While the Northern Hemisphere hibernates throughout the cold winter, Australians can often be found indulging in a pastime as old as the automobile itself: the great summer road trip. This annual getaway is a time for reflection, escape and immersion in nature – set against some of the vast country’s most beautiful backdrops.
About 130 kilometres from the sprawling city of Sydney, Gerringong is a popular destination. With rolling green hills, stunning beaches, micro-climate rainforests and ancient cliffs that tower over the southern New South Wales coastline, it is one of the many places in Australia where an energising electricity permeates the atmosphere. Gerringong is a place where creatives often head to recharge.
Having driven from Porsche Centre Sydney South to Dovecote, an architecturally acclaimed property in the town, and also a Porsche Destination Charging partner, musician Becca Hatch finds herself yearning for the calm inspiration that the seascapes here provide.
One of Australia’s most promising up-and-coming R&B stars
Hailing from western Sydney, Hatch is one of Australia’s most promising up-and-coming R&B stars. At just 16, she won the prestigious Triple J Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative, a nationwide scheme that saw her handpicked out of high school and dropped on the route to stardom. That was four years ago and she has since performed at the Sydney Opera House, national sporting events and had her songs added to high rotation on radio and streaming services. Today, she is behind the wheel of a Porsche Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo – a symbol, if any, of her love affair with technology, nature and the freedom of space.
“I started writing music when I was 10,” she says. “I really enjoyed singing, but then quickly realised how much I loved songwriting. I always felt I didn’t have the most powerful voice but writing music that I would listen to was something I just fell in love with.” Hatch’s music draws from her rich First Nations heritage, passed down from her Samoan and Kamilaroi parents. Listeners can expect entrancing and uplifting vocals and poignant, poetic and reflective storytelling. “Music for me has always been a way to process things that have happened in my life,” she says. “It’s very therapeutic for me and important to have as an outlet.”
Studying sound design and composition
Beyond her pop songs, Hatch studies sound design and composition, which she says gives her even more licence for expression. “I really enjoy composing and some of my favourite things have been to design sound for animation – I recently worked on an anime-type of piece, which was cool,” she explains. “When I write music, I always relate it to different feelings and colours. A song can be warm, or it can be yellow or blue. For me, making music is just an easy way to say exactly what I'm feeling. “I already enjoyed songwriting and this is similar, but what I love about it is I get to create feelings and sounds to meet a brief. It’s cool because it’s another creative outlet I can have through music.”
Though she can play guitar and piano, as a composer, Hatch predominately uses electronic instruments. Without this technology, she admits, she probably wouldn't be able to do what she does. “As an artist, electricity gives me complete freedom,” she says. “The software I use is such a powerful instrument – it offers so much more than what I can just make with a guitar. There are layers to it. I can create emotions, sounds and make my vision for my songs into something real. With technology, I'm able to make the music I want and communicate how I really feel."
The entrepreneurial spirit of Becca Hatch
Like many people her age, Hatch has an entrepreneurial spirit and talks with a refreshing lightness, but she is quick to point out the difficulties those her age face in the current light of our time. “I'm only 20 and I think over the past few years it's been really hard to think about a future,” she says. “When we talk about the climate crisis, and what's happening in the world, it's something that is hard to think about, but is also in the front of my mind. “Being a First Nations and a Pacific Islander woman, it's really important for me to take care of my country and my islands. I think we should do all we can to look after what we have and see the beauty in the world around us.”
Already an inspiring role model for many young people in Australia, Hatch exemplifies the feelings of a generation looking to find ways to recharge their creativity via multiple channels. “I’m passionate,” she says. “I love fashion, make-up, gaming, travel. I would like to develop my own business separate from music —that is something I’ve been getting into as well. “You know, I love so many things and as I’ve developed and grown as an artist, the more creative outlets I’ve found in different mediums. I think I am just excited by the future.”
