An Interview with Molly Hocking

Winner of The Voice 2019 -Molly Hocking- has recently released her debut single ‘After the Night Before’. She chatted -virtually- about her post-Voice journey and breaking into the industry during a pandemic.

The opening lyric from your single suggests that 17 hours is a long time to wait; so, it must have been a pretty frustrating year!

A: Yeah, I think that just describes the year, just that one lyric. Not that I knew it at the time. I kind of just wanted to write a song that was based around a feeling, not just one type of breakup. So, I got the idea of time which was where that came from; again, not knowing that I'd be waiting 18 months to release it!

It feels like the song hints towards both a vocal and lyrical maturity. Was that a conscious decision, especially considering your tender age when you first appeared on TV?

A: I didn’t just want to go into the studio and write a song about a breakup because - you know what, you've got so many songs about breakups - so hopefully I've written a song that connects with many people.

Due to the time elapsed, do you think that there's some catharsis in the fact that the record might be judged more on its own terms rather than as the single from a winner of The Voice?

A: I’m not sure. Hopefully the song gets the credit that it deserves. Not just for me winning The Voice! 

 

Where would you like to be musically in five years?

A: It’s really hard to try and find who I am as an artist. I don't think I'll ever find exactly who I am because it changes every second, and so does the music industry. My forte at the moment is songs like that, Lewis Capaldi type ballads.

 

You mentioned the industry, how have you found working with Polydor?

A: Polydor are an amazing, massive label, but obviously they've got loads of incredible artists to look after and they’re juggling at the moment; especially now because everyone's kind of in the same boat, you know, nothing's really opened up yet. But they’ve been really supportive.

How was it going back to pre-record your recent performance on The Voice?

A: It was so strange! Obviously, when I won The Voice, I still felt like a child that they were looking after. When I went back, I still felt like I was part of The Voice family.

Would you recommend the contest to other emerging artists?

A: Yeah. You know, it's probably the only competition I would recommend doing. I mean, I've done so many in the past where they really don’t look after you. But the team behind The Voice really look after you, and you get a say in everything you do, it's not just you're told to do this and that. No, you feel really comfortable.

You're quoted as saying ‘I'm a different type of artists to what's out there at the moment.’ Could you expand on what you mean by that?

A: You’ve put me on the spot! Let me put it this way, when I was younger, I wanted to be like the new hot artists like Dua Lipa or at the time, Paloma Faith, or Jess Glyne. Now -I think to myself- what's the point in trying to be like artists that are already out there? You’ve already got a Dua Lipa, you’ve already got a Jess Glyne, but you haven't got a Molly. That's the kind of mindset I have. I take little bits of their music and I add it into my own style, which is more of the ballad style. Hopefully I'm different enough to break that little industry.

You’ve also been vocal about cyber-bullying. Has your experience in the public eye changed your opinion of people?

A: I honestly think it hasn't changed my opinion of people. It’s changed my opinion on situations that people are in. Over the first lockdown, it got really bad and I was like, ‘why is this getting so bad?’ Is it just because people are bored? And it should not just be because people are bored. I think it's because people are insecure in themselves, or they're envious of your situation. So, they feel like they need to bring you down. I just don't think it should happen, so I was vocal about it. Luckily enough for me, it’s calmed down on that front.

I hear there's an EP coming next year, and if so, what can fans expect from it?

A: Well, we haven't decided if there is or isn’t. We're still planning next year out. The plan is really to release a song every two months until eventually I’ve got an EP. I've got quite a few songs that I really want to release, but I've picked one that I want to base more of my writing around, so it's more of the same sort of style. So that's kind of like harmonies and remixes.

If Beyonce is a ten, on a scale of one to ten, how famous would you like to be and why?

A: I've always said, for me it's not about the fame. I think if you're in it for the fame, you're in it for the wrong reasons. Fame is just something that comes with it sometimes. If I work hard enough, and if I’m lucky enough and get a little lucky break, hopefully a four or five.

- Fred Kelly

Twitter: fred8kelly