away with not playing any release shows. I wanted to
be honest about that because I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.

I know the song has just come out but wondering what your plans are, release
wise, in 2020?
I’ve now got two self-releases out, released a feature dance track with a label,
and have one more self-release to go before the summer is out. The songs I
wrote in lockdown won’t be released until next year, but I’m planning a few
surprises…

Before we let you go, can you recommend a couple of great new bands/artists
you are into at the moment?
I like Svetlana’s new track ‘Tally Man’, it’s been stuck in my head since the
release. Also, I’m so excited for Future Alters to finally release music – keep
an eye out, it’s going to be huge.