HATTIE WHITEHEAD in full BLOOM on debut long player

SINGER-SONGWRITER HATTIE WHITEHEAD has just released her debut album, the wonderfully winsome ‘Bloom,’ along with a video for latest single ‘Machine.’

“’Machine’ is an ode to selfish power-hungry people,” she said. “I felt sickened by capitalism and the Tories. Money was being prioritised over care for human beings. But on ‘Bloom’ the overarching theme is discovering who I am, of re-emerging from a period of intense grief, and reassessing life from a new viewpoint as a changed person.”

Whitehead grew up to the sounds of the folk and jazz greats, her vocal style reminiscent of both Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake, albeit combined with a touch of her modern influences, Wolf Alice, Kurt Vile and Angel Olson.  

Album opener, and first single ‘Alive,’ tackles the acceptance of heartache, a topic no stranger to ‘Bloom.’ “People so often associate being mentally healthy with being happy,” adds Whitehead. “For me, mental health is allowing the full spectrum of emotions that come with life, each feeling as important as the next, coming together to form a colourful existence and a unique identity.”

Whitehead’s songs are drawn from her life experiences and observations, deeply introspective and emotionally raw, the album tackling the rocky terrain of a life lived in the aftermath of loss, and the ensuing effects on relationships and mental health. Yet its spring-like title suggesting a re-emergence of hope, change, and new life, the song ‘Valentine’ exploring the thoughts of the wider family.

“In essence it’s a love song about growth, compassion, and home,” she said.

‘Bloom’ was written by Whitehead, produced and mastered by John Reynolds (Brian Eno, Herbie Hancock, Bjork, David Byrne, Sinead O’Connor), and mixed by Tim Oliver. John Reynolds guests on drums on ‘The Last to Come Along,’ and ‘I Am Being Fed A Machine,’ with Chris Pemberton (John Grant) featuring throughout on keys. Additional guest musicians include Clare Kenny, Ida Hollis, Loz Garratt (bass), Tim Whitehead (bass clarinet), Peter Adam Hill (drums), Graham Kearnes, and Tom Varrall (guitar). 

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