Succinctly put, Falzon believes that “being the youngest child” is to blame for ‘Henrietta’, referencing the difficulty of watching her siblings take on musical opportunities she wasn’t afforded and left her with a “big part of me that just wants to be heard”. Perhaps this insatiable feeling of knowing she had something worth sharing has driven the heart-on-your-sleeve aspect to many of Falzon’s most popular songs.
This project is a testament to everything that has shaped Falzon into the musician she is today - setting the tone from the off as the debut shares her mother's namesake, ‘Henrietta’.
Ruminating over her mother’s influence, Falzon is quick to point out how her mother would “hate if I say “forced us”, but very strongly encouraged” all of her children to undertake a musical education. Whilst this rounded musical upbringing is still prevalent within her sound, there is an insistence that Falzon’s music, both live and recorded, serves her love of “the art of finding emotion in an instrument and using it to move people”. There’s no urge to accomplish the mastery of the piano; all of Falzon’s efforts are funnelled into the creation of her art and taking great pride in doing so.
Citing Joni Mitchell as a major influence, Falzon shared a desire to travel as a means to find new experiences and take meaning from these. Beneath the piano melodies, stringed harmonies, and unreserved lyrical themes is an artist whose desire to grow and learn is palpable. In her own words, she “wants to be the best at what you’re telling me to do”, evidenced across all that she does, from her attention to detail in recording practices to opening shows for major artists and personal inspirations, including our issue 001 cover artist Billie Marten, and Katie Tupper.
In many ways, recording music is a secondary drive for Falzon; lurking beneath her words seems an incessant desire to perform. The natural progression of such introspective music is to share it with the world, beginning with headline shows in Manchester and London back in March, before heading onto pastures new. The self-professed “big forward looker” stresses the importance of enjoying her time on stage and appreciating the experiences as they come her way. Being buried deep in the hectic environment of the music industry, Falzon’s outlook (“what’s meant to happen will happen”) should serve her exceptionally well.
The last eighteen months of Falzon’s life have taken her from obscurity to being signed by her “dream label” – Matt Maltese’s Last Recordings On Earth. Having been given a platform that provides her with “a safe place to put [her] music out”, Falzon has grown from her almost ritualistic live performing, polished the best of her songwriting and refined her harmonies to deliver a masterclass in songwriting.
The deeply introspective and considered debut ‘Henrietta’ features Falzon’s life experiences as a thread winding through the entire project, describing the sound of the EP as the direct result of her wish for it to “feel as live and real” as possible. Falzon’s “sole goal is that it moves [her]”, and you get the sense of that throughout. To call this record honest would be a gross understatement; there’s no aspect of Falzon’s life that isn’t laid bare. Describing how there’s always a point at which she realises each of her songs has “got something to say”, you begin to understand the emphasis she places on her lyricism. Mind you, the years of music lessons are still ringing in Falzon’s ears – stressing the importance of being able to remove any one of the harmony, melody, or lyrics and her music being “still just as moving”.
There’s a rebellious streak to Hetta Falzon, determined to “find ways around the music” and create something that goes against the grain. If the starting point of being just another voice in singing lessons was her “moment that defined who I am as an artist”, then ‘Henrietta’ is set to be a cornerstone of what we expect will be a long and illustrious career of a young woman determined to travel her own path.
Joseph Madden
Image: Izzy Reeve
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