Gretel

Gretel Hänlyn is a 20 year old singer, songwriter & guitarist from West London. Having been raised on a diet of Nick Cave it was no surprise that Gretel picked up a guitar & started writing her own gothic stories and songs at age 11. As she grew as a musician, started going to gigs & fell in love with Tim Buckley, Nirvana and then Wolf Alice, her songwriting began to morph into what it is today; a mix of hi-fi grunge, goth-pop and alt/indie ballads.

Music has always been Gretel’s passion but at 18, having excelled at school, she initially applied to do a physics degree. Inverting the classic parental advice, it was Gretel’s Mum who encouraged her to think hard about what she really wanted to do. That advice led Gretel to reject the offer, focus solely on music and pull together a 10-track EP in a matter of months.

That EP - “Slugeye” - came out in May 2022 to rapturous praise from The Sunday Times, The Independent, NME, DIY and Clash amongst others. The lead single from the EP - “Apple Juice” - currently sits on the B List on BBC 6Music and was Track Of The Week on BBC Radio 1, a rare achievement for such a new act. Unsurprisingly when Gretel came to play her first London show the week after her EP came out it sold out in minutes. The who’s who of the music industry in attendance saw Gretel crowned as one of the hottest new talents in the UK and led to bookings for 15 shows this summer including Green Man, Wilderness, Blue Dot, London Calling in Amsterdam and Pitchfork Festival in Paris.