Hana Lili’s previous single ‘Basement’ saw the young Welsh artist continue to boost her rising reputation, as she addedRadio 1 Future Pop plays from Mollie King and Maia Beth to breakthrough moments which have included stadium shows as guests to Coldplay as well as gigs with Circa Waves and Tom Grennan. Today sees Hana amplified her ascendent next wave status with the release of the new single ‘Iconic’.
‘Iconic’ surges with a tidal wave of sweet melody and abrasive guitars, as Hana’s songwriting possesses a broad alt-pop appeal but with the tumultuous growing pains that inform emo. Her voice hits a similar tonal balance: a clear, appealing vocal informed by the pained experience of being in a situation that came about more through over-thinking than because of any IRL events. It’s a song that is indicative of her growing following - each song evocatively capturing an intensely personal moment.
Hana says, “‘Iconic’ is about a boy where it felt like everything happened but at the same time nothing at all. It was an internal moment, and nothing more than that: never spoken about or acted on. The song poses a juxtaposition between the feeling of having a crush, and wondering if it was all in your head or if it actually really happened.”
The track’s artwork reflects the song’s blurring of fact and fiction. It depicts Hana sitting in a burning room, posing with her hands covering her ears as if she’s disconnected from reality: a little like the famous ‘This is fine’ meme.
She adds, “I've spent a lot of time developing the visuals for my last songs, working on ideas and themes around fires, concepts about running away from the blaze, watching the friendly fires burning slowly in the basement. With ‘Iconic’ it was time to embrace the flames, the chaos of my imagination. Creating the artwork has been liberating, and I've really enjoyed the process. I always find a strong connection between the ideas of my lyrics and the visual that I put out with the song.”
Hana wrote and produced ‘Iconic’ with co-writer/co-producer Daniel Newcombe (JERUB) and co-writer Mark Vallance (Tom Walker).
As showcased so powerfully by ‘Iconic’, authenticity is at the heart of Hana’s creativity. She first performed music in childhood on the local folk scene in her home village of Sully on the South Wales coast, before self-teaching herself production skills and putting together a basic bedroom studio with classic influences such as The Cardigans, Nirvana, Pixies, No Doubt and Fleetwood Mac more recently coloured with the likes of Wolf Alice and Wet Leg. As two independent EPs took Hana to a wider audience with a spread of further airplay (adding Sian Eleri, Huw Stephens, Jack Saunders and Phil Taggart atRadio 1, plus 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru) she proved to a be a natural as her live opportunities grew in stature. Her global potential was also recognised with a grant from the PPL Momentum Music Fund.
After also recently supporting Somebody’s Child, Hana Lili is now confirmed to play The Great Escape and both legs of the Dot To Dot Festival in May.
