VIP Interview with Katie Hardyman, composer of the Award Winning song ‘Molly’s Rainbow’

We had the great pleasure of talking to Katie Hardyman a Multi Award Winning Australian Songwriter, composer, and musician. Molly’s Rainbow is a touching song inspired by the real story of Molly Croft a young woman fighting with Osteosarcoma. In this interview we find out the meaning behind the lyrics as we look at the sky, where the blue birds fly, for that magical rain-bow to finally appear.

When did you start playing the piano and what first got you into music?

I started playing the piano at the age of 7 after spending many weekends at my grandparents’ house. Sundays were the day the whole family got together, my grandfather would play the piano, my Aunties played the violin, and my dad and uncles would sing. It was always such a happy, bright, and warm atmosphere that brought the whole family together, and it was during these times that I decided I wanted to learn the piano. I asked my parents if I could take lessons and buy a piano – the deal was, that I had to practice the piano on my knees with a paper cut out of the keys for one year and if I still wanted to learn they would consider buying one. This fueled a passion of determination and a love of music, and I was so grateful to my parents for ultimately giving me the gift of a beautiful baby grand piano which was delivered exactly one year after I began lessons. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, so I knew this was a huge sacrifice for them. It was at this time that I decided I wanted to learn everything about the piano and learn to play it well.

What brought you to songwriting? What’s the very first song that you wrote?

When I was 12, I went to boarding school – Loreto Normanhurst. We were from a small country town and my parents thought I would gain a broader education by attending this school. I wasn’t sold on the idea, and it was an especially lonely place to be. Back then it was a 7-hour drive from home so I didn’t get to go home much during the year, but the school had a music room for boarders so after school and on weekends I would spend all my time playing the piano and immersing myself in tunes. The first song I ever wrote was called ‘Pictures on an empty wall’, my boarding school room – sad right, but an interesting theme to write about. I still have a recording of it almost 35 years later. I have fond memories of watching the Sound of Music and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – it was these two films that truly inspired me to keep writing and form big dreams about writing my own music for the movies. In my earlier years I worked as a Pediatric Oncology Nurse and discovered that music had a powerful effect on my patients and it was during these times I wrote music with these special children in mind – today, I am still inspired to write about these themes and hopefully be a voice through my music that can give people hope and inspiration.

The composer Katie Hardyman and the official cover of ‘Molly’s Rainbow’ – www.katiehardyman.com

Where does the inspiration of “Molly’s Rainbow” come from? Can you describe your creative process when writing a song?

Molly’s Rainbow is inspired by a beautiful and courageous young woman, Molly Croft. Molly has been fighting Osteosarcoma – in layman’s terms, bone cancer. It’s the leading cause of cancer related deaths in young people between 15 – 24. I had a chance meeting with Molly whilst doing a photoshoot for the Cooper Rice Brading Foundation – a Sarcoma charity here in Sydney. It was here that I first met Molly and her family and was totally inspired by her remarkable and inspiring enthusiasm to stay positive throughout her cancer journey. Late last year, Molly relapsed after almost two years cancer free, and I had previously written a song for my young nephew Tom, who tragically passed away from the same cancer in 2020. I knew Molly liked this song so I thought I would write one especially for her. The song came about quite quickly, and I found myself writing melodies on the piano in the middle of the night. First came the melody and then came the lyrics. Molly has a special connection to rainbows so I thought this would be a nice theme to write about. I asked Molly if she could send me her thoughts about what rainbows mean to her and I have used some of her own words in this song. Creatively I was hearing strings and piano and more a Disney style tune to convey a brighter piece of music and a whimsical feel that could possibly suit a film. I was also inspired by Eva Cassidy’s version of ‘Over the Rainbow’ which inspired the beautiful guitar arrangement.

What is the message you wanted to communicate to the audience with “Molly’s rainbow”? 

Essentially the message of this song is to find hope and inspiration through Molly’s mantra of looking for a rainbow in everyday and finding a reason to smile, even when some days are dark and filled with sadness. Molly wanted this song to not just be about her journey but to hopefully connect with other people who are also looking for hope and support. It’s such a beautiful theme to look for a rainbow, as a rainbow always comes after the rain, right? We hope this song leaves all that hear it with a heart full of hope and love.

Katie Hardyman and Molly Croft – www.katiehardyman.com

Who is Molly?

 Molly is a 15-year-old Cancer survivor who makes this world a better place to be. Diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on her 12^th birthday, Molly underwent a grueling treatment process that no one should ever have to go through, including losing most of the bone in her right leg. Late last year at the age of 15 Molly relapsed but even a second bout of cancer hasn’t dampened her desire to help others, and that’s what makes her so special. Molly’s mum Ange told me ‘Moll worked out early in this journey that the best way to get through this was looking for a reason to smile every day and although some days were worse than others, she didn’t miss a day where she didn’t give thanks for something that had made her smile’. Molly is an extraordinary young woman who has become a powerful young advocate for Osteosarcoma awareness and funding and has already raised close to $400,000 for charity. Her work led her to be named the inaugural One to watch at last year’s NSW Woman of the year awards, she is also ambassador for the Fight Cancer Foundations Footy Colors Day and co-creator of the cancer fundraiser the Tie Dye Project, coaches representative sporting teams and has had a position on the NSW youth advisory council. To say Molly is inspiring is an understatement. She is courageous, humble, kind and extremely generous in helping all those around her. But more than any of this, I am beyond proud to call Molly my friend and am forever grateful she came into my life and showed me to how to look for rainbows and a smile in each day.

When did you record this song and what was the biggest challenge for the interpretation of this song?

One of the biggest challenges of this song was to tell an honest story without making it too sad, it had to be positive to get the right message across. I involved Molly and her family every step of the process to ensure they were happy with the song. You have to be careful to tell a story honestly, and it wasn’t my story to tell, so I wanted to make sure I got it right for Molly’s family. We recorded this song late last year and finished it in December. It certainly presented many challenges with Sydney in Covid lockdown and my producer, Turn Around Music studios located in rural Taree – 3 hours from Sydney. The song was recorded at various stages, we recorded the pianos first, then added the string arrangements, recorded a demo vocal then re-recorded the main artist vocals. The music was recorded and produced in Taree, NSW, the vocals were recorded in LA by a gorgeous artist, Arielle Ackford, and the mixing and engineering was done in Hong Kong. I am extremely grateful to my producer Pete Stevenson who spent many hours awake during the middle of the night to record and produce due to the time differences in the various countries. Even Covid couldn’t stop this one and it was extremely rewarding to get it finished just in time to give it to Molly for Christmas.

The composer Katie Hardyman – www.katiehardyman.com

Who are the songwriters that inspire you the most?

In my early years it was Elton John and Billy Joel, I loved their melodies and lyrics and ability to tell a story through song. I love so many songs so it’s hard to say who inspires me the most, right now its Hans Zimmer, such an incredible composer who totally inspires me when writing my own melodies.

There are many popular songs about rainbows, and those melodies immediately bring many of us back to our childhood. I’m thinking about “Over the rainbow” from the wizard of Oz and the “Rainbow Connection” from the Muppet Movie. Why a rainbow and is there a connection to these songs?

I think these songs are probably two of my favorite songs ever and I listened to them endlessly whilst trying to write this song. They brought me back to my own childhood and a place where you could truly get lost in the beautiful lyrics and melodies. The rainbow is Molly’s connection to keeping positive and looking for a reason to smile. Perhaps in childhood we all look for the simple things in life that make us happy which I guess is why these two songs resonate so deeply with their audience. There is something quite magical when a rainbow appears, and I truly believe they do in fact makes us smile.

Have you ever thought about writing the soundtrack for a movie?

I’d love to see my music in film and am so honored to have had one of my Christmas songs, SNOWFLAKE placed in the Hallmark Christmas movie, Swept Up by Christmas” starring Lindy Booth and Justin Bruening.

Any plans to release a music video for the song “Molly’s Rainbow”?

I have big plans for a music video for this song – stay tuned for that one coming soon.

What do you do in your spare time? What are the activities or hobbies that nurture you the most as an artist?

Spare time doesn’t come that frequently as I have 4 children who are completely my world. Although, now they are growing up I’m finding more time to do other things I enjoy. I guess most things I do are creative, I am also a photographer and a florist and enjoy creating a memory or creating something beautiful for people to keep and enjoy.

What’s the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?

To never give up, always be humble, to always follow your dreams and trust that the music you write can make a difference. Music is open to all sorts of interpretation, some like it, others don’t, but the best thing is being proud of your own work and in my case writing an honest song that an audience can connect too. I am also a strong believer that you can learn from criticism, it makes you stronger and more determined to get things right.

What’s next for you? What are you working on at the moment?

At the moment I am concentrating on writing instrumental music to hopefully engage in the film industry. I have a catalogue of music that I’m hoping to release later this year. Creating music is something I adore, and I love that sometimes a melody comes out of nowhere and the songwriting process starts all over again.

Follow Katie Hardyman and her projects on: