Exclusive Interview: Genevieve Hannelius Is In Her Season Of GIRLHOOD

Glittering popstar by night, neon-clip klepto by day, Genevieve Hannelius has been living in a Y2K time capsule since, well, Y2K. The Disney Channel alum—you probs remember her popping up on Hannah Montana and Sonny with a Chance before totally owning Dog with a Blog—is now trading scripts for a hairbrush mic. Four years shy of thirty (Sagittarius slay), she’s stepping into her next era with her debut EP, dropping January 16th. And while that release date feels like a whole decade away (where’s our time machine when we need it?), Gen’s been sprinkling us with singles to hold us over.

We caught up with her to talk all things GIRLHOOD—from that flirty tarot deck cameo in the ‘Reckless’ video to how her songs actually come to life. Grab your wired headphones and dive in.

You named your debut EP GIRLHOOD, and a big part of yours happened on Disney Channel—three seasons of Dog With A Blog, which is so core-memory coded. Moving from that world into pop music has become its own classic transition arc. Was there anything about the Disney environment itself—what you were taught, how you worked, or just the pace of it all—that made stepping into music feel like a natural next chapter for you?
I recorded music for Disney while I was there, and that was really my first exposure to being in a recording studio and working with producers. That’s actually how I met the producer I worked with on this EP, Matthew Bobb. Being able to work on music from such a young age really stuck with me, and I always enjoyed the process of it.

Did Matthew’s experience in both music production and the more cinematic, atmospheric world of film and TV sound design influence the textures, pacing, or storytelling choices you made on the EP?
Matthew has great instincts when it comes to figuring out what a song needs and working it out in the production. There’s a lot of fun details sonically on this EP.

How did working with him as a teenager compare to working with him now, both in terms of who you’ve become creatively and how he collaborates in the studio?
Honestly, not much has changed. Matt always respected my ability as a songwriter, even when I was a young girl. That meant a lot to me, and I think it really helped me build my confidence. I think the main difference is how much I’ve grown as a songwriter and the life experience I have now. I have more to say.

The quote attached to ‘Girlhood’ talks about contradictions, and the line that hit us hardest was: “Bringing a boy home and taking the stuffed animals off your bed.” It’s such a perfect snapshot of soft femininity vs. self-protection. What do you hope listeners heal or release when they hear ‘Girlhood?’
I hope they feel less alone. Growing up is so difficult. One minute, you feel like you have it all figured out, and the next, you’re drowning in despair. I hope they listen to the message of the song, which is that it’s okay to make mistakes and you’re only young once. Try to live in each moment. The rest will fall into place.

During your ‘Reckless’ release party, you mentioned loving to read and write poetry. If you could turn any song on the EP into one of those long, early-2000s-style poems—the kind you’d end up posting on Tumblr at 2 a.m.—which track would you dive into, and why?
I think ‘Girlhood’ because it’s about a topic that I think everyone can relate to and understand in a deep way. It really is one long poem. A lot of my songs start out that way, as poems. Or I pull lines from poems. 

‘Reckless’ originally lived as an acoustic song. When production starts to take shape, how do you decide whether something should stay stripped-back and intimate versus becoming more built-out and full-bodied? Is it instinct, or is there a moment where you just feel the song shift into its “true” form? 
Some songs morph a lot and take on a different shape when you take them into the studio and develop them. I think we looked at all of the songs on the EP, and we want to make sure they flowed. It’s nice to have some upbeat songs mixed in with slower, more stripped-back ones; it gives the listener variety and surprises. We knew ‘Reckless’ had the potential to be a bigger pop song, and bringing that to life was really fun.

In the ‘Reckless’ video, you’re flipping through a whole spread of tarot cards. If you had to assign one card to each single so far—‘Reckless,’ ‘James,’ and ‘Girlhood’—which cards match their energy?
‘Reckless’ is easy- The Fool. ‘James’ is The Lovers. ‘Girlhood’- The High Priestess. 

Riffing off the tarot cards, you’re a very law-of-assumption girlie with that vision-board-as-wallpaper ritual you do every year. If you had to curate a Pinterest board of early-2000s outfits you wish you could magically manifest into your wardrobe for the GIRLHOOD era, what pieces are you pulling in?
Lots of nostalgic Y2K pieces! Boleros. Low-rise, faded jeans. Sequin camis.

Your visuals are dripping in early-2000s nostalgia—the bejewelled ‘Reckless’ font, the torn-paper transitions in the ‘James’ lyric video… it’s all peak time-capsule energy. Is there a video or sonic effect from that era—like cross-zooms or star wipes—that you’re dying to revive?
I grew up making music videos with my friends on Video Star and iMovie. I love the effect an old camcorder or digital camera gives- that soft, dreamy look. It’s really nostalgic for me.

Finally, if you could pull any early-2000s act into the studio with you for a collab, who’s getting the call?
I think I’d have to say Aly & Aj!! I grew up listening to them, and they have done such a great job of evolving their music over the years. I’m still a huge fan.

Which lyric are you totally scribbling into your heart-locket diary right now? Maybe it’s your current fave… at least until January brings a brand-new obsession. 💿✨ Hit us up on Twitter, Insta, or Facebook—we’re in the season of GIRLHOOD right along with you.

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