Hemlocke Springs
American singer (born 1998) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Isimeme "Naomi" Udu (born November 16, 1998), known professionally as Hemlocke Springs (stylized in all lowercase), is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She first gained prominence for her self-produced song "Girlfriend" achieving viral popularity on video-sharing platform TikTok. The majority of her discography is characterized by 1980s synth-pop and 2000s pop songs.
Hemlocke Springs | |
|---|---|
| Born | Isimeme Udu November 16, 1998 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2022–present |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Concord, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Website | hemlockesprings |
During her postgraduate medical studies at Dartmouth College in 2021, Udu began to upload unnamed songs on SoundCloud, only to quickly remove them. "Gimme All Ur Luv" was subsequently self-released and categorized as a bedroom pop song in 2022. Udu later released her debut extended play (EP), titled Going...Going...Gone! (2023).
Early life and education
Isimeme Udu was born to two Nigerian immigrant parents on November 16, 1998, in Raleigh, North Carolina.[1] Nicknamed as "Naomi" from her parents, she grew up in Concord alongside her brother, a musician and SoundCloud producer.[2] In her sophomore year of high school, Udu took a choir course and met a classmate who taught her to create music using GarageBand.[3]
Udu graduated from Spelman College with a bachelor's degree in biology in 2021. Two years later, she graduated with a master's degree in medical informatics from Dartmouth College.[4]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
2021–present: Career beginnings
Udu studying at Dartmouth College in 2021, she begun to release various unnamed songs on SoundCloud, only to quickly remove them. The next year, she "wanted to get rid of that feeling of embarrassment" and uploaded a demo called "Jacob" under the name Hemlocke Springs.[5] Afterwards, the artist self-produced and independently released her debut song "Gimme All Ur Luv" on May 24, 2022. The song was later named as "the best bedroom pop" song by Complex and gained over a million streams through audio streaming service Spotify.[6] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Udu says she wrote the song during a period of depression at the school, thought about deleting the song, and then woke up to see that Canadian musician Grimes had commented on the track.[5]
While working as a librarian at her university, she shared snippets of her second song on TikTok, which achieved viral popularity.[7] "Girlfriend" was shortly released on November 2 and surpassed one million streams on Spotify with music critics and fans calling it an "awkward Black girl anthem." Hemlocke Springs told People she felt "so honored" and yet "still confused" for the song's success.[8]
The following year, the artist was named one of the "essential emerging artists" by New Musical Express (NME) for her "bright and breezy bangers".[9] Later that month, Hemlocke Springs released her third song, "Stranger Danger!", a critique of capitalism.[10] Throughout the months of May to August, she began working with English record producer Burns and released three more songs.[11] Her first festival performance occurred on July 21 at the Adult Swim Festival for the annual entertainment event San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC).[12] "Enknee1" was released a month later with the artist announcing her debut extended play (EP) named Going...Going...Gone!, released on September 29, 2023.[13] Pitchfork praised and described Hemlocke Springs' music aesthetics as "kitschy and yearning", where every song of the EP "can be imagined in a different scene" from a 1980s romantic comedy film.[14]
Touring around in North America and Europe,[15] the artist was invited to be an opening act for Muna's Life's So Fun Tour (2023) at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California. In the wintertime, Hemlocke Springs was announced as an opening act for American rapper Ashnikko's Weedkiller Tour in Europe.[7] She was later featured in magazine double issue with other notable artists, published through DIY.[16]
Hemlocke Springs sooner announced she would be an opening act for the European leg of Doja Cat's second concert tour, The Scarlet Tour, on January 30, 2024.[17] Before performing on tour, she covered hip-hop song "Agora Hills" (2023) and released an extended version of "Girlfriend".[18] After a short hiatus, Dreamshop Management announced the signing of the artist on October 23,[19] with publishing firm OTM Music signing them on December 4.[20]
Artistry
Udu's style distinctly draws from lo-fi music and indie pop. With the release of "Girlfriend", Heven Haile from Pitchfork described the song as "an ideal rom-com song" that "channels the bratty bravado of Family Jewels-era Marina and the springy falsetto of Kate Bush".[21]
Inspiration
In her middle school years, Springs was influenced by many EDM artists, primarily Swedish artist Avicii and his 2011 song "Levels".[22] Udu also draws inspiration from many K-pop artists and groups.[23] In an interview with Alternative Press, she claimed she came up with her stage name from a random name generator and added the letter "e" to the end of "Hemlock" in honor of New Zealand singer Lorde.[24]
Discography
| Hemlocke Springs discography | |
|---|---|
| EPs | 1 |
| Singles | 8 |
| Music videos | 5 |
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Going...Going...Gone! |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [25] | |||
| "Gimme All Ur Luv" | 2022 | — | Going...Going...Gone! |
| "Girlfriend" | —[A] | ||
| "Stranger Danger!" | 2023 | — | Non-album singles |
| "Sever the Blight" | — | ||
| "Heavun" | — | Going...Going...Gone! | |
| "Enknee1" | — | ||
| "POS" | — | ||
| "Christmas Time Is Here" | — | Non-album single | |
| "—" denotes a recording that failed to chart, was ineligible for the chart or was not released. | |||
Music videos
Tours
Supporting
- Muna – Life's So Fun Tour (2023)
- Ashnikko – Weedkiller Tour (2023)
- Doja Cat – The Scarlet Tour (2024)
Filmography
Podcasts
Accolades
Listicles
| Publisher | Year[a] | Listicle | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Musical Express | 2023 | Essential New Artists | Herself | Included | [9] |
| Rolling Stone | 100 Best Songs of 2023 | "Enknee1" | 98th | [36] |
See also
Footnotes
- "Girlfriend" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 22 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[26]
References
Further reading
External links
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