“Dope” is the first track on Hana McCartney’s album Rust and Stardust. It deals with a very important topic, manipulation, and how this can come from the people we love through subtle and full-blown pressure. You’ll want to give this song a listen. We had the pleasure of interviewing Hana McCartney, and here’s what she had to say:
Q: How long have you been making music and how did you get into it?
MCCARTNEY: I have been making music since I was about 17, but my love for music began when I was about six and became obsessed with The Beatles. From then on rock and roll has consumed my entire life.
Q: What was the first concert you ever went to? How do you think it has influenced your choice to be a musician?
MCCARTNEY: The first concert I have ever been to was recently and it was to see Paul McCartney. And to say it influenced me is an understatement. The Beatles have been a huge inspiration to me not only in my music but in the way I live my life. And seeing someone I look up to and admire so much changed my life and that is an experience I will never forget.
Q: What do you enjoy most about being a musician and what do you think is a not-so-great aspect about it?
MCCARTNEY: The thing I enjoy most about being a musician is being able to write music. I really enjoy the process of sitting down and just writing. That could range from a song about how I’m feeling that day good or bad, telling a story, or even just to unwind and let go. Writing lyrics will always be my favorite part of being a musician. Now, although I love writing sometimes you just have days when you can’t. Your mental health could be bad some days even weeks at a time, or even longer than that, and sometimes inspiration just doesn’t come. that in itself can be very frustrating and I would say that is a not-so-great aspect of being a musician.
Q: Can you walk us through the creative and production process for “Dope”?
MCCARTNEY: I wrote dope alone in my bedroom on the floor with my best friend at 2 in the morning. I just started playing and singing for her and she told me I needed to record it. So I wrote it and a few days later went into a recording studio. Now when I first wrote “Dope” I wanted it to be a straightforward blues song, but I also wanted to step out of my comfort zone and experiment. I was working with studio musicians at the time and I ended up going for a more grunge rock sound, and just like that Dope was born.
Q: What aspect of the creative process did you enjoy the most? And what aspect would you say was the most stressful?
MCCARTNEY: I started writing the album Rust and Stardust right before Covid hit in 2020. With everything going on in the world and being at home I had all the time in the world to sit down and write. I think the most stressful thing about the whole process was getting everything to sound the way it sounded in my head, and bringing that to reality.
Q: What would you like to say to your supporters?
MCCARTNEY: To the people who support me, I cherish you deeply. Never in my life did I think I would be doing what I’m doing now. I wake up every day excited to make more music, and I hope my music can make you feel something. It’s important to keep your dreams alive, no matter how much life pushes you down you HAVE to keep getting back up, because you never know what the future holds. Enjoy today, don’t think about yesterday, and always remember tomorrow is a new day. Dream on.
Interviewed by Zoey King
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