Eora/Sydney artist Hattie Oates has been a favourite of mine since I started hearing her music back in 2019. She was just 15 then, but she showed maturity beyond her years. However, like so many artists who start out so green, I think her music is getting better and better with every passing year. Her latest single “Terrified” is an accomplished piece of indie-pop that I can’t stop listening to.
“I wanted to write a song about leaving the safety net of school and diving straight into the music industry. I moved to Sydney literally the day after my last exam and began trying to answer questions about myself that even I didn’t know the answer to,” said Hattie, who hails from Kamilaroi Country/Tamworth.
“When Ben Oldland (producer and co-writer) and I were in the studio, we spoke about growing up surrounded by a “follow your dreams, you can do anything if you put your mind to it” attitude, while also knowing that the higher you jump the further you fall. But I always knew I’ was going to jump, I couldn’t stay put even if I tried,” she said. “This song is about trying to figure out who you are, while navigate a new environment … That feeling of stumbling through the dark trying to grab at anything that’s going to help stabilise you.”
Hattie is clearly embracing life in the big city, as she shot the video in the Northern Beaches. Directed by Will Hunt, Hattie was inspired by the eeriness of Stranger Things and Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.”
“As the song has its own chaos about it, I wanted to emulate a chaotic chase through the forest, being hunted down by an unknown being, so by stumbling, running, tripping, I wanted to convey the terrifying feeling of being chased by the unknown. But while trying to escape, I never really leave, so it’s full of fear, angst, determination, wonder,” Hattie explained. We filmed it at the West Head Lookout in the Northern beaches, a stunning location with an abundance of scenic trails, drives and national parkland… oh and on the day of filming I got bitten by a bull ant, accidentally pulled a tree over and had blisters on my feet from running on the hot tar.”
Hattie told fans on Facebook she had so much to show us in the New Year, so hopefully this is the first of several new releases for 2023.