Words by Lucy Young
This week we take a look at TikTok’s latest bedroom sensation, Hemlocke Springs
Isimeme Naomi Udu, better known on TikTok as Hemlocke Springs, is the latest homemade musician blooming onto the scene with nearly 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Through her own self-promotion and connection with followers, she has succeeded in organically releasing three tracks, ‘stranger danger!’, ‘gimme all ur luv’, and ‘girlfriend’, with a fourth, ‘sever the blight’, on the way. Boasting layered vocals and textured beats, Udu’s music is perfect for both dramatic struts on the daily commute or midnight bedroom ravers.
Born and raised in North Carolina, Udu started producing music with her trusty MPK Mini, AT2023 microphone and, of course, GarageBand. She masterminded her stage name after taking a liking to Hemlocke Grove, the three-season hit U.S. horror-drama. Alongside her TikTok music hustle, she is a medical researcher, jokingly referring to her internet popularity as a disruption in her professional career.
As a humble yet talented creator fresh on the scene, her sound pulls influences from all over. With her dreamy tones, xylophones, soft vocal layering, and unfiltered lyricism, a listener may very well find themselves in a state of transcendence, back in between the four walls of their teenage bedroom, accompanied by 80s synths and unfiltered musical monologues.
This comes as no surprise: Udu shared that some of her largest inspirations are 80s stars, with Kate Bush being a key influence in the creative decisions made on all three singles. She is often unapologetic when it comes to showcasing her influences in her music, resulting in a a sound that more and more listeners are gladly subscribing to.
In an interview with NME, she said that when producing her viral single ‘girlfriend’, she “recorded the vocals under a blanket so I wouldn’t wake my brother”. These humble beginnings contrast with the queue of A-list musicians who have since been in touch – Grimes, Steve Lacy and Remi Wolfe, to list just a few.
Despite her parents’ high expectations for academic excellence, Hemlocke Springs has record labels lurking in her inbox, and is on course to release an album this month. Now the question arises as to what her sound will become over the next few months, and whether the likes of Eurythmics, Kate Bush and Depeche Mode will continue holding influence over her creative direction. Regardless of output, we’re excited to see her flourish over the coming years, and see her continue to take the digital world stage by storm.