17-year-old Hana Vu is cooler than you and proves it with the release of her stand-out debut EP

The song speaks of being comfortable in your own company and not having to try too hard to impress, flowing with a maturity and wisdom that seemed to far surpass her young age.

With the release of her debut EP How Many Times Have You Driven By, the LA-based artist proves that the talent and potential that shone through on songs such as the brilliantly relatable "Crying On The Subway" or the deep-dive investigation of the ego on "Shallow" was no mere fluke.

Hana Vu first wrote and shared her music online when she was only 14 years old, and since those early days she has taken the initiative to press on and work on her own terms with an admirable determination, continuing to produce all of her own music to this day.

She's worked with the likes of Willow Smith along the way, recently supported Soccer Mommy and has even caught the attention pop maestros Tegan and Sara - and all for good reason. We caught up with the young prodigal talent to learn more about the new EP, handling attention from the press at a young age and the importance of retaining artistic control.

BEST FIT: You’re still only 17 years old - how did you decide that music was definitely what you wanted to do?
HANA VU: "I pretty much decided on music when I got to be 17 and realized I can’t do anything else. It just seems like music has always been there, it’s always been good to me and I’ve always gone back to it. But I’m ‘still young’ so who knows if me and music will be together forever."

How did you manage the initial attention that came your way when you first started sharing music? Did you ever find it daunting?
"No not really. I loved the reception I got from press and also who doesn’t love attention? I thought I would get more attention from my peers but no one really cares."

Your new EP is called ​How Many Times Have You​ Driven By - where has that title come from?
"I used to eat at this cafe in the valley every day before school and they had this marquee outside that said “HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DRIVEN BY” and that just always seemed so romantic and whimsical to me. Also sort of funny."

When you were writing the new EP, what were the main messages you were trying to portray?
"Not sure if I had a message in mind. I think I was trying to write messages to myself and trying to figure myself out and I guess my general findings can resonate with people and people alike."

You’ve discussed how “Shallow” is about an egotistical alter-ego - can you tell us more about how you delved into that character and what inspired you to write about it?
"I feel like there’s sort of a present self and a sub-present self. So I like to be reasonable and logical in my perceived self but my sub-present self is something that only I am aware of. I feel that (hopefully) peoples egos are within themselves. Sometimes you need your ego to fill you up when you deflate.

You produce all of your own music. Would you say that retaining that level of artistic control is important to you?
"I like to have control in all aspects in life. Music may be the only thing I can manifest full control over. I just think that people are infinitely different from each other, which is amazing and can make some great art, but I think for me I like to make exactly what I’m thinking."

You’ve worked with quite a few high profile people now - from collaborating with Willow Smith to supporting Soccer Mommy - but what would be your dream collaboration?
"St. Vincent."

You also collaborated with Satchy on "Cool" - how did that song come about and why was Satchy the right person for the job?
"I’ve played a few shows with satchy and I knew he was a really talented musician and producer. I really love his music and respect him as an artist so I knew something good would come of us working together."

What does success look like to you?
"I think success is when you love what you do and you love the people in your life. It’s sort of a basic standard for success but it is hard to come by."