Hemlocke Springs

Isimeme "Naomi" Udu (born November 16, 1998), better known as Hemlocke Springs (stylized in all lowercase), is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She first gained attention in 2022, when her song "Girlfriend" achieved viral popularity on TikTok. She released her debut extended play, Going...Going...Gone!, on September 29, 2023.

Early life and education
Isimeme "Naomi" Udu was born on November 16, 1998, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to two Nigerian immigrant parents. She grew up in Concord, North Carolina. She took an interest in electronic music in middle school, listening to artists such as Calvin Harris and Tiesto. She also began to use GarageBand to create electronic music. She graduated from Spelman College in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in biology, and graduated in 2023 with a master's degree in medical informatics from Dartmouth College.

2022–present: Going...Going...Gone!
On May 24, 2022, Udu released her debut single "Gimme All Ur Luv". The song gained over a million streams through Spotify and was named as "the best bedroom pop" song by Complex. She released the song "Girlfriend" on November 2, 2022, and it also surpassed one million Spotify streams with people calling it the "awkward Black girl anthem". In an interview with Rolling Stone, the artist expressed that she was "happy people are listening to it".

She released her third single "Stranger Danger!" on January 13, 2023, and was named one of the "essential emerging artists for 2023" by New Musical Express. From May to August, she collaborated with English producer, Burns, and released three more songs. Her first performance occurred at the Adult Swim Festival on July 21. Udu released "Enknee1" on August 21, the same day where she announced her debut extended play, Going...Going...Gone!, and was released on September 29, 2023. While touring in from North America, she was an opening act at the Greek Theatre for indie-pop band Muna's Life's So Fun Tour (2023). In early Winter, the indie artist was also an opening act in Europe for rapper Ashnikko's Weedkiller Tour. Udu was later featured in the "Class of 2024: Gold Standard" issue with other artists, published by DIY.

On January 30, 2024, the singer announced she is set to be an opening act for Doja Cat's second concert tour, The Scarlet Tour (2024), for the European leg.

Influences
In her middle school years, Springs was influenced by many EDM artists, primarily Swedish artist Avicii and his 2011 song "Levels". Udu also draws inspiration from many K-pop artists and groups. In an interview with Alternative Press, she claimed she came up with her stage name from a random name generator and added the letter "e" to the end of "Hemlock" in honor of New Zealand singer Lorde.

Music style
Udu's style distinctly draws from lo-fi music and indie pop. With the release of "Girlfriend", Heven Haile from Pitchfork described the song as "an ideal rom-com song" that "channels the bratty bravado of Family Jewels-era Marina and the springy falsetto of Kate Bush". Many of Udu's fans compared her debut song to Canadian singer Grimes' style, with Grimes also commenting on it.

Supporting

 * Muna – Life's So Fun Tour (2023)
 * Ashnikko – Weedkiller Tour (2023)
 * Doja Cat – The Scarlet Tour (2024)