In our latest Artist Interview, we chat to Hands Off Gretel’s Lauren Tate about creating under a new name…
Hi Lauren, been a while! How are things?
Hey Soundsphere! It sure has. I’ve been away in imagination land all lockdown! It’s honestly been the fastest year of my life because I’ve busied myself with so much to keep myself sane, haha, lucky for everyone else though as I’ve created so much music including my alter ego Delilah Bon.
How does Delilah Bon push you in new ways creatively compared to Hands Off Gretel?
I’ve taken a completely new approach with Delilah creatively. I guess the reason is- lack of pressure and the lack of expectations from people. I mentioned to the band during the start of the tour in March that once we’d finished the tour I needed to take a personal break. I felt like I needed to reconnect with who I was and my purpose of it all as the pressure of what everyone else wanted was starting to eat at my creativity. That break came accidentally with Covid which allowed me to sit down and really just create something for me with any intentions of releasing it. I started rapping these sassy, sarcastic lyrics and merging punk with hip hop and absolutely loving it, dancing around the room feeling amazing, it’s like nothing I’ve ever done before as until this year I’d only ever sang rock. I knew then as I was singing along in my car and using this music to empower myself through a dark time that other people needed to hear this.
How do you define success as an artist now?
This is ever changing in me. I cry a lot and get frustrated and feel because I don’t win awards and don’t reach a million people or that I’m not surrounded by friends that I’m not successful. But all of that just blends into mush when I think back through times I should have been happy and wasn’t. What truly made me happy was the fans and the girls at the front of my shows with hands off smeared across their skin, hearing the room sing my lyrics back to me and being flooded by the most loving, accepting messages each day in my instagram inbox. Success is being seen and loved for who you are, not having to smile when you aren’t happy and compromise who you are to get what you want. Success is loving yourself and loving what you do and I’m pretty confident in what I have right now and what I’m creating, the dream is coming true.
What is motivating you outside of music during this time – we’re thinking specific people, places, things?
Movie and pizza night with my boyfriend. It’s weird, I’ve been so busy this past few years I’ve never even seen The Addams Family, most people can’t believe the number of films I’ve never seen and don’t believe me when I say I didn’t have time. I’m having a catchup anyway and getting into movies. I also started a vlog channel a few weeks ago which has really helped me connect more with my fans and show them more of who I am which has been exciting.
If you could soundtrack an existing film, which film would you pick and why?
Natural Born Killers or Tank Girl, my favourite badass female-lead movies. But honestly, I wanna make my own movie someday. I dream of that often! I just need to take some acting classes first haha!
Thanks for your time!!
Thanks so much for yours!
Interview: Dom Smit
