Manchester-based artist Hetta Falzon releases debut single ‘Sobering’
Manchester-based artist Hetta Falzon released her debut single, 'Sobering', on January 29th.
Photo by @willduffyyy
Sobering is a raw and human expression of unrequited love, inspired by Hetta's own experiences, inducing a cinematic imagining of the dimming light of hope.
“I wrote Sobering about the humbling realisation of falling for someone who doesn’t even know you feel that way,” Hetta comments, “It’s about biting your tongue and having to live with a situation you can’t change—because, in the end, no one did anything wrong.”
A mellow piano melody and Hetta's velvety vocals take listeners on an intimate journey of coming to terms with the regret of unexpressed feelings and the need to let go. The song opens with the image of the person you long for in someone else's arms before diving into a story of acceptance, eloquently expressed through lines like "live with the lump in my throat, learn not to jump so I don’t sink under something I want."
Her powerful lyricism and unique sound have drawn in large numbers of fans, amassing over 5.1 million views on her original TikTok sound, marking her as a swiftly rising star for her audience to follow beyond these early yet exciting stages of her career.
Photo by @willduffyyy
In conversation with Hetta, she discusses her music journey which she began by writing her own songs as a way to drive her interest in musical instrument lessons when she was young. Her background in classical music informs her unique style, performing alongside her band of strings and horns which she adores doing. Simultaneously growing up in musical theatre, Hetta notes the influence of artists like Fred Astaire and Judy Garland on Sobering, as they are among her most played on Spotify. This drives her dream of performing in jazz clubs and ultimately theatres, joking that she empathises with her fans for having to stand in other venues to listen to her poignant music.
A seasoned performer, Hetta won the Pilton Stage competition for unsigned artists around the world to play at Glastonbury Festival in 2022, the Rum Shack Wild Card competition to play in 2023, and performed on the Bread & Roses stage in 2024. Live performance shapes her creative process, as she often writes her songs and plays them live before recording them, rather than learning to play them live after the fact. This certainly attests to Hetta's talent as a performer and her undoubtable ability to connect with live audiences. Often opting to listen to live editions of other artists' work herself, she hopes to share live recordings of her own songs in the future.
Hetta reminisces on her favourite performance she has done: her first headline show at Lock 91 in Manchester in January 2024 with her band. Having taken control of organising and promoting the show herself, which was fully sold out, she felt "so supported and full of love." One year later, at the start of 2025, she supported Joshua Bassett at his O2 Ritz show in Manchester as part of his tour, 'The Golden Years'. Whilst in London, being offered the opportunity on the same day as the show, her spontaneity led her back to Manchester for the concert, which has been another highlight for her. Aside from gaining the interest of a new crowd with her own music, Hetta and Bassett performed a honey-like duet of Nora Jones' 'Don't Know Why'.
She also recently collaborated with Sebastian Schub on a live rendition of his hit 'Sing Like Madonna' alongside Jack Louis Rennie. Her piano playing and smooth harmonies form a synergy with Schub and Rennie to make for an emotionally charged performance. On Instagram, Schub shared with his fans that he doesn’t think he ever wants to play the song alone again. Hetta reveals that her dream collaboration would be with Fred Again.., who is known for his creativity in sampling and creating resonating songs. The combination of their distinctive styles would produce the "ultimate emotional experience in the club" through a remix of Sobering.
The bright and busy start to Hetta's year only indicates what's in store for her fans as she constantly writes new music, building on the brilliance established by Sobering.
You can listen to Sobering here (https://symphony.to/hetta-falzon/sobering).