You've got a classically trained background, tell us about that and how you started out in the music business.
Hannah V
I started taking piano lessons as a child. I become pretty good and starting competing. Then the teenage years hit, I became moody and quit! I went to an international school with a strong music department though - through this I got back into it all and was introduced to jazz. I eventually came to London to study jazz at the Royal Academy of Music.
With your passion you also studied basic production at London's Royal Academy of Music - what was that whole experience like?
My course at the Academy only had a very small production module in it. But it gave me my first introduction to Logic and I learnt the basics of tracking, writing and producing. Whilst everyone else was making instrumental songs, I would do little 8 bar loops and get my friends to vocal them. I found the whole procedure fascinating!
To-date you've worked with some big names including Rihanna, Gnarls Barkley and Jessie J - how does that process work? (from getting the call, to playing for the artist etc.)
I got all of my big gigs from Musical Directors that I had worked with previously or who had heard of me through word-of-mouth. That's the way this business works, your reputation is everything! It varies from gig to gig, sometimes you get the call a month before the tour, sometimes a few days before! With Rihanna, I got the call on a Tuesday and was in a plane to LA on that Friday.
Where or who do you draw influence from for your own music?
I listen to a very eclectic mix of music! I love producers such as Diplo, Timbaland, Lido, Salaam Remi, Bugz in the Attic and others. I also love my old school classic artists such as Donny Hathaway, Aretha Franklin and Stevie. Also love contemporary artists such as JP Cooper, Kwabs, Jhene Aiko, Frank Ocean, Little Dragon, Lana Del Ray, Kendrick Lamar and Drake. To be honest, I draw influences from absolutely everything around me. The phone will ring, and I will get an idea for a beat. My siblings will joke around and I will get an idea for lyrics. I'll be having a bitch and a moan to a girlfriend and a concept will be born. Life!
For those who haven't heard your sound yet, how best would you describe it and yourself as an artist?
My sound is a mixture of dirty beats and gritty bass combined with a musical sensitivity, laced w some amazing vocalists. I am not here to play it safe!
Your new single 'Version 2.0' is now picking up on radio and the like, what is it about this track is it that made you want to put it out?
I love the simplicity and rawness of the beat of Version 2.0. Every sound was so carefully considered, as the production is so exposed. This is also an important subject matter to me - we all occasionally compromise ourselves and our morals. This song reminds me that I constantly need to check myself and make sure I am not getting lost in the superficiality of this world. I hope it does the same for others.
How important is creative control for you when it comes to your material?
I could not do this if I did not have 100% creative control. I am very lucky that my label allow me to express myself musically in any way I want really. I will FIGHT for my music to stay as unadulterated as possible, trust me!
What do you like to do in your down time when it's time to relax and unwind?
I am really boring in my downtime! I just want to watch lots of telly and hang with my homies. I wish I could say I did lots of yoga and other healthy things - but nah, Scandal and chicken curry in my downtime!
For those who are looking to also chase a career in this industry, what advice do you have?
Keep keeping on! Make sure you improve all the time. This is a fiercely competitive business, so be on top of your game. But also be patient. It will happen when it happens. And, be nice!! It takes team work to make the dream work!
Do you have definitive aims or goals for your career?
Not really. I used to, but then realised quickly that life will throw whatever it wants to in your way. So, at this moment in time, I am just happy to be working on my own stuff. Let's see where it takes me!
Finally, is there anything else you can tell us about which fans should keep an eye out for in the coming months?
Look out for my EP Version 2.0 coming out in April! I am so excited to share the tracks on there with you!
Keep up to date with Hannah on Twitter @HannahV or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HannahVofficial