She wanted to be louder, faster, more real and have her personality less shadowed by expectations that weren’t her own – damned if she stepped on anyone’s toes. The East London singer/songwriter released I’m Not Your Man – a self-proclaimed reinvention of herself.
Hackman didn’t necessarily have any great life event occur to induce her to change her direction, rather she had a promise she’d made to herself. “It was something I’ve always said I was going to do with music,” says Hackman, “If you don’t push yourself out of your comfort zone, you’re not gonna grow in to anything new, so it’s been something that I’ve wanted to do, just to change it up.
“I feel a lot more confident, a lot braver and understand myself better as a musician. I’ve had a realisation about myself over the last couple of years which is cool, and that all contributed.”
The second release – written like an open-ended conversation about many issues important to Hackman – is a culmination of all her realisations and is rawer, rockier and far more brazen than her first release, 2015’s We Slept At Last, solidifying a dream she’s long had. “At shows I’ve got my own mark and my own band and it’s incredible to be on stage, especially as they’re close friends of mine, to be up there on stage playing heavier music.
“I get to play my guitar a lot more rather than having to pump up a song, I get to have a bit more fun. It’s a lot more exciting on stage now.”
It’s more exciting for Hackman, certainly, because admittedly this album is a lot heavier, less folksy than her previous release. There was mention when Hackman began writing songs for this album that with this particular goal in mind, she may push away a lot of long-time fans – yet it’s fantastic to know there’s been no negative backlash from her boasted confidence and thus far, Hackman hasn’t stepped on any toes. “It’s been really, really, positive, I didn’t anticipate it would appeal to the diehard We Slept At Last fans.
“I really hoped that it would be something in my songwriting that would have its own unique thing, transcend what I do in production, transcend the genre and would be what appealed to my fans in the first place and keep them there with me. I think that I might have pulled it off – that’s the most liberating thing because now I’m thinking what can I show them next?”
Hackman’s reinvention has almost been subconscious. I’m Not Your Man carries several masculine centred titles and lyrics with an element of feminine empowerment – that sense of equality people may feel and the girls on top mantra isn’t something Hackman had focused on.
“Obviously I’m not a man and I feel rather empowered and I have the band to feel incredibly strong and backing me up with how my energy comes across. This is me with a sense of humour and a sense of fun and not bashing anyone over the head with feminism.
“It’s more about feeling empowered and I want everyone to feel a sense of fun with that and not feel like they’re having a lecture. That’s what I was feeling at the time and that came across. I’m all for equality and it’s nice to have made this album and almost unintentionally addressed things that are very important to me. The things I’ve made musically are a frustration of how I’m feeling in my brain.”
