Hemlocke Springs
Hemlocke Springs | |
---|---|
Born | Isimeme Udu November 16, 1998 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
Education | |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2022–present |
Musical career | |
Origin | Concord, North Carolina, U.S. |
Genres | |
Instrument | Vocals |
Website | hemlockesprings |
Isimeme "Naomi" Udu (born November 16, 1998), better known as Hemlocke Springs (stylized in all lowercase), is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She first gained attention in 2022, when her song "Girlfriend" achieved viral popularity on TikTok. She released her debut extended play, Going...Going...Gone!, on September 29, 2023.
Early life and education
[edit]Isimeme "Naomi" Udu was born on November 16, 1998, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to two Nigerian immigrant parents.[1] She grew up in Concord, North Carolina.[2] She took an interest in electronic music in middle school, listening to artists such as Calvin Harris and Tiesto. She also began to use GarageBand to create electronic music.[3] She graduated from Spelman College in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in biology, and graduated in 2023 with a master's degree in medical informatics from Dartmouth College.[4]
Career
[edit]2022–present: Going...Going...Gone!
[edit]On May 24, 2022, Udu released her debut single "Gimme All Ur Luv". The song gained over a million streams through Spotify and was named as "the best bedroom pop" song by Complex.[5] She released the song "Girlfriend" on November 2, 2022, and it also surpassed one million Spotify streams with people calling it the "awkward Black girl anthem". In an interview with Rolling Stone, the artist expressed that she was "happy people are listening to it".[6]
She released her third single "Stranger Danger!" on January 13, 2023,[7] and was named one of the "essential emerging artists for 2023" by New Musical Express.[8] From May to August, she collaborated with English producer, Burns, and released three more songs.[9] Her first performance occurred at the Adult Swim Festival on July 21.[10] Udu released "Enknee1" on August 21, the same day where she announced her debut extended play, Going...Going...Gone!, and was released on September 29, 2023.[11] While touring in from North America,[12] she was an opening act at the Greek Theatre for indie-pop band Muna's Life's So Fun Tour (2023). In early Winter, the indie artist was also an opening act in Europe for rapper Ashnikko's Weedkiller Tour.[13] Udu was later featured in the "Class of 2024: Gold Standard" issue with other artists, published by DIY.[14]
On January 30, 2024, the singer announced she is set to be an opening act for Doja Cat's second concert tour, The Scarlet Tour (2024), for the European leg.[15]
Artistry
[edit]Influences
[edit]In her middle school years, Springs was influenced by many EDM artists, primarily Swedish artist Avicii and his 2011 song "Levels".[16] Udu also draws inspiration from many K-pop artists and groups.[17] In an interview with Alternative Press, she claimed she came up with her stage name from a random name generator and added the letter "e" to the end of "Hemlock" in honor of New Zealand singer Lorde.[18]
Music style
[edit]Udu's style distinctly draws from lo-fi music and indie pop. With the release of "Girlfriend", Heven Haile from Pitchfork described the song as "an ideal rom-com song" that "channels the bratty bravado of Family Jewels-era Marina and the springy falsetto of Kate Bush".[19] Many of Udu's fans compared her debut song to Canadian singer Grimes' style, with Grimes also commenting on it.[3]
Discography
[edit]Hemlocke Springs discography | |
---|---|
Music videos | 5 |
EPs | 1 |
Singles | 8 |
Extended plays
[edit]Title | Details |
---|---|
Going...Going...Gone! |
|
Singles
[edit]Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
NZ Hot [20] | |||
"Gimme All Ur Luv" | 2022 | — | Going...Going...Gone! |
"Girlfriend" | 22 | ||
"Stranger Danger!" | 2023 | — | Non-album singles |
"Sever the Blight" | — | ||
"Heavun" | — | Going...Going...Gone! | |
"Enknee1" | — | ||
"POS" | — | ||
"Christmas Time Is Here" | — | Non-album singles | |
"—" denotes a recording that failed to chart, was ineligible for the chart or was not released. |
Music videos
[edit]Title | Year | Album | Director(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Gimme All Ur Luv" | 2022 | Going...Going...Gone! | Ana Peralta Chong | [21] |
"Girlfriend" | [22] | |||
"Stranger Danger!" | 2023 | Non-album singles | [23] | |
"Sever the Blight" | [24] | |||
"POS" | Going...Going...Gone! | [25] |
Tours
[edit]Supporting
[edit]- Muna – Life's So Fun Tour (2023)
- Ashnikko – Weedkiller Tour (2023)
- Doja Cat – The Scarlet Tour (2024)
Filmography
[edit]Podcasts
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Superbloom Radio | Herself/Guest | [26] | |
2023 | The Zane Lowe Show | Herself/Guest | Episode 518 | [27] |
The Travis Mills Show | Herself/Guest | Episode 491 | [28] | |
The Zane Lowe Show | Herself/Guest | Episode 603 | [29] |
Accolades
[edit]Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Musical Express | 2023 | Essential New Artists | Herself | Included | [8] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Rigotti, Alex (March 9, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs is making the underdog the main character". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Gunn, Charlotte (January 20, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs: "It's all so exciting!"". The Forty-Five. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ a b Moore, Jacob (January 20, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs' Change of Plans". Complex. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ Garrett, Jonathan (December 14, 2022). "Hemlocke Springs: TikTok star creating a new, wildly eclectic pop vision". New Musical Express. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ Moore, Jacob; Gardner, Alex; Fife, Carter; Hill, Shamus (September 29, 2022). "Best New Artists". Complex. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
- ^ Spanos, Brittany (November 23, 2022). "Hemlocke Springs is happy to make your 'awkward Black girl anthems'". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
- ^ Disalvo, Tom (January 13, 2023). "Listen to Hemlocke Springs' new single 'Stranger Danger!'". New Musical Express. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ a b Flood, Alex (January 6, 2023). "The NME 100: essential emerging artists for 2023". New Musical Express. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ Renshaw, David (May 3, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs throws a medieval feast in her "Sever the Blight" video". The Fader. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ Adkins, Hannah (June 29, 2023). "Details announced for Adult Swim Festival '23; Eric Andre and Flying Lotus to headline". Nerds and Beyond. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (May 3, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs announces new EP, Going...Going...Gone!". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ Hatfield, Amanda (August 8, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs announces fall shows". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ Slocum, Matt (December 12, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs: Life of a Gen Z viral sensation". Rolling Stone Australia. The Brag Media. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ "DIY's Class of 2024 issue - feat. HotWax, Picture Parlour, Fat Dog, Hemlocke Springs & more - is out now!". DIY. December 11, 2023. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ Doja Cat [@dojacat] (January 30, 2024). "🖤". Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ Young, Martyn (April 13, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs: "You only get a first impression once"". Dork. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ Carter, Daisy (December 13, 2023). "Class of 2024: Hemlocke Springs". DIY. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ Rosenberg, Sam (January 9, 2023). "TikTok sensation Hemlocke Springs is your next DIY pop obsession". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ Haile, Heven (November 2, 2022). "Hemlocke Springs: "Girlfriend"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
- ^ NZ Hot Singles Chart peaks:
- "Girlfriend": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. November 14, 2022. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ Springs, Hemlocke (November 30, 2022). "Hemlocke Springs — gimme all ur luv (Official Video)". Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Springs, Hemlocke (November 30, 2022). "Hemlocke Springs — girlfriend (Official Video)". Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Springs, Hemlocke (November 30, 2022). "Hemlocke Springs — stranger danger! (Official Video)". Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Springs, Hemlocke (May 3, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs — sever the blight (Official Video)". Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Springs, Hemlocke (May 3, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs — pos (Official Video)". Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Hemlocke Springs". Superbloom Radio. December 9, 2022. Apple Music (United States). Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
- ^ "Hemlocke Springs and Shawn Mendes". The Zane Lowe Show. June 12, 2023. Apple Music (United States). Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
- ^ "Hemlocke Springs". The Travis Mills Show. October 11, 2023. Apple Music (United States). Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ "Hemlocke Springs". TheThe Zane Lowe Show. November 28, 2023. Apple Music (United States). Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Taylor, Henrietta (September 18, 2023). "One to Watch: Hemlocke Springs". The Guardian. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- Hess, Tobias (November 29, 2023). "Hemlocke Springs Isn't Daydreaming Anymore". Paper. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- Brown, August (April 10, 2024). "The U.S. might ban TikTok. Record labels are cutting ties. What's music's Plan B?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 22, 2024.