Eliza Hull is a brilliant and thoughtful artist whose music will transport you to another place

Words: Julie Kerr
Photo: Michelle Grace Hunder

Eliza Hull is an artist who is becoming increasingly known for her ethereal soundscapes, stirring lyrics and haunting vocals. Her songs are cinematic and have been used in film and TV here and abroad. She has toured all around the world, and supported artists such as Katie Noonan and Mia Dyson.

Her incredible artistry by way of her songs speaks for itself, but recently, the singer and songwriter from Castlemaine, Victoria, decided to reveal that she has been living with a disability in an effort to encourage more diversity in Australia's music scene, and place a spotlight on other artists who may also be living with disabilities or conditions that have historically been hidden away. 

With a brand new EP coming out this July, Hull as released a single called Hard Way and caught up with Music Love to talk about her creative method and inspiration. 

Tell us about your new song Hard Way

Hard Way is the first song off my forthcoming EP How We Disappeared which will be out in July.

It is about a past relationship ending. The relationship was toxic and I felt like I was constantly needing to change myself to fit it. So in a sense, because of that it’s a bit of a break up anthem and is easy to sing along with. It was recorded live with my band in Melbourne, and produced by my good friend and long time collaborator Jono Steer (Ainslie Wills, Ben Abraham)

When did you first start making music?

I started writing music when I was about thirteen. I was given an old piano by a family friend who passed away and spent my days writing songs about experiences at high school. One of the songs I wrote during that time I ended up workshopping recently, and have reused elements of it.

When I was eighteen, I moved to Melbourne from Wodonga, and decided that music was what I wanted to do. Since then I have been creating music for different formats including theatre, film and of course, releasing my own original music.

Your music is filled with beautiful soundscapes that transports - what is your artistic process?

Thank you! I guess that is probably a reflection on the artists I am influenced by. I write all of my songs on the piano first, and then in the past have used different synths to get those textures. A lot of the beats and other sounds is thanks to the producers I have worked with including Hayden Calnin who worked with me on my debut album and my last EP The Ghosts You Never Catch. My new EP is different as it was recorded live with a band so all of the textures you will hear are mostly created with organic instrumentation.

How do you look after your voice?

I have never had voice related issues which has been lucky. When I have a lot of shows I try and get as much rest as possible and drink lots of hot tea and water to keep hydrated.

 Who are your favourite musicians?

So many!! I seem to connect with musicians who perform with a heap of heart and soul. I love international artists like The Cranberries, Daughter, Florence and The Machine, Bjork, Lorde, Bon Iver, Cat Power and Lamb and Australian artists like Sarah Blasko, Paul Kelly, Mia Dyson, Ainslie Wills, BATTS and Hayden Calnin. That is just a few of them!!

 What was the last thing you saw that blew your mind?

The movie Mother directed by Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for A Dream) it was such a full on movie, but one of those ones that continues to play on your mind for days after and you use your own interpretations to figure it out. For me, the movie is about ego.

What are you most looking forward to in 2018?

Releasing this EP is a big one. I haven’t released music for three years so it’s exciting to share what I have been working on, also can’t wait to get on the road again with some more shows. I am also starting to work on some children’s music for an exciting collaboration with a well-known Australian author, and there are some other great things on the horizon that I can’t announce just yet.

You recently wrote about developing Charcot Marie Tooth. What do you want people to know about living with this condition?

I am really happy with my decision to openly talk about having a disability. It’s made me feel free to completely be myself. I probably didn’t realise how much not talking about it was affecting me, because when I finally wrote about it for the Electric Lady blog, I felt a huge weight off my shoulders. We need more conversations about disability, we need diversity in the music industry and we definitely need more role models for younger up and coming artists that have disabilities to see that their dreams are possible.