Courtney Hadwin Talks New Music, Her Hometown And More
Words by Glenn Sargeant
Photo Credit: Supplied By Dedikated PR
With just a handful of releases to her name, Yorkshire rock ‘n’ soul artist Courtney Hadwin has already made a big impact with over a million followers at TikTok, YouTube and Facebook as well as collabs with artists as varied as Sam Fender and Steven Van Zandt. She kindly spoke to us about her new music, her hometown and more:
When did you begin songwriting?
I’ve always had little notes wrote down on my notes app from a young age but in lockdown/covid was probably the time I really wanted to be involved in the songwriting of my music. I’m not great at expressing my feelings so songwriting was my go to way of doing that.
What is your earliest musical memory?
Maybe finding James Brown on YouTube, it was a black and white video of him singing ‘I Feel Good’ and I was blown away with how much soul and feeling was in this man,
You have released a new live version of your track ‘Monsters’. What was the inspiration/story behind the track?
The song lyrics are about dealing with your own demons. We are our own worst enemies and I wanted to create a song that speaks about this as I think everyone can relate to that.
Where did you record the track and who produced it?
The song was produced by Kevin Bowe and the song itself was recorded in my home studio and the live version was recorded in Minneapolis studios.
Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the track’s recording?
It was originally wrote in 2019-2020 and I was with a record label at the time and they disliked it and said it wasn’t pop enough for them really! As soon as I became independent me and Kevin jumped into that rubbish pile to bring the song back out to play we loved it so much since the first time we wrote it and added a few things production and melody wise and wrote a few new lyrics to relate to me 3-4 years later and then released it because WE loved it!!!
Was it a difficult song to write?
Monsters was one of the easier songs to write on my new upcoming album there’s a few songs that were wrote in 2-3 hours tops but then there’s songs that took a month two month maybe. Monsters was just one of them that needed to be said and lyrics and melodies just flew out of us.
The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?
HD studios directed the music video bringing the idea of your own demons chasing you down to life. I loved the idea of us all having so many different personalities and showing that through the camera!
What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
I always hope to come off stage and know that the audience had just as much fun as me a gig/performance is supposed to be fun and engaging my favourite ones I’ve been to have anyway!
Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
I live in Yorkshire and just recently moved here about 3 years ago I love it. I’d maybe say friendly, historic and quiet I can’t think of anymore.
Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
I love a bit of Tina Turner, Little Richard, Otis Redding! I’m always up for listening to new music but I don’t think I’ve heard someone that levels to the amount of soul the older music had. At the moment I am a fan of Teddy Swims and Jelly Roll’s music though I would be lying if I didn’t say that.
Do you have and further music releases planned for 2025?
My first album comes out this year and my new single Spellbound is out now with a few more singles scheduled for the lead up of that album.
Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025?
Dates are being confirmed as we speak for some cool live performances.
What makes Courtney Hadwin happy and what makes you unhappy?
I’m happy when I’m busy and doing music I hate not being able or having nothing to do I love to be active and hate waiting for things to happen to me I like to be in front of the game and everything to go as planned which it doesn’t always which is quite frustrating haha
Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Dedikated PR
‘Monsters’, Live At Metropolis Studios is out now.
For more information visit her official LinkTree here: https://linktr.ee/courtneyhadwinofficial
