Hannaka is a Brisbane musician who has flourished with the release of her first solo EP, ‘The Colour Of War’.
The EP was inspired by the many conflicts occurring in the world presently and reflects the pain and suffering of those involved. “I feel personally affected by the pain and the conflict that is going on in the world,” Hannaka says.
“‘The Colour Of War’ is definitely a response to pain and suffering and the idea of love and why people go to war. Most of the songs on the EP came out of those contemplations of realising the world is in a lot of conflict and just asking those questions as to what to do with that conflict.
“It’s quite vulnerable and passionate and I guess I feel deeply about the content. Either way, because it’s such a deeply felt response, I have been quite nervous to share ‘The Colour Of War’. It’s a really good step for me to be taking to overcome those fears, and that being a pathway to freedom.”
Hannaka believes music has a universal language, and that the power of music is what inspired her to become a musician. “The reason why I decided to do music was because I was so in awe of its propensity to crush cultural boundaries.
“Together, we could feel something the same even though we had never spoken to each other. I was really taken by the possibility to do that, so I think I’m on a larger musical journey of trying to learn how to communicate well.”
With a family history of musicians, Hannaka is currently completing her degree at the Jazz Music Institute (JMI). “[Studying at JMI] has been one of the most life changing experiences I’ve ever had, just because they work you so hard. They really push you, but in terms of musicality, you’re really learning how to play music and how to do it well. It’s been pretty awesome. University primarily focuses on jazz, but I’ve typically dabbled in different genres. It’s kind of hard to choose when they’re all amazing.”
Hannaka has big plans for her future as a musician, but not many people would consider them the typical path to ‘success’. “I’ve thought a lot about this in terms of the typical ideas of success. I have a lot of goals.
“I think the music industry has forged very predictable paths. You go to New York, Tokyo, Berlin. I’m really interested to go to all these places, but I’m really interested in connecting with people and that’s primarily why I was drawn to music because of the power. I think my musical goals are to continue to communicate and connect.
“I think that’s why the whole world is interested in music. It does have so much power, so no wonder so many people are interested in it. I’m really looking forward to finishing my degree so I can kind of dive into more collaborative projects. Part of the reason why I want to go to Iran is because I want to collaborate with some musicians over there. It’s very people orientated.
“I would really love to score a film one day [too], or collaborate with a dance company and I want to tour to places that are really unconventional such as Northern India and Africa.”
With various projects — including The Feather Collector, an experimental-art project that conjures the unspoken — Hannaka likes to remain busy. “I’m releasing an EP for The Feather Collector as well, it’s an experimental project that is very wild and different to anything else I do.
“I was in Indonesia and the inspiration came from standing on top of buildings and listening to the 5pm call that happens across the nation. It’s a really incredible sound. So from there I was just looking at different ways to express that. It’s multidisciplinary.”
Written by Laura Kirkwood
Hannaka The Colour Of War Tour
Sun 26 Oct - The Wesley Anne (Melbourne)Fri 31 Oct - Mandala Organic Arts Café (Gold Coast)
Sat 1 Nov - Kulchajam (Byron Bay)
Fri 7 Nov - Clarence Corner Book Shop (Brisbane)
Sun 9 Nov - The Bearded Lady (Brisbane)
Sat 22 Nov - The Newsagency (Sydney)
Sun 23 Nov - Join The Dots (Sydney)
Fri 28 Nov - Upfront Club Maleny (Sunshine Coast)
