Hanakiv

Hanakiv is a London-based, Estonian-born pianist and composer who creates meditative, piano-based ambient music, with classical and electronic elements. She made her debut on Gondwana Records in 2023 with the album Goodbyes, which draws on influences as diverse as Tim Hecker, Björk’s Vespertine, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, and Aphex Twin, as well as her own cultural heritage. Music plays an important role in Estonian culture, particularly choral music and its traditions, but Hanakiv also draws inspiration from her love of nature—the beautiful Estonian seaside and forests, and from her time in Iceland. On her second album, Interlude, Hanakiv showcases an expanded sound, introducing vocals, string arrangements, and beats alongside prepared piano. The compositions trace a journey of overcoming the past, unfolding into a seductively unconventional style imbued with hope and a therapeutic quality. First inspired by “crystallised moments where time almost stands still, pain hasn’t yet fully set in, and happiness is still just a glimpse,” it provides, all the same, “a sense of hope that standing still is part of living.” This album is a product of creative and personal revelation, reached only through an encounter with one’s true self. Interlude is out now. hanakiv.com