INTroducing: HORNET
A CHAT WITH emerging ARTIST hornet, AHEAD OF HER SXSW LONDON DEBUT AS PART OF THE cONVERSE STAGE. an alternative pop singer and producer from New Jersey, now based in London on a Global Talent Visa, whose unique sound blends ballad-style melodies and 90s basslines with industrial, trip-hop-inspired electronic production. Selected as part of the Converse All Stars program, a global initiative that supports emerging creatives across music, art, sport, and culture
Hornet joins a community of over 1,500 talents across 60 cities worldwide. Since releasing her debut EP in July 2024, which featured the standout track Silkworm (originally released via Slow Dance Records), she has performed alongside rising acts like Viji, Suzy Clue, RIP Magic, Hank, and Sunken. As she gears up to announce her next project in mid-June, her inclusion in the Converse All Stars program provides a powerful platform to elevate her vision, offering mentorship, resources, and global opportunities to grow and express herself authentically!
Interview BY Sophie Emmett
fIRST off, when did you decide you wanted to be a musician?
HORNET: I didn't really decide to become a musician I just gave in to what was inevitable. I always played music, picked up the drums at 9 and the rest is history.
DESCRIBE THE HORNET UNIVERSE & SOUND IN 3 words ?
HORNET: Three words are hard because I am a big yapper but.... REALLY, FUCKING, GOOD!!! (am I allowed to swear?)
HOW DID NEW JERSEY SHAPE YOUR SOUND, AND HAS IT CHANGED SINCE MOVING TO LONDON?
HORNET: New Jersey hasn't shaped my sound except for pissing me off so much to the point that I bought my life changing one way ticket to London! Hornet was born in London, the second I stepped off the plane I changed my instagram handle to @hornet____0 and never looked back. And Hornet just stuck. London was really the catalyst for my creativity- although I was making music under a different name WHICH I WILL NOT TELL YOU BECAUSE ITS SO CRINGE and I would say stylistically it was quite similar but at the time there were so many grey clouds in my life that I had to leave it behind when I left
WHAT ISNPIRES YOU?
HORNET: definitely pop culture. Strong female characters, or weak ones. Whoever I relate to in my current states. A lot of my musical melodies come from my dreams and when I write lyrics I tend to pretend I am the character from whatever tv show or movie I most recently watched. Right now, it's Madmen, and Betty Draper has been a current theme in a lot of my song writing. But being in London really shaped the beginning of Hornet for sure.
TIRADE: HOW HAS YOUR JOURNEY AS A NEW ARTIST BEEN?
HORNET: The journey is never ending. I work really hard to make my art a priority, but life is expensive and real. Most of the time I am stressing about how I am going to make rent or pay for the TFL overdraft charge in the morning. But silver linings and glimpses are things like this and being able to yap about what I love the most.
“People can expect disgustingly catchy melodies and to develop a crush on me”
— HORNET, WHEN ASKED WHAT PEOPLE CAN EXPECT FROM HER SXSW LDN PERFORMANCE
