Recently I had the privileged of working with the talented singer Hannah Barrett who has recently joined forces with Talent Manager Nadiya Hoffman. Hannah was a quarter finalist on X-Factors in 2013 where she wowed us with your beautiful soulful voice. Her larger than life character filled the room as she entered The Pond Recording studios in South London which was to be our shooting location for the day.
In between takes I managed to catch up with Hannah and ask her a few questions about her singing career:
Elisha: So Hannah what is on the horizon for your this year?
Hannah: A lot of exciting opportunities, currently I’m focusing on what type of artist I want to be and taking this time to write new material which I aim to create a full length EP from.
Elisha: What have you been up to since X-Factor?
Hannah: After X-Factor the hype died down pretty much and I went back to the drawing board and started all over again but this time on my own terms. I write music that I want to sing, I have been studying artists that I admire and I am dedicated to perfecting my craft.
Elisha: What has been the inspiration behind your latest material?
Hannah: I recently went to Rotterdam to work on some new music and wrote a song called ‘Mama’, it basically describes the broken relationship I have with my mother and all the trials and tribulations I have faced with her. It’s very emotional, very deep and completely raw. I don’t hold back at all. I tell the truth.
Elisha: What is it like being an artist that is making a comeback from a huge show like the X-Factor
Hannah: It is one of the hardest things to do. You have to work extra hard because you have to try to get everyone back on your side and listen to what you have to say, especially because they have been waiting on new music for almost 4 years. I am very grateful though because there are people who have stuck by me since X-Factor and they are excited for what is yet to come. It is daunting for me because I want to make everyone proud and I just hope that all my hard work pays off.
I had such a great time hanging out with Hannah she is super talented, hard-working and so much fun to be around, not forgetting the rest of the team that made the day such a blast; the extraordinary Nadiya Hoffman who I have the pleasure of calling my cousin, she is so focused, ambitious and knows exactly how to get things done. Fashion designer Danny owner of street wear label D’Trois, who kindly helped both behind and in front of the camera on the day and of course our host music producer Rory from The Pond Recording Studio who has made beats for the likes of Stylo G, Shaun White and Giggs. To be surrounded by such talent, passion and good vibes made this day absolutely amazing and I know phenomenal things are in the pipeline for all of these guys so watch this space, you heard it here first!
Creative team:
Photography/Styling: Elisha Francis
Music Producer: RLS The Pond Recording Studios
Music Artist: Hannah Barrett
Talent Manager: Nadiya Hoffman
Fashion Designer: Danny D’Trois
Thank you for checking out my blog post, I’d love to hear what you think so please leave a comment below and are an artist looking to collaborate please get in touch!
Elisha Francis 