Poesie Talks New Single, Her Voice And More
Words by Glenn Sargeant
Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Artist
London–based newcomer Poesie made a striking debut with ‘Hunter-Gatherer’. She kindly spoke to JLTT here:
When did you begin singing/songwriting?
I’ve been writing songs, of sorts, since I was a child. An absolute classic was one called ‘Hum Goes
the Fridge’ when I was eight, which I can genuinely still remember. Perhaps I’ll release it one day.
Music has always been my lifeblood. I got into it through singing at church and in choirs throughout
my childhood, which gave me an ear for harmony, and an understanding of music as something to be
felt and experienced in community. The act of singing or taking part in anything musical immediately
connects me with the people and environment I’m surrounded by, whilst also being a kind of
transcendent outlet, a way to express and send something upwards.
It all comes back to the fridge and its hum, honestly.
What is your earliest musical memory?
I was in a singing group for toddlers and babies and we used to sit in a circle and bash instruments
and sing nursery rhymes at the top of our tiny lungs. My mum used to take me and it was the total
highlight of my week.
You have your new single ‘Hunter-Gatherer’ which is out now. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?
Hunter-Gatherer is about feeling disconnected from nature when you’re in a built-up metropolis, deep
in the daily grind, unable to see the woods for the skyscrapers. It’s peak Canary Wharf feeling. I live
in London and we are incredibly lucky with our green space, but I still experience this malaise
frequently. When I’m using my phone to pay for something or unwrapping peppers from cellophane,
it’s that. Being awed by our beginnings as Hunter-Gatherers, whose origins can be traced as far back
as two million years, to a present-day combination of marvelling and despairing at where Evolution
has got us.
But it’s also a euphoric club banger so yeah! It’s all going on.
Was it a difficult song to write?
It wasn’t really difficult to write, because even though I do feel what it’s about very deeply, it’s not a
personal song, per se – I didn’t have to unearth something painful or uncomfortable to express it. The
challenge was finding the words which would give life to a wildness I wanted to capture, in the whole
spirit of the song.
That said, I wrote the first draft during the Pandemic, so it did come out of an urgent, bewildered
moment. I’ve written more about the song’s origins, and the process of rewriting it for my first EP, five
years later, here.
Do you have a visualiser to accompany the track?
There is one on Spotify, and then there are snippets of the chorus’ dance routine all over my TikTok
and Instagram, which you can check out:
Where did you record the single and who produced it?
I recorded it with my producer, Fionn Connolly, in his studio. It was a really succinct, yet generative,
process, and our first collaboration, so we got off to a really promising start as a team.
Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?
Fionn, who’s also a vocalist, gave me some excellent vocal notes. One of the things we had to keep
drilling during the vocal sessions was my vowel sounds! I’ve picked up very few ‘bad’ habits from
choral singing, but one of them is that, when you sing in choirs, you do a lot of adapting of vowel
sounds, so they blend pleasantly when you’re singing within a group. This often means changing
what the vowel actually would normally sound like when you’re just speaking. It’s very hard to explain
in words, but let’s just say that the ‘e’ sound in ‘save me’ would have sounded very different without
Fionn’s direction!
Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get
a particular sound/tone for the record?
This is a very synth-heavy track, which you can hear. Getting the bass levels right was also
something we worked on a lot; and then the bedrock of the whole thing is the arpeggiator, which I am
totally obsessed with. It’s on all of the tracks of this first EP. I love how it makes everything sparkle.
Which of your tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?
This is actually a perfect question for someone who is currently releasing a three-track EP…I’d say
happiest: Lost Romantic; angriest: Hunter-Gatherer: most reflective: Cry, Baby.
Do you have any further music releases planned for 2025/2026?
You bet I do. I’m releasing the title single of the EP, Lost Romantic, on 5th September; then Cry, Baby
will flood its way into your ears in October. I’m currently recording my second EP, Curious Eve, which
will be out next year. I’m also trying to get a banging remix of Hunter-Gatherer in the works – any
intrigued DJs, hit me up!
What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
To spark joy and to make people think and feel, deeply. That’s probably three, isn’t it
Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?
I’m just beginning to find my on-stage tricks and build up a bit of a toolbox. I guess you’ll just have to
come along to a gig to find out…!
How do you look after your voice?
I rest it when I have a big day of recording or a gig, and I often drink hot water with lemon and honey.
Vocal zones are also a lifesaver.
You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you
enjoy. Which novel is it and why?
This is such a good, and difficult, question! The one that comes to mind is The Passion According to
G.H. by Clarice Lispector, for so many reasons. She’s a Brazilian writer and I’d love immersing myself
in trying to create some kind of bossa nova, jazz, alt-electronic fusion. I love Berkoff’s Metamorphosis
and The Passion starts with a woman who’s just crushed a cockroach. It plays with perspective and
gender in such a skittish and dynamic way, so I can hear the sound world being strange and
unsettling, trying to mimic the chaos of her head on the page.
Honestly I’ve talked myself into wanting to do this now.
Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
My hometown is Brighton! Welcoming, proud, vibrant, relaxed, pebbles.
Do you have any live dates in the UK/Europe planned for 2025/2026?
I’m performing at Dash the Henge on 20th September. Otherwise, watch this space, as I’m currently
planning more Autumn gigs, and an EP launch at the end of 2025.
Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
My biggest musical inspiration is Patrick Wolf. I first heard his song Magic Position on Magic FM (a
perfect marriage there) in the car on the way home from school when I was eleven and honestly, that
changed my life forever. His albums The Bachelor and Lupercalia are especially gorgeous, and he’s
just released Crying The Neck, which I’m enjoying getting to know intimately. My other big influences,
which are probably obvious in my sound, are Kate Bush, Björk, MARINA; and less obvious would be
The Carpenters, Dolly Parton, Queen and Frank Ocean.
What makes Poesie happy and what makes you unhappy?
I try not to chase happiness, to be honest – I like that the etymology of ‘happy’ comes from ‘hap’,
which means ‘chance’. Happiness isn’t supposed to be fixed, it’s inherently transient, accidental.
Contentment is something I try and cultivate, not that I’ve been able to bottle the formula for that.
But now I’ll answer the question!
What makes me happy: the first bite of a nectarine. The sea. Dancing filthily with my friends in some
dive bar. Forgetting the sky, then noticing it. Writing and reading. Feeling close to someone. When a
cat sizes me up.
What makes me unhappy: greed, hypocrisy, misogyny. The actions of most world leaders. The fact
that the majority of people are working hard only to have the most meagre amounts of time off. The
myth of use-by dates. Bad dates.
Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Artist
Poesie’s latest single ‘Hunter-Gatherer’ is out now.
Listen Here: https://open.spotify.com/track/2txL3Viy2Dzm8M8ZuqdADU?si=I-Cc5sKKRaOuYlNs_Da1CA&nd=1&dlsi=c138be9751b147cf
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@strikeapoesie?_t=ZN-8wWIOMGCxU6&_r=1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strikeapoesie/
