Lottie McLeod debuts her heartbreak anthem Happy Birthday – a track that will pull your heartstrings and make you sing at the top of your lungs.Â
Hailing from Meanjin/Brisbane, Australia, the singer/songwriter began her musical journey at a young age. Lottie McLeod draws inspiration from other indie folk/pop singers like Phoebe Bridgers, Gracie Abrams and Holly Humberstone. Her storytelling writing style is inspired by artists from her childhood such as The Killers and Taylor Swift, who McLeod found influential through their incredible lyric writing, reflecting their emotions. At only 17 years of age, the talented songwriter continues to write music everyday, honing her craft of musical storytelling.Â
Happy Birthday touches on the pain of loving someone so much that it feels like you’ll die trying to get them to feel the same way, but that time never comes.Â
Lottie recorded Happy Birthday in her final year at Music Industry College (2022 Graduate), having the opportunity to go on a weekend songwriting camp with nine fellow students and three talented mentors – musician Asha Jeffferies, musician/producer Aaron Shanahan (Miami Horror, Dream Dali, Sunday) and producer Tom Eggert (Sloan Peterson, Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Cub Sport, HANNI) – located at a large family home in Sarabah, Queensland. Over the course of just a few hours, Lottie and Eggert had the track recorded and ready for mastering.Â
Produced by Tom Eggert Lottie shares “Tom and I worked well together in finding the sound that reflected the direction I really wanted the song to take.â€
“I had some writer’s block just before the trip so I was struggling to come up with something to record for Sarabah, so I sat down with my pen and paper a couple days before leaving and wrote Happy Birthday and it turned out to be one of my favourite songs I’d ever written.â€
The lyrics in this track are vulnerable, honest, and at times angry. An autobiographical song, but lucky for Lottie, her story had a different outcome!
“I put myself in the shoes of a situation I was experiencing a few months prior and decided that was the story I wanted to write about. One of my favourite things about songwriting is the freedom that comes with it. I love putting myself in other people’s shoes and writing from their perspective, writing about situations I’ve never experienced or hadn’t experienced for a while.â€
Lottie’s music journey began with singing lessons. However, her real passion for it began in the March 2020 lockdown where she decided to learn guitar. Learning guitar helped her discover her love and passion for indie folk and pop, kickstarting her drive to pursue a career in music.
Beginning with playing gigs at cafes, restaurants and local festivals at 15, Lottie aims for bigger venues and audiences, and opening for other like-minded musicians.
‘Happy Birthday’ is a powerful track that transports your heart and soul into the storyline. 2023 will be a great year for this singer-songwriter.
Listen to Happy Birthday on streaming services now.
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With thanks to Starving Kids
