Gretel Hanlyn

Gretel Hänlyn is a 21-year-old singer, songwriter and guitarist from West London. Having been brought up on a diet of Nick Cave, it was no surprise that Gretel picked up a guitar and started writing her own gothic stories and songs at the age of 11. As she grew as a musician, started going to gigs and fell in love with Tim Buckley, Nirvana and Wolf Alice, her songwriting began to transform into what it is today: a mix of hi-fi grunge, goth-pop and alt/indie ballads.

Music has always been Gretel’s passion, but at the age of 18, having excelled at school, she first enrolled on a physics course. Reversing conventional parental advice, it was Gretel’s mother who encouraged her to think seriously about what she really wanted to do. This advice led Gretel to reject the offer, concentrate solely on music and produce a 10-track EP within a few months.