The Hunna: "If you're in a position to take back some of the power, that's definitely a good thing to do"

Celebrating ten years of The Hunna - now freshly independent and set to embrace a new era of transition a decade on.

Written by Tom Adams | Edited by Lucy Astbury October 2025

"Ten years later we're enjoying the legacy we've made..."

And it's been some legacy too. Early label exploits, a novel case study for aggressive marketing, repeatedly hitting back at industry injustices, all the while producing British Phonography Industry acclaimed music. It's the kind of fluctuating highs and lows you'd expect from a dramatised biopic or erratic rockumentary. But nevertheless, The Hunna's refusal to back down sees them return more assured than ever, now self-managing and producing on their own terms. Some would say it's been a decade of organised chaos, others would say it's the platonic ideal of an alternative rock band, but ultimately The Hunna have always been all-or-nothing, and their latest project shows no signs of letting up now.

Arriving November 14th, blue transitions will become the newest addition to The Hunna's versatile discography. Unusually, this will be the band's first EP, outlining themes of transformation and change across its five tracks. Perhaps a body of work deliberately introspective in its subject matter, or just a fitting coincidence? Regardless, marking the ten year anniversary of a band embracing a transition of their own, it felt like the perfect time to sit down with vocalist Ryan Potter and ask him all things The Hunna ten years down the line.

Sipping a ginger and turmeric brew as he enters the Zoom call, immediately expressing his appreciation for a morning herbal tea, it's not the stereotypically conventional style of a pop-punk/indie-rocking/alternative frontman. But much to Ryan's satisfaction, The Hunna have never really done things the orthodox way.

"It's funny, as a band we've always said people in the industry have found our music difficult to put in a certain place, but we've always enjoyed that and being able to float between genres."

Before the birth of The Hunna, Ryan Potter, Daniel Dorney, and Jack Metcalfe were performing heavier emo-punk material under the name Alaska Campus across London and their hometown of Watford in southwest Hertfordshire. Hinting that much of their early work is still out there online somewhere, the trio recruited now former member Junate Angin, and began to gain traction before finally settling on a deal and a name change.

"Alaska Campus was cool but we felt like the music we wanted to make was different, and we felt like we were growing as musicians so we wanted a stronger name. At the time there was quite a big shift towards hip-hop music, so it became a big thing for us that we were a rock band that made other genres too. In hip-hop keep it a hunna means keep it one hundred, and we used to go round saying that to each other. I remember one time we were in Bath driving back hungover, and started discussing ideas for the new name and one of us just said in passing, last night was a hunna, and then immediately we all thought let's go with The Hunna, which also lends itself to the first album being called 100. We give and have always given everything to the band and what we do on-stage and off-stage so we felt like it was the best fit for us."

When asking Ryan about a few of the band's biggest influences, it quickly became obvious why they've always been a band so difficult to classify.

"Wow, there's honestly so many. Deftones are a big shared one for all three of us, and Paramore for sure. As a vocalist, I'd say Haley [Williams] is one of my top three influences. Personally, I'd also say My Chemical Romance for Gerard [Way]. Jack is big on hip-hop and grime so he's into a lot of metal like Knocked Loose, Korn, Glassjaw. When I first met Dan, he listened to underground grunge like Frodus, At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta, and The Fall of Troy. Then going back to our Alaska Campus days, Dan and I were into post-hardcore bands like Dance Gavin Dance and Emarosa - with Jonny Craig as the lead singer of both. When I was younger, I listened to a lot of early Arctic Monkeys, also Ray Charles as I'm a big soul fan. I love John Mayer too so our influences really are far and wide."

Tapping into their more punk-alt rock sound and channelling a Haley Williams-Gerard Way hybrid, The Hunna burst onto the scene in 2015 with the release of singles 'Bonfire' and 'She's Casual', which would later go on to appear on the band's debut album 100. Accruing an astonishing one-hundred and seventy-five million listens combined with the latter single earning BPI Platinum status, The Hunna were quickly catching the attention of the industry.

"The intro we had was quite a big eruption into it all because we were quite aggressively marketed at the time. Especially back then on Facebook, we were one of the first to be getting pushed so much in that way due to the label we were on. When we were in America in 2016 to support Jimmy Eat World, we even went to the Facebook headquarters in New York with the head of our label and their social team who were doing a case study on us. I think it took people a bit by surprise that from that moment until COVID we were pretty much nonstop. We'd sold out three consecutive nights at Boston Music Room in London, played Leeds/Reading Festival, as well as The Jimmy Eat World tour that will stay with us forever. They're another massive influence on all of us, and they were so lovely. We did a few shows over there with The Struts as well as a radio tour so it was an absolute rollercoaster of an introduction, but it was awesome!"

"I wouldn't have done anything differently, even during those tough times. I'm a big believer in things happening for a reason, and our story and everything we've experienced as a band has been the wildest ride. When I was a teenager dreaming of what it would be like, there's obviously so many moments we've experienced together on the road and at places people will never know about. It's been such a crazy, unique, but special journey, almost cliché in a way we could make a movie about it."

Unfortunately, those tough times would be a hint to the first big challenge in the band's trajectory. The release of their sophomore record DARE in 2018 triggered a turbulent but transitional aftermath of legal complications and label altercations leading to the trio progressing autonomously.

"It's a lot of work going solo, but it always has been to be honest. It's funny, you don't think about the behind the scenes stuff and that side of it. You just think about getting a deal and putting out music and then touring it - which is what it should be about and that's what you do it for. You do it for the connection with fans and doing what you love as a job, but there's many things behind the scenes that are equally as important. We've always been very hands on, to the point where that has been too much for certain managements and labels because a lot of people prefer us to do the music and they take care of the rest. But what we found was people can take advantage and you have to be careful in this industry."

"We've had people from labels and management that we love and still have close relations with, but the more you know and the more you can take on, the better. After the first two albums and that process of leaving the label, we entered COVID with another management and met some great people, but ultimately we didn't feel like we were being pushed to progress so we came out of that one as well. I think because we've been doing this for so long now, and we've built up so many good contacts in the industry it got to the point where we don't necessarily need anyone in that respect, other than the label."

"I think if you're in a position to do that and take back some of the power, that's definitely a good thing to do. It's been liberating, we've really enjoyed it and being able to just be and create how and when we want to, and make sure that we're on top of everything as opposed to having to chase people here and there and wait to hear back from people."

Despite facing commercial hardships head-on so early in their career, The Hunna's continued refusal to back down in the face of industry inequities only spurred on their drive to hit back in true playful pop-punk style. Their 2019 single 'IGHTF' (I Get High To Forget) acted as a subtle counter before doubling down with the 2022 single 'Trash', "all they want is fucking money, money, money" followed by "then they drag you through the dirt 'til it hurts"; lyrics written in a riotous but commendable fashion.

"Why do I think it's important to call out certain things in this industry? I mean, it's just the truth isn't it. The truth will always come out eventually which we see all the time, especially in the entertainment industry. I think if more artists are aware of this and find ways to do things successfully without third-party involvement, the more artists might be able to connect and help each other and build something bigger and even stronger."

On the theme of artists building mutual connections, The Hunna boys have built up quite a plethora of big name collabs across their four albums to date. Teaming up with Goldfinger frontman and producer John Feldmann at his Calabasas home in southern California for the I'd Rather Die Than Let You In record, Feldmann called upon a few close contacts to feature on the album.

"That whole time was an amazing experience! We recorded it at John's house in his studio in this gated community where the Kardashians basically lived round the corner. John casually called up Travis Barker from Blink-182, and he was actually in the shower but said he'd stop by the studio afterwards. Twenty minutes later Travis appears and I think it was probably like one take or two and he was done... it was incredible. Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy also came down and wrote on the album for 'One Second Left' which was another surprise. John didn't even tell us he was gonna do that, Pete just walks in and I was like what the fuck. Josh Dun of Twenty One Pilots as well, Josh is such a lovely guy - it was such an honour to have people like that want to be involved in what we're doing. Again, it sounds cliché but thinking about these kinds of situations years ago to them actually becoming a reality is crazy."

"And then working with producer Gil [Norton] for our fourth album, The Hunna, that was amazing too. Gil is like family to us now. We still have a great relationship with him, and I'm sure we'll do some more with him in the future. He came out of a bit of a hiatus to help us with that album. He heard the demos and really brought out the best in us. We love that record, we actually look at it as a bit of a more mature version of 100, with it signifying a new chapter. Even in terms of sound, I feel like the songs that were written feel like they're in a similar vein to 100 but slightly heavier which is where we wanted to go with it. Gil worked with Jimmy Eat World, he also earned a Grammy with the Foo Fighters - it speaks for itself really. He's so complementary to us and our music and we respect him so much for it."

Similarly to Gil - and many of the collabs The Hunna have worked with across their timeline - Ryan emphasised how appreciative he is for the fans and how, in a way, they've almost become family through the years, and he made this point repeatedly. Even during those tough periods of fluctuating clarity and unruly industry dealings, the band have always been incredibly active in maintaining a strong relationship with their fans through social media.

"It really does go a long way when people feel so connected to our music, and that translated to the shows when people started coming to see us, and we'd meet them after the shows and they'd tell us who they were online. From that point you begin to recognise people that were coming on multiple occasions. There are people that have been coming to our shows from the very beginning and have essentially grown up with us, and that's over the course of ten years all because we're connecting through music - it's really special! We've always said it's not just a band, it's a family and that goes for the fans, the people on our crew over the years, photographers, and everyone behind the scenes that have been a part of it."

Just last year, The Hunna announced a tour supporting Music Venue Trust, which included playing a number of grassroot venues across smaller UK towns and cities, locations artists typically neglect. Performing in places such as Mexborough and Carlisle, the tour raised money to protect the country's more traditional venues, whilst giving fans from smaller communities a chance to see the band without a commute to the bigger cities.

"Doing the smaller venues has been important for the grassroots, but also to get to see fans where they say people don't usually go. I particularly remember playing Scunthorpe, we were huddled onto this small stage in a compact room but we loved it! The smaller shows are so full of energy and there's sweat literally dripping off the walls - it's amazing! It's so nice to chat to fans after and see how grateful and excited they are that we're playing in their hometown. Some people had seen us before, but a lot of people hadn't because they can't travel, so it's lovely to get to do that. Our fans have always been so connected and helped us through, and honestly that's how we've been able to maintain it for so long. It's like having those friends that you don't speak to often, but when you see them in person again, it feels like nothing has changed."

As we neared the end of our hour long chat, I started thinking about how the trio are about to embrace a big change. Marking three years since the last body of work - the longest gap between releases since the band started out - The Hunna will release their debut EP blue transitions in just two weeks' time. Now under their own self-governance, production and independent label FLG, the EP marks a new era of seizing back control and exerting creative freedom.

"It's been really nice. It's just the three of us in a room with no outside noise ten years down the line doing what we love. Often in the music industry, you can get pushed a certain direction or collaborate with a specific person where you've got like a day to make a hit song and that's just not how it should be. I mean sometimes it works but you have to be in a real creative flow. Songs come from a really personal place for us. Music should be about authenticity, not driven for the sake of numbers online. I think you are what you are and for us, it's now self-managing and taking it back to just us again. Getting back to creating how we used to, working off each other and taking our time with things." 

"We're now creatively in this place where we're just letting whatever comes out come out, and then seeing what happens afterwards. I think naturally you then start to see a combination of songs that fit, and then you start piecing them together. I think with the song 'tough love' on the EP especially, we went back to the very early days for more of an indie rock sound influenced by Bombay Bicycle Club who are one of our favourite bands from back in the day, as well as The Stone Roses. I think blue transitions is very indie rock, but with a little bit more edge to it."

At the time of writing, the band have already played a handful of comeback live shows. Y Not Festival, 2000trees Festival, soon to support Palaye Royale next month, before taking blue transitions on the road for their own headline tour in late November. I wanted to ask Ryan whether the band consider live performances when songwriting, or if transforming the EP for a live setting naturally fell into place after having already completed the record.

"It's a bit of both really. I think if it's a melody or rhythm, we get that initial idea out and then start building it up as a band before we start recording bits so it's like a bit of a ghost track. Then after that, we start to think about how we can elevate it to ways that we can enjoy playing it live, and fans will enjoy hearing it live. Then sometimes we just start playing and get a bit carried away, and in that moment you begin to think about yourself playing it live and you decide you wanna try a certain thing because if we did it live, it would be a huge moment - so yeah it's a bit of a mixture of both to be honest."

It feels wonderful to hear the band enjoying where they're at, looking forward to blue transitions and whatever might follow. My final question for Ryan delved into reflecting upon the last ten years, thinking fondly of what stands out to him as a personal highlight, and any bucket list dreams he and the band are still chasing. Having built The Hunna brand on hope and resilience, I really wouldn't bet on doubting them now.

"That's tough… There's many moments we've shared with ourselves and other people that have been so amazing. The whole thing feels like a highlight really. Having a dream of doing this and then looking back ten years on, it's far beyond what I expected us to experience and go through. The Jimmy Eat World tour in 2016 was a big highlight! Doing a secret set at Leeds/Reading Festival the same year was another because we got to headline the Festival Republic stage as well as the BBC Introducing stage. The main stage at Download recently was another awesome one for the three of us."

"I'd probably have to say playing Australia - that was insane. It would've been 2017 or 2018, Dare would have just been released, and we went to tour it in Australia for just over a week. We didn't know what to expect, but the first show in Brisbane was this five hundred or so capacity venue. I remember we'd finished the soundcheck, so I headed out to the toilet, and there was an outside bar which was absolutely packed like the venue was - there were literally people everywhere. I assumed people were there for a good time but then before we were due on stage, our tour manager came in and told us it was so packed because of us… we'd sold the place out. It was hilarious because the crowd were so up for it! We were drinking beer out of shoes on stage, crowd surfing, and then after we got invited to this house party. We were flying the next day to Sydney, and me and Dan did not sleep the entire time. It was a moment that was so bizarre, but also probably one of the best times of our lives."

"In terms of a bucket list, we'd love to do Glastonbury. We'd also love to return to America and tour over there again. We get people asking us all the time and since COVID it's been so tough to do it. Unless you're part of the one percent or so like Taylor Swift or Beyonce, it's so incredibly difficult. Even a band of our size who have been in the game for ten years now, it's hard like every time in America it's like a fifty grand plus loss before we've even arrived. I think we're just open to everything now. Ten years later we're enjoying the legacy we've made. Next year will be a decade since 100 too so that's gonna be a special year - there really is a lot to look forward to."

The Hunna's blue transitions EP arrives 14th November via FLG.