Hatty Keane – remember that name. Full of confidence and determination, there is no doubt that if she has anything to do with it we will be hearing a lot more of her in the very near future.
Winning the under 18s category in 2010 at the nationwide ‘UK Open Mic Competition’, one of the biggest singing competitions in the UK for solo artists, Hatty has since embarked on the most significant year of her life breaking into the music industry with ease.
Her love for performing was clear from a young age, she explains “there are videos of me at about five, singing and dancing for my family”. After winning a school talent show she found the confidence at just 16 years old to enter the ‘UK Open Mic Competition’ where she not only won her age category, but also came second overall out of 9,000 entrants. Having initially only entered to “gain experience” and to see how far she could get in the competition with her newly focussed attitude, it soon turned out to be the beginning of something special.
Since winning the competition, Hatty has supported artists such as N Dubz and Tinchy Stryder and most recently has finished a tour supporting Britain’s Got Talent winners Spellbound. Speaking of her dream tour she mentions artists “Nicki Minaj, Jessie J, Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran” and it seems this ‘dream’ is in fact not too far from reality, as in the past week she has supported Ed Sheeran and Wretch 32 at the O2 in London.
Hatty Keane admits it wasn’t an easy task entering the music industry, she explains “I put a lot of work in to make sure my dream becomes my reality”. Having worked her way into the business the traditional way, her efforts are certainly now paying off.
Having signed to BGM (the same team responsible for launching Pixie Lott’s career) and Future Music in February this year, Hatty now has a team of 11 people working behind the scenes helping with what she describes as making her “into a brand”. She realises it is not just about her “rocking up to a show” and emphasises their supportive attitude Emphasising their supportive attitude and assistance in making her into the star she is destined to be.
Hatty worked on her debut EP XVI, which was released this week, with the likes of Bridget Kelly (Roc Nation), Deekay (JLS) and John Stott (Beyonce) who were keen to get on board simply by the power of word of mouth. Hatty explained “they want to get involved in the project and work with me before I hit the big time” indicating that to Hatty Keane it is not a case of ‘if’ she becomes famous, but rather ‘when’ she does.
With her EP, Hatty promises there is “something for everyone” – featuring up beat feisty tracks, an RnB ballad and an acoustic piano version of her debut single Electricity, to mention a few genres. She hopes to appeal to a wide audience by crossing barriers in her style. As her debut single title suggests Hatty’s music is shocking, edgy, vibrant and will no doubt be flowing through homes in no time at all.
Her inspirations may be similar to any other artist, citing powerful female vocalists “Blondie, Beyonce, Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox”, but Hatty Keane manages to offer something new to the music scene, bringing a fresh sharp edge with her songs. She describes her music as “an epic, powerful, hypnotic, edgy sound with a bit of every genre”, which on first-listen could be best described as an eclectic blend of Jessie J, Pink and Rihanna.
Rihanna offers a strong source of inspiration and to her goals. Speaking of the star, Hatty explains that seeing Rihanna live has encouraged her the most, “she puts on a show and that’s what I really want to do. It’s the thing I enjoy the most, I just want to have a tour and put on a massive show!”.
It’s not only her music that has a unique twist, Hatty’s style is different from your average young singer. With sky-high heels, tight uniquely styled outfits and her half-shaven head, the singer mirrors the popular style of artists such as Cher Llyod and Jessie J yet Hatty insists that this is not deliberate, “I always pick out things that people wouldn’t dare to wear but I don’t try and stand out, I just always end up standing out somehow!”.
Her style is mirrored in her music as Hatty believes the way she stands out in her appearance reflects the way her voice stands out. Describing her voice as “powerful and epic” she states “you can probably say my styles like that too.”
With over 400,000 views on YouTube, performing at Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model launch, becoming the face of Extreme Sports and presenting an award at Prince Harry’s Wellchild event, Hatty has certainly managed to make her presence known in the past year and it seems there is no stopping her. The success of Hatty’s career is imminent. The future can only hold big things for Hatty Keane and she finishes with a single promise: “I’m gonna be everywhere in 2012!”.
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