Meet Singer Hollie Gautiér
What first inspired you to start making electronic music, and who were your biggest influences early on?: My first influences were Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse. I started writing songs very young and they both showed me that I could express myself honestly through music and make a career out of it one day.
I made first electronic dance track my complete accident. It was a DnB track called Lost & Found and it opened a lot of doors for me. I had just moved to London and started going raving and I think I took a lot of influences from that. I’ve always been drawn to music that makes you feel something, whether that’s on a dancefloor or listening to a song on your own. I love the contrast between emotional, sometimes quite vulnerable lyrics and heavier production.
I’ve been inspired by artists who have their own identity and aren’t afraid to push boundaries between genres.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?: A beautiful, chaotic blend of Lily Allen, Pink Pantheress and Slayyyter.
Walk us through your creative process. Do tracks usually start with a melody, a beat, a vocal, or something else entirely?: It can start in so many different ways. Sometimes it’s a lyric or a melody that comes to me out of nowhere, and other times it’s a bassline or a particular production idea that sets the whole thing off. I love making music with a producer from scratch and staying open minded in a session rather than trying to box myself in creatively.
What's the most challenging part of producing music in today's electronic music scene?: I think the biggest challenge is finding your own identity in a scene where so much music is being released all the time. There’s always something new happening, which is exciting, but it can also make it easy to feel like you need to follow a particular sound or trend.
For me, it’s about staying curious and evolving without losing what makes me different. I want to make music that works in a club but still has personality, emotion and something to say. I think the most exciting records are the ones that feel distinctive rather than like they’re trying to fit into a particular moment.
Can you tell us about a track you're especially proud of and the story behind its creation?: My upcoming single ‘EGO’ is definitely a track I’m really proud of because it represents a new chapter in my sound.
The concept came from that feeling of moving on and realising that someone else’s opinion of you doesn't define your worth. There’s something really empowering about reaching that point and I wanted the song to capture that energy without taking itself too seriously. It’s gritty, bold, sassy and made to be played on the big speakers in a club with a sticky floor. For me, it’s about turning a situation that could have brought you down into something that makes you feel completely in control.
What artists—inside or outside electronic music—are inspiring you right now?: Slayyyter, Adéla, Pink Pantheress, Zara Larsson - the girls are killing it
What's next for you? Any upcoming releases, collaborations, tours, or projects fans should know about?: My new single ‘EGO’ comes out on 30th October! Following my sold-out headline show, I'll be playing a pre-Christmas show ahead of a new EP next year. Follow me at @holliegautiermusic to be the first to know!
