Hannah Cooper is using her music to start important conversations.
Her beautiful but haunting debut, The Fire Song, comes with a message about summer fire danger and climate change.
Hannah penned the song in January last year following the horrendous Black Summer bushfires.
Its release in February this year served as a reminder that many Australians were still recovering and rebuilding from fire destruction.
“It’s also a call to action on climate change to prevent disasters like this,” Hannah told the Express.
Her mother Louise works in disaster recovery, which has shown Hannah how much work goes into the community recovery process.
Macedon Ranges residents know too well the threats that come with every summer.
“I have memories of extreme fire danger days,” Hannah said. “Around the table as a family, we listened to the radio with the car packed, ready to go if need be.
“Fire has definitely become more and more prevalent in recent summers. I think it just goes to show how immediate our climate change action needs to be.”
Hannah wrote, recorded and produced the track from her bedroom studio in Woodend. But she has others to thank too.
Her brother Ben contributed a saxophone section. Paul Fox, another Woodend local, from Indie Masters, mixed and mastered the song.
More recently, Hannah released the music video she created with her St Ambrose Primary School friend Emma Fitzgibbon.
Hannah said the video was filmed at her home in Woodend and incorporates her love of storytelling through art and scenic shots.
“It’s been such a lovely experience to finally share one of my creations with others and hearing how they’ve connected with it,” she said.
Hannah comes from a musical family and began her connection to music from a young age.
She takes inspiration from many different artists including Nina Simone and Amy Winehouse.
“I love Jazz and R&B/Soul music, and that’s the direction I’m currently exploring in my song writing,” she said.
Hannah graduated from Sacred Heart College in 2019. She is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in literature and Indigenous studies, at Melbourne University. She is also taking on music writing and production electives, keen to learn more about the industry.
She continues to make music as she studies and is working towards releasing an album.
Hannah will be opening the next Macedon Ranges Music Festival in Gisborne.
