Wasting no time in continuing to build momentum around an engaging stage presence and equally captivating string of music releases, Kiama singer songwriter BRONTE ALVA delivers new music for 2024 in ‘HEY…’. Following off the back of single ‘Change Loving You’, Bronte presents a candid and striking look at the way one can navigate young adulthood.
Diving headfirst into the emotional throes of figuring out who we are, with specific focus on the unique challenges young women often face as they come into their own, ‘Hey…’ charts the often-times confusing gamut of emotions that can define our early twenties.
For ‘Hey…’ Bronte recorded the music in Glebe with Fletcher Matthews (Dear Seattle, The Buoys). Together, they created a final product that serves as a portrait of a particular coping mechanism for Bronte, at that time in life; but also an avenue for listeners to perhaps find solace or some relatability within.
Says Bronte of the process behind ‘Hey…’, “I was experiencing a major creative dry period and was struggling to maintain my identity as a songwriter, simply because I wasn’t writing anything. One day in an attempt to feel a little better, I sat at the piano and wrote the line “I don’t feel like myself anymore”.
I then had a day with my guitarist Max Jacobs - he wrote the chords and played them on a loop - it took about 10 minutes to write the rest of the song. When taking it then to the studio, Fletcher (Matthews) played a key role in creating a safe space to unpack the lyrics - to inspect what every word meant and made sure nothing was in there as a filler. It really then just came together from there.”
The track sheds naivety in place of embracing maturity and self-awareness; allowing oneself to be chaotic is one thing, learning from it and redefining your path is another. With ‘Hey…’, Bronte shows the listener that even if she is still figuring it out, it’s all part of the journey.
“The verses dive into the twisted journey of shedding the selfishness and naivety of youth, while the choruses shed light on the unique challenges young women face during this pivotal time. Society paints our early twenties as our "prime," yet it often feels like a relentless dogfight for validation. Amidst this chaos, we find ourselves comparing our struggles to the seemingly effortless lives of others.
Finding solace in embracing the messiness of this period has been key for me. The lyrics on the page capture one aspect, but the true acceptance came when I allowed myself the space to just figure things out.” BRONTE ALVA
The release of ‘Hey…’ is another impressive chapter in Bronte’s steadily growing body of work. Since debuting in 2022 with ‘Eve’s Lips (Make Me Want To Cry)’, she has enjoyed support from triple j and Triple J Unearthed; before levelling up on stages supporting the likes of WAAX, Skegss, The Terrys, The Grogans and more.
beehive has been so stoked to have been supporting Bronte Alva via music publicity, our music PR team providing radio plugging services within the Aussie media landscape!
A natural storyteller and performer, Bronte’s arrival signalled a breath of fresh air in the Australian indie space – it took no time at all for people to catch on. For fans of artists like Angie McMahon, Julia Jacklin and Chloe Dadd, Bronte Alva is a name that is going to be around for some time to come.