From performing with Goldfrapp to releasing her solo EP, Hazel Mills is stepping into her own

Hazel Mills is not new to the music industry.

From humble beginnings as a solo singer, to performing with her band Adding Machine before becoming a session player and live keyboardist with Goldfrapp and Florence & The Machine, saying the singer is multi-talented is an understatement.

“I was born into quite a musical family and started learning the piano when I was six (singing lessons and choirs then later followed) so my connection to music started very early on,” Hazel tells Bristol24/7.

Hazel joined Goldfrapp in 2014 as she was already in a band with Will Gregory, one half of the electronic music duo.

The singer has since toured with Birdy and Florence & The Machine, performing to thousands on stage around the world.

“It was always such a delight to play, and particularly sing, with Birdy as she’s such a brilliant musician and vocalist – our voices fit together so well,” she explains.

The singer and keyboardist has performed with the likes of Birdy and Florence & The Machine. photo: Lillie Eiger

“With Goldfrapp, the music is so varied – it could be delicate and moving one moment, or epic and cinematic the next, then it all kicks in with the dance-floor bangers.

“The sheer scale of playing with FATM [Florence & The Machine] was quite a rush, and the album I toured was such a beautiful one so it lent itself well to the arena sized venues. It was always amazing to see Florence exert so much uncompromised energy throughout each show, and it was contagious.”

Performing with all three artists has influenced the singers sound but her main inspiration comes from the artists she grew up listening to.

“Although I was learning to play Classical music, I was exposed to a lot of pop: Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, MJ, many of which still naturally feed into my writing today,” Hazel tells us.

“In my teens, composers like Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Pierre Schaefer just blew me away, and I began looking for ways to incorporate what they did into my writing.

“I started using a loop pedal to create Reich-eqsue beds for my songs, and sampling found sound (like gaffer tape and tins of bottle caps) to create the textures that I loved about Musique Concrete.”

These rich sounds from a variety of sources have all influenced her own music, predominately her solo EP which will be released on May 19.

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The Embrace will be self-released and taps into the music she grew up listening to: “I try to achieve a balance between the organic and the synthetic, and particularly like it when the synthetic already has a human-like quality to it.

“These things have had a huge impact on the sound of the EP and beyond, along with my love of various 80s pop artists, cinematic soundscapes, 60s Avant-Garde and 90s-modern R&B.”

The four track EP emphasises her haunting vocals alongside synth-heavy soundscapes, her inspiration from a broad spectrum of music, creating a beautiful blend of genres that are unique and enchanting.

Although this isn’t the first time Hazel has released her own music, it has been a long time she has done so. The release of this EP is her way of starting fresh: “The Embrace represents an awaking from hibernation, a readiness, and a decision to move forward.”

Despite the EP not yet released, Hazel is already looking towards the future, with a possible album in sight.

“I’m getting stuck into a solo album and then next up is a tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Will Gregory, performing classic synth-led film scores like Blade Runner and A Clockwork Orange (including at the Sydney Opera house).”

Look out world, 2023 is the year Hazel Mills takes centre stage.

Main photo: Roberto Vivancos

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