HANNI Walks Us Through Her Debut EP, ‘Sentimental Me’

Rising indie-pop artist HANNI has released her highly anticipated debut EP, Sentimental Me. Showcasing her evocative vocals and heartfelt storytelling, the Brisbane-based singer-songwriter delivers a compelling collection of five tracks exploring themes of love, loss, heartbreak, and self-discovery.

From the raw emotion of “The Border,” which tackles the pain of leaving a toxic relationship, to the deeply personal “I Would,” written as a tribute to her late grandmother, Sentimental Me captures HANNI’s vulnerability and artistic growth. Other standout tracks include the late-night reflection “Sad Girl Hours” and the empowering anthem “Care Too Much.”

READ MORE: LASHES Unveils Futuristic New Single ‘Tangerine Sidecar’

Fans can experience the EP live at a special acoustic performance at QUIVR, Fortitude Valley, on December 5. With its confessional lyrics and haunting melodies, Sentimental Me establishes HANNI as a rising star in Australia’s indie-pop scene.

To celebrate the release, HANNI has provided us with an exclusive walkthrough of each track.

TRACK BY TRACK BIO

The Border

I wrote “The Border” back in June of 2021, on my first solo work trip to Sydney. The night before I flew to Sydney, I had a huge fight with my partner at the time and I remember getting on the flight, putting my headphones on and crying the whole flight. I met up with Hauskey for the first time to have a session, and as we talked about our lives, I opened about feeling deflated in the relationship. I unmasked the fact that I should have left the relationship months prior, but I had been holding on to the hope that he would change his behaviour but at the time he couldn’t, didn’t want to or maybe he didn’t know how to. Silly little me thought that by staying in the relationship and expressing my hurt that he would hear me and want to change to stay in the relationship but somehow I was always the bad guy. I had internalised these feelings for so so so many months because I didn’t want anyone to think differently of him and I guess I really just wanted to make the relationship work (even at the expense of myself). I remember leaving the session listening to the demo of “The Border” on repeat because I felt every. single. lyric. Now having the perspective of years behind this relationship I still really don’t understand why I stayed in such a toxic relationship for so long but in a way bittersweet way I’m glad I did because I made “The Border”!

Care Too Much

Funnily enough “Care Too much” was originally a 1 minute, half-finished demo that I sat on for years (it was one of the first demos I ever put my own vocals on). I liked the demo but never did anything with it. Harry Young my old A&R saw something in my shitty little demo and  so off I went to Sydney to recreate/build the song out. Got in a session with Hannah Brewer & Charlie Hole and walked out with what felt like a cool song but weirdly the production felt a little circus theme (lol). So yet again “Care Too Much” sat in the volt for another while longer. At least another year had passed. I was sitting listening to every demo I’d ever made to figure out what I wanted to put on my EP and “Care Too Much” was a standout yet didn’t really fit the vibe of the rest of the songs I had chosen. So we ended up scraping quite a bit of the production and starting again. So “Care Too Much” has had so many life’s but I love how it turned out. “Care Too Much” to me is this huge anthem to say fuck you to my ex for being so god dam toxic (the same one I wrote “The Border” about (lol).

Fix Myself

“Fix Myself” was born in the last 30 mins of a really big session day with Alex Burnett. The song legit just fell, flew and flowed out and would definitely be in my record book for quickest song to write. With that said, it still feels very raw and authentic to what I was wanting to say. I feel like “Fix Myself” was every word I had replayed in my head for months but hadn’t been able to put it the right way to not affect my partner at the time. He had only recently lost his dad and I had lost my Grandmother within a matter of months and it felt like not only was I trying to pick myself up but I was trying to do the same for him. I was exhausted emotionally and felt so heavy all the time. “Fix Myself” feels like my reflection on really loving someone and wanting the best for them but without it having to be at the expense of yourself. I felt like I couldn’t fix or help him because I was already broken and needed fixing myself.

Sad Girl Hours

“Sad Girl Hours” encapsulates the melancholy of late nights spent reminiscing about someone who’s no longer around. It’s about a relationship that didn’t end the way you wanted it to and one you just can’t seem to completely move on from or let go of. During your Sad Girl Hours, all those emotions come flooding back, and you can’t help but dwell on them when the world is asleep. For me, Sad Girl Hours are when I write my saddest music. I find myself alone in my own little safe world, confessing about my lingering feelings and emotions over someone I should have already moved on from. An interesting fact about “Sad Girl Hours” is that I wrote it during my first overseas writing trip in London, collaborating with the talented Sean & Dom (known as Kingdoms) and Sarah Close. What’s even more intriguing is that during the session, I realised I had been a fan of Sarah’s music for years prior without knowing I would eventually work with her.

I Would

I wrote ‘I Would’ shortly after my beautiful grandma was diagnosed with cancer. Knowing that I potentially would only have a few months left with her completely crushed me. I wanted to be able to show her how much she has impacted my life. Not only how grateful I was to even have the privilege of being her granddaughter and everything she had done for me but that I would have quite literally done anything to keep her here on earth. At the time, Christmas was just around the corner and we all knew the sad truth that this would be her last. Without even meaning to I sat down to write a song a week or so prior and ‘I Would’ spilled out of me. I could barely sing a word because I couldn’t stop crying. I was over-bearing, angry and upset at the world for making her sick. I did get to show her ‘I Would’ before she passed and said it was very lovely. I don’t think she truly understood how much she meant to me and other people’s lives she made flourish. In all honesty, what made me write ‘I Would’ was my realisation that I wouldn’t have my most favourite human on this earth anymore. I now know that, although not physically, she’s still with me in many ways just not in the way I would have hoped for.