Perth pop artist Harriet Hawthorne returns with new single, announces debut EP

Emerging local pop artist Harriet Hawthorne has returned with a new single, Bitch with a Guitar, the first release from her forthcoming debut EP, which will be out in early November.

Hawthorne said the track was born out of pure defiance. “I wrote Bitch with a Guitar following the events of my 18th birthday party, where someone who had hurt me told me, ‘Don’t write a song about this,'” she said. “So naturally, that’s exactly what I did.”

The track’s accompanying film clip leans into the same spirit, borrowing from the visual world of ’90s and early 2000s rom-coms to tell Hawthorne’s own story.

“From scenes of dancing in my bedroom to rocking out on stage, this video captures everything my teenage self dreamed of being,” said Hawthorne, “as well as the less desirable or romanticised parts of who I really am.”

With a sound that brings together elements of pop, rock and folk, Hawthorne released her debut single, Flowers Laced With Vitriol, in 2025. The Perth-based artist elevated her profile when she appeared on the Australian Idol stage in 2026, auditioning a stripped-back acoustic cover of Missy Higgins’ Scar, which earned three yes votes from the judges and carried her all the way to the Top 21 at just 19 years old.

Harriet Hawthorne’s new single Bitch with a Guitar is available to stream now.