Emerging alt-pop artist Cristina Hart prepares to pull at the heartstrings with the release of her poignant new single, Will You, out now!

Taken from her upcoming debut EP Sell a Dream, Will You is Cristina’s most intimate release to date. Originally written by her boyfriend for her eighteenth birthday, Will You combines intricate piano melodies with Cristina’s rich, soulful vocal in order to create a sound that is undeniably heartwarming as a result. Talking about the EP, Cristina elaborates, “in these songs, I had laid all my imperfections out in the open and as a result they don’t have the same control over me they once did. This EP taught me that imperfections aren’t flaws; they’re what make you entirely human.”

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Cristina Hart about the latest music, the challenges, the technology and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?

I’ve always been a huge fan of pop music ever since I can remember. My obsession started with Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé when I was a kid all the way to Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande and all other amazing pop artists out there at the moment. I think what attracts me most about this genre is that it manages to pull together the best aspects from so many different genres while giving what you want and expect as a listener.

What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?

Music has always been very therapeutic for me, and singing quickly became a healthy outlet while growing up. As I slowly started writing my own songs and performing them, seeing people relate to what I had to say -and that I wasn’t alone living the experiences I talk about in my music – really pushed me to pursue my dreams and, eventually, release my debut EP ‘Sell a Dream’ which is finally out!

Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?

I think my taste in music hasn’t changed that much in the sense that pop is always the genre I end up coming back to, but I’m now much more open to taking inspiration and listening to all kinds of different genres that make me want to break boundaries and experiment within my own material. Lots of different things influence my creativity, from the music I’m listening to at that moment, to what I’m living through to random book passages that speak to me!

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?

With this project, I really wanted to showcase that it’s okay not to be okay. As humans, we love defining ourselves and others around us with labels because it makes it easier for us to comprehend this insanely complex world we live in. But more times than not, we end up being overly reductive with the labels we attach to others or ourselves, and with this project I wanted to convey the message that we can redefine ourselves every. By mixing relatable and vulnerable lyrics with upbeat productions, I wanted people to realise their imperfections whilst also accepting them as part of who they are, because having kinks and glitches is exactly what makes us human.

What was the last song you listened to?

The List by Maisie Peters, I love her music and this song feels very cozy and reflective this time of year!

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

I’m a sucker for vinyls, I just find that they are way more timeless than CDs and MP3s.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

This is a bit of a hard one depending on whether you mean as an artist or a music listener. But my go-to platform is Spotify as it enables me to discover loads of new artists all the time and also allows me lots of options to personalise my profile as an artist from the back-end thanks to Spotify for Artists.

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?

The dependency we have as artists towards social media apps to communicate with our fans is a big challenge because if, or when, that social media is made obsolete, you have to go re-build somewhere else all over again. That’s what happened with MySpace, what is happening to Facebook, and what might happen with Instagram. I think that’s why as artists we should focus on growing our fanbase on social media for sure but also build a more personal rapport through mailing lists and discord to really create a tight-knit community; create a space to communicate with our fans that is entirely ours.

Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?

At the moment, the best place to connect with me is either Instagram or my website, or even my mailing list for exclusive demos! I always aim to reply to every message I receive so if you see this, drop me a message!

Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?

Don’t forget to check out my debut EP ‘Sell a Dream’ out everywhere now! And thank you so much for having me!