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Interviews

Fresh off the release of his new single Say It Twice, we chat with Littlehawk

Earlier this month, when Perth-based artist Littlehawk (real name Gavin Arnold) dropped his latest single Say It Twice, we were immediately addicted to his unique and idiosyncratic blend of sounds.

So fresh off the release of the new single, with caught up with Arnold to discuss the impact of having a child, reflecting on past selves, and what the future holds.

Fresh off the release of his incredibly infectious new single Say It Twice, we caught up with Perth based singer-songwriter Littlehawk for a chat.

HAPPY: Hey how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?

GAVIN: I’m doing great. Actually, life is better than ever. My main focus at the moment is preparing for the single and album launches happening over the next couple of months. They’re also the first Littlehawk full band shows which I’m really excited about. It’s taken a while to get a band together because I decided to release my album Chinchilla, which was pieced together track-by-track, at the same time my partner Amanda and I had our first baby, Millie. It was a busy time and officially launching the album was the last thing on my mind.

HAPPY: We’re really digging the new single… could you tell us a bit about the track?

GAVIN: Say It Twice is a message to my younger self. It’s about making the most of life which I feel is something I’ve only been doing more recently. After leaving school and uni I expected things to land in my lap and when they didn’t, life, at least as I’ve known it, was tough. The song though has a pretty upbeat and lighthearted vibe – I’ve tried to counter the fact I used to take things quite seriously and often worried about what other people thought and expected from me, which in a way was quite debilitating.

HAPPY: How are you feeling about the song now that it’s been out for a little while?

GAVIN: To be honest, I thought I’d be totally over it by now, having heard it a thousand times, but it still makes me happy. Maybe it’s just where I’m at in my life now compared to where I was back then. The track in my mind is a celebration of that.

HAPPY: It wasn’t all that long ago that you released your album Chinchilla… why follow it up with new music so quickly?

GAVIN: Since just before Millie was born I’ve had this unprecedented drive to release music. I think it’s built up from wanting to do it for so long but only recently having the confidence to do it. Having written music for years I have a stack of unfinished songs to draw inspiration from. Tracks like Say It Twice that I’ve rediscovered and wanted to record properly.

HAPPY: How do you feel Say It Twice is different from your past material? If at all…

GAVIN: Say It Twice is unlike anything on Chinchilla, but I guess the tracks are quite varied on that album too.

HAPPY: Could you tell us a little about the making of the music video? How did that all come together?

GAVIN: Whenever I write a song there’s always strong imagery that comes with it, and I’ve always dreamt of producing a music video. This track is about me being a bit blasé when I was young so I’ve tried to capture this with my extroverted style in the video. The theme-park motive represents this fun but somewhat chaotic time of my life.

HAPPY: We’re picking up a few different sounds in your music… are there any particular artists that influence you?

GAVIN: Beck, Cake, Radiohead, Neil Young, Gotye, The Beatles – these are the main ones that spring to mind.

HAPPY: What’s next for Littlehawk? Any other exciting plans in the works?

GAVIN: I’m in the middle of recording my second album so after the Chinchilla launches and a few summer gigs I’m heading back into the studio. I’m also thinking of doing an instrumental album with just piano songs, but that’s looking a little further ahead.

HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!

GAVIN: No worries, thank you!

Say It Twice is available now.