INTERVIEW: Hekla Goodman

In anticipation of Hekla Goodman’s upcoming EP release, Forward, the North East-based Californian singer-songwriter discusses creating a deeply personal sound of resilience and hope amidst a genre-blending backdrop of pop fusion.

When asked about her journey as a musician, Hekla shares: “I always kind of played music. I didn’t really start releasing music until my later twenties, when I started with a band called KHASMA. We met through some friends and were writing for a couple of artists in Europe. We were like, ‘oh, we really like each other, we’re super inspired – let’s start a band’, as you do. We had a lot of fun and then COVID happened.” It was at this point she decided to start releasing music herself.

Her first EP, All I Should’ve Said, was something of a catharsis for the artist; she recalls performing at the Cluny launch show: “It felt like a full circle moment because the songs are quite intimate and in a place where I was super broken. It was nice to end it with such a lovely place and everybody that I really admire in my life.”

I’ve realised it’s okay to have a bit of twang in my voice. I’ve kind of leaned into my strengths

Now on the precipice of releasing her sophomore EP, it’s clear that Hekla’s songwriting has moved onto sunnier times. “I want to tell the next part of the story. It started when I first met my husband and ends with a song I wrote him that I walked down the aisle to. It’s about all these feelings I had during that time, so the EP could be encapsulated as a relationship.”

Fusing pop, electronic and folk sounds, Hekla’s music amalgamates a rhythmic soundscape of Scandi-pop akin to Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn. There’s a deeply country influence in her lyricism, notably on Ruin Heartbreak and The Reason, as Hekla invites listeners into chapters of her life as though pages from a memoir. When asked about her songwriting style, Hekla draws on a country influence, sharing: “It’s always been a storytelling vibe because I come from a country area. I used to hate being country when I was younger, but now I’ve realised it’s okay to have a bit of twang in my voice. I’ve kind of leaned into my strengths. You never really let go of it.”

Forward navigates an artful balance of electronic pop with catchy dance mixes and acutely honest lyricism woven between. The EP’s first single, Ruin Heartbreak, discusses “the pep talk everyone needs”, with a lead electric guitar and layered synths, the opening of the track creates a muted ambience, only for the chorus to offer clear release with a lyrical uplift “nobody told you, you could ruin heartbreak.”

Hekla’s in something of a creative purple patch, joking that she’s at least two EPs ahead on her release schedule. “Now I’m just gonna continue to release EPs maybe till I die. The next one is quite spiritual. And the one after that is going to be super stripped-back. And I’m only going to play with like three or four sounds. So that will be really cool. I think I’m excited about it. But I’m still writing it. I’m still on EP number two. So, it’s hard to live in the future so much, you know.”