Hannah Wants 2015 Interview

After a successful 2014, Hannah Wants has owned 2015. Her What Hannah Wants series has taken off in leaps and bounds, selling out venues across the UK, and she’s been one of the biggest acts in Europe this summer, whether playing at Amnesia in Ibiza or on a boat in Croatia. Just because the season is over in Europe, doesn’t mean she’s slowing down. Hannah is returning to Australia in November and December for Stereosonic, one of the biggest touring festivals Down Under. Ahead of her visit, we caught up with this awesome girl to discuss her success.

Hi Hannah, how are you?
I’m good, thank you. How are you?

Really well, thanks! Where in the world are you?
I’m at home at the moment. I had a pretty heavy weekend with a gig in Birmingham, then I played Bestival and I’m about to go to Ibiza tomorrow so it’s nice to be at home!

What have been the craziest moments of the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere for you?
There have been so many! One of my favourite English festivals again this year has been Creamfields – that was insane. I was in MK Area 10 and it was at capacity, the tent was so big and the vibe was so good. Hideout was another highlight for me. Ibiza has been amazing because I’ve had my What Hannah Wants events at Ibiza Rocks, which has put the brand out there. But then I’ve also had my monthly residency at Amnesia in the Defected terrace, which has been insane because I’ve wanted to play the terrace for years. It was so special to not only play the terrace but because Defected have been hosting it this year, it’s been rammed every time.

You must be chuffed with the success of What Hannah Wants…
It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but I wanted to wait until I got to a certain level. It took a long time to think of the brand name and get the artwork done for it, so it’s taken its time but I think that’s been a good thing. It’s something that we’re really looking forward to building; the first UK tour earlier this year sold out, which I was super happy with. The whole concept of the brand is to just put on really cool events that are designed for the ravers and for DJs to be out-and-out DJs. It’s just about having an insane vibe and enjoying the music.

Is there scope to take it anywhere in the world?
Yeah, that’s the plan. We’ve been in Croatia and Ibiza this year; I know it’s gonna take time to hit places like Australia and America, but we ran a competition for my UK tour where up-and-coming DJs send through a mix, I’d go through them myself and then we’d pick one winner for each event to warm up and play the opening set – which isn’t easy! We definitely threw them in at the deep end, but that’s something we’re looking to take worldwide in the end. The possibilities are endless.

Is there anywhere you’d most like to take it?
Anywhere and everywhere. We’re focusing on the second UK tour for February and March next year; we’ll have bigger venues but I’m gonna make sure that I don’t take away the vibe if we go bigger. I’d rather do a smaller venue – warehouse vibe, low ceilings – to make sure that what we deliver is correct.

What three tracks are you championing at the moment?
[Opens her iTunes] This is a hard question because they change so much! One that I’m liking at the moment is Mario Ochoa ‘Painful’ – I actually went through his back catalogue recently and he’s got some really good tracks. Another one is Qubiko ‘Back For More’ – a bouncy, house track. And another I’ve been playing all summer is Dense & Pika ‘TEX’ – I absolutely love that vibe at the moment and they’re smashing it.

Are you making any new music yourself?
Yeah, it has been a bit crazy over the summer, but I’m playing three of my brand new, unreleased tracks that are being signed to labels as we speak. There’s a track called ‘Hidden Love’ with Detour City, a track called ‘Just’ and another called ‘Dot Com’. All of those are going to be released in the next few months. Over the summer, I remixed Roger Sanchez ‘Remember Me’ and I’ve just done another remix that will be released soon. That’s all I’ve done over this summer because of the crazy schedule! As of October, I’m gonna be back in the studio.

While summer in the Northern Hemisphere comes to an end, it’s just picking up in the Southern Hemisphere, and you’ll be returning to Australia in November. Is it solely for Stereosonic?
There are a few sideshows – I’m not sure what they are yet – but Stereosonic is the main thing.

In such a setting, how could someone from the crowd get your attention?
I’m pretty active, I do like to look around and I enjoy watching people enjoying themselves. People can do a lot to get my attention and have done really random things like pull up their tops while on people’s shoulders – which I wouldn’t necessarily advise! People usually do the W with their fingers and that usually gets my attention – or just generally scream like crazy!

You had your first Australia and North America tours in 2014, so what has 2015 given you?
A lot more experience. 2014 was my breakthrough year playing the big things for the first time, and I had an amazing reaction that helped me push through to 2015, which was a bit nerve-wracking because the pressure’s on to step my game up and keep at the forefront of the scene. I’ve been revisiting a lot of the main festivals and giving it my all. I had a lot to prove, so it’s been a case of more experience, more learning, more travelling. And it’s going to be the same again next year! You can’t rest on your laurels; you’ve got to come back with something new.

Looking further ahead, what are your plans for 2016?
My plan is always to be the biggest and best that I can be. I’m 100% always focused on music – perhaps a little bit too much! I’ll be continuing my monthly mixtape on Soundcloud – that’s something that I love to do and a way that I can give back to the people that support me. I’ll be gigging as much as I can around the world and I wanna be in Europe a bit more than I was this year, and that goes for America and Australia. And I’m going to be making tracks for the dance floor, which is always what I’ve done. And just seeing what happens – that’s the joy about this job: you never know where it’s gonna take you.

Do you have the freedom to release if and when you want?
I’m not signed to any label and that’s the way I personally like it. I have the freedom to do what I want, and because I represent the DJ first and foremost, that’s the way I want it. I enjoy making music, and there’s nothing more that I love than watching people rave to a track that I’ve made, but I will always be a DJ first.

With that in mind, what’s the most important thing you’ve learnt about the industry that you’d want to share with up-and-coming DJs?
Oh, I could write a book! Basically, just do you. You can’t get distracted by other people – whether putting you down or making up things – you can’t focus on anything else. Concentrate on your own game and see what happens.

See Hannah Wants along with Major Lazer, Armin van Buuren, Duke Dumont, MK and loads more at Stereosonic. Tickets on sale now from stereosonic.com.au

By Charlotte Mellor
@cmellor_03