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Photo by Ally Chen

With only a few singles out, each provocative, lyrically searching and emotionally pinned, we were very curious when newcomer Genevieve offered to pull back the curtain on her latest single "Girlhood." Now Genevieve isn’t exactly an unknown, having had success on screen and with her own beauty brand, but we love when people take the leap out of their comfort zone, and even more so when the results are acoustically excellent. So we built up the nerve to send a few Qs to this creative polymath, and took in the results below:

OnesToWatch: Who are you, Genevieve?  

Genevieve Hannelius: Wow, kicking off with a very existential question. I'll take it in a more literal direction, otherwise we'll be here for a while. I'm an actress, singer, founder, and most importantly- just a girl. Most people probably recognize me from my days on Disney Channel.

So, how is "girlhood" going? 

I feel like all of my friends are either getting married or going back to school. I think like we're all pretending to be adults and pretending is also the first step to being something so I guess we're halfway there. There's this dichotomy in your twenties between feeling grown up and feeling like a child. I find it fascinating, frustrating, and beautiful.

We love the raw lyrics and exposed sounds of the record, what inspired that? 

I write songs like I do diary entries and I don't really know another way to do it, so I think they have an innately personal feeling to them. This track tells the story of a girl who is trying her best, but feels like a constant contradiction. The song is about friendship, youth, self love, and feeling misunderstood. We left the song in its original stripped-down state because we felt it encapsulated the unfiltered feeling we were trying to evoke.

Any collaborators? Who produced the track? 

My producer, Matthew Bobb, and I worked together on the song. I brought him the idea I had for the lyrics and melody and he helped me hone it. He brought on a beautiful guitar player, Luis, who played on the track while I sang. I think the beauty of this song lies in its simplicity.

How do you normally compose – is melody first, or a narrative and themes? 

A lot of times I write a song from a poem that I've written. Poems have a melodic quality that lends them to being songs. I'll also sometimes think of a word or title and then create the song from there. I have a list in my notes app of "Favorite Words" and I'll write down any words or phrases that inspire me. My notes app is a very chaotic and sacred place.

Can we expect more vibes like this on your upcoming EP? 

I really wanted the eponymous single, “Girlhood," to encapsulate what I was trying to say with the EP. We wanted each track on the EP to have a shimmering, whimsical, feeling to it. I think the variety of sound on the record encapsulates the different moods of girlhood and the fluidity of self.

Besides this excellent single what else should we be on the lookout for? 

You should be on the lookout for my EP, GIRLHOOD, that drops January 16th! Before that, we have some acoustic sessions we'll be putting out as well as some merch and physical copies of the EP you can preorder. Yay physical media!!

What's inspiring you right now outside of music? 

Recently, I went to visit my favorite poet Edna St. Vincent Millay's house, Steepletop, in upstate New York and it inspired me a lot. She had a whole library room that she never allowed anyone else into. As someone who need her quiet time, I love that. I read a lot of fantasy and romance books, those are always inspiring me. The Once Upon a Broken Heart series was so good. I love dramatic and romantic tales.

Take us on a perfect date; where do we go, what do we do? 

We get (1-2) extra cold dirty martinis (I'm talking ice chips!!) at Minetta Tavern. If we're having fun, we continue the night and order their burger. He walks me home, we have a cute kiss, I end the night in bed by myself with peppermint tea, a face mask, and a good book (my ideal scenario).

Musically who is new but making all the right moves? Who are your current OnesToWatch? 

I love Olivia Dean so so much. Masie Peters. Beabadoobee's album last year was my favorite thing ever. ELIO Sugar Baby was my favorite song this summer. And Romy Mars!! She's a star.