HEMLOCKE SPRINGS - The Apple Tree Under The Sea

TikTok and the corridors of a university library. It's hard to imagine two more distant places. And yet, the story of Hemlocke Springs, born Isimeme Naomi Udu, begins right at the crossroads of these two settings. Behind that ebony mermaid look hides a biologist from North Carolina, a librarian by day and a (self-)producer on GarageBand by night. That was the case, at least, until 2022, when her track "Girlfriend" blew up on TikTok. A song born almost as a joke, but which then went viral, to the point of forcing her to rebalance her priorities.

Hemlocke's talent is crystal clear, but her taste is theatrical and flamboyant. Her colors and choices aren't made to please everyone, but her melodies and beats are the kind you can't shake off. R&B and gospel run through her veins, a Barbie Kate Bush sits in her toy box, and a sticker of Billie Eilish is stuck on her closet door. Thanks to "The Apple Tree Under The Sea", released via Awal about a month ago, we can finally put the American artist's DNA under the microscope, examine her synth-pop code, and revel in Isimeme Naomi's vocal flourishes, worthy of a cybernetic Disney princess.

Hemlocke may well be a product of the TikTok generation, but it's hard to imagine that two electronic nursery rhymes like "The Beginning Of The End" and the even more toy-like "Head, Shoulders, Knee And Ankles" wouldn't charm anyone nostalgic for Nordic fairies like Robyn and Karin Dreijer.

The producer's debut inevitably brings with it a new hit: "Sever The Blight". A dance-pop hit-worthy backing track for a dark yet liberating lyric, urging listeners to decisively cut the rot out of their lives.

Despite featuring a handful of tracks clearly conceived as singles, Udu's debut album is actually structured as a kind of musical coming-of-age story. It's the (autobiographical) tale of an ordinary girl who, on the closing "Be The Girl!", discovers she isn't the person she thought she knew, insecure and stifled by a rigid religious upbringing and family expectations.

In these fractured, fluid times, it's hard to say whether a star has truly been born. What is clear, though, is that Hemlocke Springs isn't destined for fame based on a single viral video alone. And it's just as obvious that her exuberant talent could never be confined within the volumes of a university library.

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18/03/2026