Melbourne’s emerging polymath Pretty Girl is bringing effervescence and endeavour to the UK alt scene with her recent move to London. The producer, singer-songwriter and DJ has been making a splash down-under for a few years now, with a fresh EP “Get Back To Me” set to fully introduce her sound to the British shores.

A compelling and sun-kissed amalgamation of electronic tendencies and fruitfully formulaic pop balladry, there’s depth both thematically and sonically to each intricacy of the new EP. It’s a project that sees her flourish as an artist and as a person, with messages of self development and metamorphosis consistent throughout.

We wanted to find out more about the making and meaning of the new EP, so asked Pretty Girl to reveal all in an exclusive essay…

Listen to the EP…

Read Pretty Girl’s thoughts…

“Get Back To Me” is my third EP. If my first two EPs were the caterpillar and the chrysalis, this one will be the butterfly. 

I used the process of writing the EP to actually reground myself in my identity and confidence not just as an artist but as a person. I used to have a very strong sense of self but felt lost in my identity over the past couple of years (which is normal for people in my position as an up-and-coming artist). I believe that I’m making my best music when I am making it from the heart, but have struggled to do that ever since the release of “Middle Ground”, as external factors have mounted. Emotion and truthfulness has always been pivotal in my writing process, which can be hard to exhume when you’re making music within the parameters of the current scene, or when external pressures come in, or just when you’re aware that there will be an audience listening. I can be an anxious, competitive and perfectionistic person- all of these characteristics definitely came out to play over the past few years. Throughout the process of writing this EP I had to come to terms with these qualities and really face a lot of insecurities I have about myself, and also ask myself so many times “who am i?” 

Something actually happened just this weekend that really solidified something for me – music makes you feel like yourself. A girl came up to me at Strawberry Fields and said that she felt like the most genuine version of herself during my set (which was a really beautiful thing to say). When you listen to the music you like, you’re affirming your identity. Music can make you feel so many different things and connects to so many facets of your personality. And when you connect with a song someone else has made, it’s like your soul is talking to the person who made the song- there’s part of you in them and part of them in you and you’re not alone. Music connects all of us in ways that just aren’t explicable. And it connects you to yourself – it’s the bridge between your inner and outer world. That’s why it’s so important for your identity, you find yourself in it over and over and over again. Music makes you feel alive, and when you feel alive you’re talking to your higher self, your most genuine self, who you really are. 

I repeated the mantra of “no thoughts, just vibes” and “keep it simple, stupid” in order to put this EP together, which I think has helped me to create music that resonates not just on an emotional level, but on a physical level too. I’ve also tried to be brave and bold with my production choices, trying to use less elements to convey strong ideas, rather than throwing lots of layers at something and seeing what sticks. 

All of this to say, my intention with this EP was to look into my heart and see exactly what music it was telling me to make. I wanted to focus on what feels good, rather than just what sounds good. I think that intention shines through and when a track comes from an artist’s heart there is a special quality to a song.