Australian queer indie-pop newcomer Hallie has dropped a brand-new single, Shift the Focus, inspired by their life experiences, identity, sexuality and gender.
Known for their punchy indie-rock hits Do It and Love!, the singer-songwriter is following up with another track taken from their newly released debut EP, This Is Love.
“Shift the Focus is about the end stages of a romantic relationship and realising it can’t be forever but finding peace and acceptance in that. At the time my partner and I were nearing the end of our journey together and we always knew it would end, especially being in our early 20’s, and admitted we both felt that we didn’t know if we had much more to learn from each other. It was freeing being able to share that and destigmatise the end having to be a negative thing,” Hallie explained in a press release.
“Instead, we could share the sadness and surrender to that moment, enjoying that we were still in love in the present and letting that be enough. I wrote Shift the Focus with my friends Oscar Sharah and Abby Bella-May. I had just met them the night before and as soon as I got in the studio we got straight into a DnM.
“It felt like we were all at similar stages in our lives which made this song form so naturally. I had discovered Holly Humberstone just before that and wanted to emulate the bittersweet pop feeling that Holly does so well. This was also the first song I worked on with Oscar and straight away I knew I wanted to work with him on the rest of the EP.”
Alongside their new single, the young musician has dropped their killer five-track EP. Hallie shared more about what their project meant to them in a press statement: “This Is Love is about my journey with love; falling out of love, dealing with heartbreak, and navigating queer love, polyamory, openness and reframing relationships in a way that feels healthy and authentic to me. These songs were pinnacle parts of that journey for me, as I was working out what love looks like for me, away from all the social expectation and noise.”
They added: “Often I would go into writing these songs feeling confused and lost. Labelless is the perfect ending to this EP because it shows how through self-reflection, I can have a healthy connection to my queerness and openness. The process of writing This is Love was also one of the most healing experiences creatively.
“I have never felt so in control and connected to my music. My journey with discovering my sound has meant learning to choose my authentic self over others opinions. I am my own biggest fan to be honest, and I didn’t know I would ever be able to feel that. I hope when people listen to This is Love, they can experience the many facets of love and reflect on what love looks like for them!”
Listen to Hallie’s debut EP This Is Love here or below.
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