A Chat with Hot Springs.

I was so taken by Hot Spring's striking debut single (review here /listen below) I wanted to find out more about this young, talented, singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer, and she kindly agreed.

I’ve just stumbled across your music and I’d love to find out more.

Let’s start at the start. Tell me a bit about your roots and early musical inspiration and education.

I was born and raised in Swansea, South Wales. The first instrument I learned was drums,

when I was about 10 or 11. Then I picked up guitar as a teen. I didn’t have a particularly

musical upbringing, but my brother played guitar around that time too. I used to play and sing along to whatever he was playing – often The White Stripes, Hendrix, Nirvana. He had (and still has) great music taste, which definitely influenced my own.

I started writing my own songs and playing open mic nights when I was around 15.

There was a great hangout in Swansea called Mozarts – a little dive bar with the best vibe. We’d go every week and dance ourselves silly to rock ’n’ roll, northern soul, surf rock, rockabilly, garage. It was also a hub for local punk bands. Some core (if slightly blurry) memories were formed there. They also put on monthly folk nights, which aligned more with what I was writing at the time – my stuff was more acoustic-focused, living in the indie-folk realm.

Your voice is front and centre of the new song, but in the credits you’re also listed as the composer, bass player, on drums, guitar and production. Did you skip school to learn all that, and are you learning anything else?

This is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades situation – I don’t see myself as a master in any of those fields – but I do like to dabble and learn new things. I often have ideas for rhythmic or melodic parts that I’ll try to figure out on different instruments. Drum duties were actually split on To The Dogs – I played the tom and woodblock-based part through most of the tune, then engineer/producer Brendan Williams came through to play the big fat ending – and smashed it.

At the moment I’m learning about animation. I’ve always been interested in stop motion and would love to start creating animated visuals to go alongside my releases.

So making the leap from Wales to Manchester was a big move. Why Manchester, and how is the city treating you?

I knew I wanted to study music and move to a bigger city – I was interested in the tech side of things and wanted to study studio recording and production – I chose Salford Uni and have lived in Manchester ever since. It’s a great city with a rich and diverse pool of artistic talent, but it also has a down-to-earth-ness about it that I love.

My brother lives in Manchester too, but I've only visited once as I live in Portugal. Do

you have any local haunts you’d like to mention?

I’ve lived in various parts of the city over the years but am currently settled in the South. Fell Bar is a lovely little pub in Chorlton that hosts a brilliant jazz jam every other Sunday. The Carlton Club in Whalley Range is a community hub and venue – there’s a monthly live music night called Brume which puts on some of the best musicians in town. Some friends recently opened a bar called Renae in the Northern Quarter, which is the new hot spot for DJs. There’s a real buzz about it, and rightly so. All that being said, I’m a little jealous – I love Portugal and have been tempted to move there myself.

It seems there have already been some live shows. How long has the project been

going, and do you have more studio recordings stashed away for release?

I’ve been writing and playing under the hot springs moniker for a few years. To The Dogs is the first release from a four-track EP, and the first focused body of work I’m putting out – it feels like the real launch of the project. The second single, Magic, comes out on 27th Feb 2026, with the full EP due at the beginning of June.

The live set up is evolving – this year I'll be doing some shows solo, and also heading out on a UK tour as a duo (William K.Z on bass and synths) supporting Jesca Hoop in May 2026.

“To the Dogs” is stylistically fluid with all sorts of genre nodding going on. Are you homing in on a particular sound or do we just need to go with the flow, and what exactly is going “to the dogs”?

Go with the flow, for sure.

There’s always a bit of genre-hopping going on, even within the four tracks on this EP, but it still feels like a cohesive collection of tunes. I like to keep some ambiguity in the lyrics so people can interpret and connect with them in their own way. There’s always something going to the dogs.

Do you have any serious musical influences and/or recordings that you keep coming

back to?

There’s an ever-expanding pool – this answer could be very long. For everyone’s sake, I’ll

keep it brief with the first few that spring to mind: Juana Molina is a real favourite at the

moment. Tune-Yards has been a long-standing influence, and I always come back to Rozi Plain’s What A Boost.

You’ve got a polished sound, a nice website, socials and professional press shots;

compared to a lot of new artists you seem like you’ve got things together. What’s the plan – self-releasing or working with labels? Are you au fait with the business and marketing side of the industry?

Oh thanks! It’s been pretty much DIY so far, so that’s good to hear.

Aside from working with Brendan Williams and William K.Z on the recordings, and some

talented photographer friends (Andrea Terzuoli / Dan Wiebe), I’m flying solo at the moment – self-releasing, managing, promoting, website-ing. I’m learning as I go, with a lot of trial and error. I’d definitely be open to working with a label and growing a small team that feels like a good fit in the future.

There’s a lot of noise about streaming remuneration these days – any thoughts as an artist? Is it even possible to make a career from music now, and if so how are you

going to do it?

I’m still trying to figure that out. It’s definitely not smooth sailing, especially as an

independent artist starting out. Almost every artist I know at a similar stage has multiple jobs – some music-related, some not. The reality is that unless you have some kind of financial backing – whether from a label, support from family, friends, or funding bodies – it’s incredibly difficult to build a sustainable career as an artist.

There are ways in – platforms like BBC Introducing and people like yourself who shine a light on lesser-known acts go a long way in helping underground artists find their listeners. I think you have to be flexible, adaptable and realistic – I certainly don’t expect to be making a sustainable living from streaming any time soon. I received funding from Help Musicians to go towards the mixing and production of this EP. I would have still made the work without that support, but I would’ve had to approach it differently. I think the more open and transparent we can be with each other about how the industry actually functions (or doesn’t), the better chance we have of making it more sustainable.

All that being said, I am hopeful. That if you’re passionate about what you do and you do it well, the people who connect with it will keep listening, showing up to gigs, buying merch and supporting you in real, tangible ways. That kind of support feels more meaningful and sustainable than chasing numbers online.

Do you have any physical release ambitions, or has that ship sailed for younger

generations? How are you consuming music these days?

I’d love for my first full-length album to come out on vinyl. My listening habits vary, but the best recommendations always tend to come from trusted friends with great taste. I often discover new music I like through streaming, but have recently been favouring listening to albums in full rather than randomised playlists. I’ve started leaning more towards taking the time to explore curated recommendations on blogs like yours, over trusting the algorithms. I love listening to vinyl at home. If I’m at a show and love the band, I always try to go home with a record.

I’m always on the lookout for exciting new artists across all sorts of genres – do you

have any tips for me?

Maybe you already know Portuguese artist Bruno Pernadas – his album Private Reasons is brilliant. Lau Ro’s album Cabana. Pom Poko are one of my favourite bands at the moment. And I’ve been obsessing over En Bloc by Laundromat for a little while.

If you're quick you can find Hot Springs, not mention a load more great new music and up and coming indie artists in the Slow Alt Pop Playlist.