Singer-songwriter Hana Vu released her new album, Public Storage, today, a collection of emotional and ethereal indie pop gems.
The album’s title is a reclamation of the past: Vu decided to name it after the many public storage spaces she and her family would regularly use as they moved every few years.
It’s impacted her music-making, with the young star seeing making and releasing songs in a similar way: “these public expressions of thoughts, feelings, baggage, experiences that accumulate every year and fill little units such as ‘albums’,” as the Los Angeles-based artist puts it.
Public Storage belies the smallness of those spaces with an expansive sound that perfectly holds Vu’s brooding introspection within it. “I am not religious, but when writing these songs I imagined a sort of desolate character crying out to an ultimately punitive force for something more,” Vu explained.
Public Storage builds on the style of Vu’s earlier music, with an increased sense of control and vision in her emotional songwriting. Her sound skews darker and more contemplative than some of her contemporaries, enabling her to emerge from the crowd as a true individual.
Her distinctive contralto delivery is disarmingly stunning throughout too, sounding very much mature beyond her years.
To mark the release of her new album, we caught up with Vu as part of our popular Get To Know series to ask her more about her life and music.
Love Indie?
Get the latest Indie news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
For more on this topic, follow the Indie Observer.
Public Storage is out now via Ghostly International/Remote Control Records.
How did your artist name come about?
Believe it or not Hana Vu is my actual name given to me at birth.
How would you describe your music to your grandma?
My grandma doesnt speak English very well so I don’t know how i would describe it to her but she did come to one of my gig once and she said it was “very good.”
Tell us about a few of your tracks; their titles and what they’re about?
My favourite songs on the record are ‘Maker’, ‘My House’, and ‘April Fool’. Theyre mostly about grappling with the harsh reality of life and the things you cannot control.
What do you love about your hometown?
I love the variety in LA. There’s so many nooks in the city and they feel so distinct. Being from here I also love knowing where everything is and where to go all the time. I never feel lost.
Fave non-music hobby?
I’m actually a serious hobbyist. Right now I’m really into tattooing. Past/ongoing hobbies include pants making, woodworking, jewellery design, and cooking.
What’s on your dream rider?
Mango juul pods and cheerwine.
Dream music collaboration?
my dream collab would probably be Sufjan Stevens or St. Vincent.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Ideally i would have a place like Björk’s house or some little hut in the middle of nowhere where i can make all my little projects.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
I’ve never done karaoke but if I were to I would probably sing ‘If I Can’t Have You’ by Shawn Mendes.
What’s one obsession you have that no one would guess after listening to your music?
Im obsessed with Blackpink to be honest. For a good while all my algorithms were Blackpink related so it just further fed that obsession!
