Hanna Andreá

With her new EP Braveheart arriving August 21st, Nordic pop artist Hanna Andrea is preparing to unveil her most exploratory and personal work to date - a four‑track narrative of courage that moves through digital‑age disconnection, self‑acceptance under pressure, and the evolution of a voice that has grown markedly since her early teenage debut.

Across the EP, Hanna reflects on her shift from solo writing to collaborative creation, the unexpected cohesion that emerged as Braveheart developed, and the emotional contrasts that continue to shape her songwriting. 

Navigating the chaos and clarity that come with growth, and transforming the pursuit of perfection into an embrace of her own imperfections - this is the story she’s ready to tell.

Fresh off the release of Get Off Your Phone, a fun pop-rock anthem that takes aim at modern social media culture, you're returning this August with your latest EP, Braveheart. What excites you most about sharing this four-track collection, and how does it reflect your growth as an artist?

I was so young when I wrote and released my first album Stranded in the Middle, so I’m very excited for people to hear how I’ve grown since then. My singing voice has changed a lot and the styles of the songs have grown as well. My first album I wrote by myself, just as a young teenager, who liked writing songs, without any connection to the industry, and this new EP is all co-writes, so there has definitely been a big development in the process of creating the songs. I’ve definitely moved into more of a mainstream sound with this EP, the songs sound a lot more like what I enjoy listening to personally, which is fun, but I’ve still managed to keep the “cinematicness” that I think was special in my first album.  

You've previously mentioned that you prefer to approach a project as a complete body of work rather than a collection of individual songs. Did that mindset continue throughout the creation of Braveheart? Did the tracks naturally evolve and flow together as the EP took shape?

It’s kind of ironic, I did not go into writing Braveheart with any concept or direction in mind, I just wanted to explore what it was like to write with other people and unlock new sounds. For a long time I thought it was going to end up being more a collection of individual songs, but when we stepped back and looked at all the songs we had made at the end, we discovered that while they are all uniquely different, they also fit together very nicely and work together to tell a story. It was a really beautiful surprise. 

Get Off Your Phone was inspired by the experience of spending time with friends who are glued to their screens instead of living in the moment. Do you think this is a particularly relatable experience for younger generations today, and do you hope listeners will connect with the song because of that message?

I do think this is a fairly universal experience. When I brought the topic up in the writing room, every single person could relate to it. We’ve probably all been guilty of being on our phone when we should be paying attention to those around us and we’ve probably all experienced what it’s like to feel ignored by friends who are distracted by their phones. I hope people will connect to it as a relatable experience. 

The title track, Braveheart, feels like a triumphant, fairy-tale-esque celebration of self-discovery - a theatrical and cinematic anthem that encourages listeners to embrace their imperfections and confront their fears. Were there any defining personal experiences that influenced the song?

Yes, when we wrote this song, I was just coming out of a time in my life where I felt like the people I looked up to were telling me I needed to change myself to be able to succeed. But there didn’t seem to be any answers for how to do that. Writing this song was a way to get past the anger and frustration of that feeling and try to decide that I didn’t really need to change and that I could make all my dreams come true the way I was. 

Have you ever felt pressure to get everything right, whether as an artist or simply while growing up, and why do you think this message is especially relevant today?

Yes, I’m definitely a perfectionist. I feel like it’s more of an internal pressure. I always feel the need to prove myself, and I always want everything to be the best it can be. I don’t like regrets. For me this hasn’t always been the healthiest mindset, so I do think it’s important to talk about. 

The EP has been described as capturing both the chaos and beauty of modern life. How do you see those two elements coexisting, both in your own experiences and in the wider world? When writing songs, is music an emotional outlet that helps you make sense of those contrasts?

I think some of the most beautiful moments of my life have been some of the most chaotic and intense. I have a sticky note somewhere in my room where 6th grade Hanna wrote “‘ It was the best of times it was the worst of times’ now I finally understand this quote.” I had just started at Catholic school, and I had just started theater. I was in a new school system, I was in one university play and one student musical, which I guess was the first time in my life I had ever been that busy, but I was really happy because I had finally found something I really loved and was able to fill my life with it. In the broader world we look around and we see really beautiful things, but also really scary terrible things and that’s just the way the world is. It is both: beauty and chaos. When I started formally songwriting I used the songwriting as an escape from the chaos of my life and to process both the beauty and intensity that filled it.  

Looking back on the creative process, what did you learn about yourself as an artist? Did making Braveheart help clarify the kind of impact you want your music to have?

I think I learned a lot about collaboration working on this album. I also got to explore a lot what it feels like for me to work in different styles. The process of this album has been so different from anything I've done before so it made me a more versatile artist, but it also helps me understand how I want to work going forward and how to know in what ways I prefer to work for various tasks. As far as impact goes I feel the same way as I’ve always felt: I want to make music that makes people think and hopefully see the world differently and music that people can relate to and feel seen by.

What was the most rewarding part of creating the EP? Was it writing the songs, recording them, or watching the entire project come together? It must be incredibly satisfying to finally see it completed.

The nice thing about being a pop artist for me is I truly love every part of the process. I love writing, I love recording, I love making the music videos and the visual elements of the songs, I love seeing it come together, I love performing. It really hard to pick one favorite moment, I loved getting to meet so many amazing artists that I got to write with, I had the most fun couple of week with my video team, where we shot all the videos, and I’m really excited for August, when everyone finally gets to hear everything we’ve been working on.

Alongside your emotionally driven pop sound, you've also developed a talent for theatrical storytelling. You've even written songs for the upcoming Shakespeare-inspired musical MUSE, which will debut at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. How did that opportunity come about, and what inspired the music you created for the production?

I helped devise MUSE back at my high school, Interlochen Arts Academy, along with a small group of students and one of our teachers. I was asked to write a song for it, because at the time I had just released my first album, and our teacher thought it would be fun for me to write my own song for the show. As the show keeps going to bigger stages, I’ve been asked to write more and more songs. It’s been really fun to write these songs because there is so much to take into consideration. The personalities of the characters in the original Shakespeare plays, their personality in our show, the moments in our show, the general storyline of their Shakespeare play, what is the character feeling in that moment, what needs to be communicated, the arch of our play, does it need to be up beat or down beat, the list goes on and on. It’s been really fun to piece everything together. 

Do you think musical theatre offers a more expressive framework for storytelling and emotion than traditional songwriting? How did you aim to communicate the themes and emotions of MUSE through its soundtrack?

I like writing for musicals because you are writing for characters. The themes you discuss aren’t automatically linked to you and your personal life, so you have a little more freedom and there is more space for creativity and imagination. I do love pop songwriting though, because I love processing my own life and thoughts through music. My goal when writing for MUSE is always to help move the story of our play forward, and add new interesting levels to the storytelling.  

With your sound continuing to evolve, your growing involvement in production, and creativity at the heart of everything you do, what keeps you inspired and motivated to keep pushing yourself artistically?

I’m not sure I could ever stop even if I wanted to. Songwriting and performance are such a core part of who I am, it fills my head all the time, and I just kind of have to get it out. That’s how I started and that’s how it continues. Of course now I have a lot more deadlines and structure to my creativity, which at times can make it feel more difficult to get things out of me because there is more pressure, but also at the same time, I’m not doing things alone anymore, which also helps push me forwards. 

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