Gretel

London singer/songwriter Gretel marries gothic indie guitar pop, the bite of early grunge, and slick electronic-tinged production, delivering dark fairytales in her trademark deep, husky voice. Born Maddy Haenlein and brought up in west London, she was raised on a diet of Nick Cave, Nick Drake, and Tim Buckley, forming an early taste for the macabre. She was signed up to earn a physics degree before her mother, in an inversion of the usual parental advice, persuaded her to drop it and pursue music as a career. Her first EP Slugeye, released under the name Gretel Hänlyn in 2022, attracted a great deal of attention; it was produced by Mura Masa, who became an ongoing collaborator. By the time of her second EP, 2023's Head of the Love Club, she had shortened her moniker to Gretel. Her debut album, Squish, was released in 2026.