Interview: Hattie Briggs
29th June 2016
Share This Article:
It’s hard to believe that Gloucestershire singer and songwriter Hattie Briggs is only 22. Starting out in the music industry only three years ago while she was studying Russian at university, she’s got hundreds of gigs and various award nominations under her belt.
Her music, self-described by Hattie, is “It’s an intelligent fusion of pop, folk, country, americana and blues that I just call “singer-songwriter” if somebody asks me about genre.
“I’m a lyrics person so the words are interesting and emotive while being memorable and universal.
"I combine these with catchy melody lines and a pure vocal, which seems to really move people in different ways.” Though only quitting university in 2014 to continue full time with her passion for music, music has been a part of Hattie’s life for as long as she can remember - perhaps something that reflects through her obvious talent and outstanding lyrical ability. A journey into music (sans ITV talent shows which appear to be a popular route at the moment) can usually be a long and tiresome one, but with music being at the forefront of Hattie’s youth she’s ahead of the game. “I can’t remember a time when music wasn’t a big part of my life,” she says. “I grew up listening to my parents' CD collection and was a especially drawn to great singer-songwriters. I remember singing along at the top of my lungs to James Taylor, Elton John, ABBA, Queen etc in the car.
“My Mum encouraged me to take up instruments at school. This started with the recorder, followed by the guitar and the cello. I later learned electric guitar, bass guitar and percussion. I took singing lessons for a while when I was 11 or 12 years old, but singing has always come naturally to me so I’ve never worked much on vocal technique etcetera. I began teaching myself the piano at 17 and picked up ukulele last summer.” Soon Hattie started studying Russian at Oxford University, which was to be a short lived experience - she dropped out at the start of her second year to pursue music full time. Hattie mentions on her choice of subject “I’ve always enjoyed and been good at learning languages. I studied Russian at school, had a very inspiring teacher, and it was my best subject.

"I combine these with catchy melody lines and a pure vocal, which seems to really move people in different ways.” Though only quitting university in 2014 to continue full time with her passion for music, music has been a part of Hattie’s life for as long as she can remember - perhaps something that reflects through her obvious talent and outstanding lyrical ability. A journey into music (sans ITV talent shows which appear to be a popular route at the moment) can usually be a long and tiresome one, but with music being at the forefront of Hattie’s youth she’s ahead of the game. “I can’t remember a time when music wasn’t a big part of my life,” she says. “I grew up listening to my parents' CD collection and was a especially drawn to great singer-songwriters. I remember singing along at the top of my lungs to James Taylor, Elton John, ABBA, Queen etc in the car.
“My Mum encouraged me to take up instruments at school. This started with the recorder, followed by the guitar and the cello. I later learned electric guitar, bass guitar and percussion. I took singing lessons for a while when I was 11 or 12 years old, but singing has always come naturally to me so I’ve never worked much on vocal technique etcetera. I began teaching myself the piano at 17 and picked up ukulele last summer.” Soon Hattie started studying Russian at Oxford University, which was to be a short lived experience - she dropped out at the start of her second year to pursue music full time. Hattie mentions on her choice of subject “I’ve always enjoyed and been good at learning languages. I studied Russian at school, had a very inspiring teacher, and it was my best subject.
- Article continues below...
- More stories you may like...
- Introducing: Eden Lavelle
- Album Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest The Rats' Nest
- Album Review: Ra Ra Riot - Superbloom
You might also like...
People who read this also read...
TRENDING
TRENDING CHANNELS
CONTRIBUTOR OF THE MONTH