Singer-songwriter and producer Hallie is proving to be one to watch with their debut EP, This Is Love.

The Australian artist has been making a name for themself thanks to their intoxicating sound of off-kilter anthems. Hallie may be an emerging artist but they’ve already gained support from a slew of radio stations, tastemakers, and has supported the likes of Alex Lahey and Teenage Dads to name a few. What makes this new artist so interesting is their gift for penning songs utterly gorgeous alt-pop songs that thematically traverse the topics of life, emotions, identity, sexuality and gender.

Recently the songwriter has put out their stellar debut EP, This Is Love. A collection of five effortlessly slick pop gems and the project as a whole acts as the perfect introduction to this new talent. In conversation with 1883 Magazine, Hallie discussed the extended play, their dream curated day festival, and what they’d like to achieve this year.

Hallie, congratulations on releasing your debut EP, This Is Love. What challenges did you overcome when making the five-track project?

Thank you. The writing and recording process of this EP was actually one of the most fluid experiences I’ve had! I think the challenges came mostly from the learning whilst writing it; the growing pains, which is always inevitably a bit painful. I am grateful I could learn so much from writing so openly about my experiences!

Following on from that question, do you feel the EP offers the listener a current snapshot of where you are now artistically? What I mean is that sometimes artists sit on their debut EP for a while and by the time they put it out, they’ve already changed a fair bit as an artist.

Definitely! I felt like I when I properly explored my love of pop in this EP and really started to experiment with those kind of textures and sounds. I’ve deep dived into these sounds even more in my current writing which has been really exciting, but I still feel really connected to the themes and the sonic world of the ‘This is Love’ EP.

You co-produced This Is Love with Oscar Sharah, how did you find the experience of opening yourself up to co-producing? Did it feel like a different process compared to you normally producing on your own?

Working with Oscar was so seamless and genuinely so fun and inspiring. I would often find it difficult to properly articulate what I want in my music with past producers I’ve worked with so to feel so seen with Oscar made me feel much more secure in my writing going into other sessions. I just want to work with Oscar forever!

What is one fun fact that people might not know about Hallie?

I get really bro-ey when playing Fortnite. It’s where I truly unleash! Add me to see It first-hand, my username is ‘Bibblebumm’.

If you could put on a day festival, what would it be called and who would be on the line-up?

I love this question! It would be called Queers & Queens and the line up would be Maude Latour, Beyonce, Holly Humberstone, Rhianna, Maggie Rogers, Remi Wolf, Clairo, SZA, The Japanese House, Taylor Swift, Beabadoobee, Soccer Mommy, Girl in Red, Olivia Dean & Olivia Rodrigo. Oh and me of coarse!

I love that you posted a step-by-step process of burning your EP onto a CD as a mixtape. It’s so silly to say but I felt somewhat nostalgic as I used to burn music onto CDs all the time when growing up. As a music fan yourself, what’s your fondest/earliest memory related to music?

I know, making the CDs was such a nostalgic process! I remember getting my dad to burn me CDs of Hilary Duff haha! I remember performing a song when I was maybe 5, a song I’d written for my family, and being so proud of it. It was about cows and piggies I think- definitely a hit!

Can you tell us a little about the moment you knew you wanted to pursue music as a career and the first initial steps you took to get your music out there in the world?

In high school I was very active in performing and was in multiple choirs, musicals etc… I always kind of knew it’s what I wanted to do in some capacity, but I think it clicked in grade 12 when I was given the opportunity to write and perform the graduation song. I remember having a band and my friends singing with me, a song I had written, and a lot of my peers were really moved by it and that feeling of connection stayed with me. I think that was a cementing moment of clarity that this is what I’m really passionate about!

Finally, what are a few things that you’d love to achieve this year?

I think previously I’ve had big goals of achievements eg. specific festivals, touring with certain people, heading overseas, and obviously those things would be amazing, but right now I feel most inspired and connected to the people who are actively listening and connecting with my music. I really want to create a Hallie land of like minded people who I can share all the big feelings with. The more I do this, the more I realise how important that aspect of my career is!

This Is Love is out now. Follow Hallie @hallieeee

Interview by Cameron Poole