Hesta Prynn is the solo project of Julie Alissa Potash, a musician and singer-rapper from New York, United States. She is a founding member of the hip-hop group Northern State and later develops a solo career under the Hesta Prynn name.

Solo work

Her first solo EP, Can We Go Wrong, appears in 2010. It is a six-track release produced and co-written by Chuck Brody, who also serves as her live guitarist. The EP uses a more electronic-based sound than her work with Northern State, combining 1990s-style guitar with dance beats. The title track features in advertising for Ray-Ban and Nylon Fashion TV. Its stop-motion video is made from 13,000 still images and receives attention on MTV’s The Seven.

After Can We Go Wrong, Prynn releases a 7-inch single titled Pepper and a webisode series, Hesta Prynn & Friends. The series includes backstage footage of Tegan and Sara, Chuck Brody, photographer Lindsey Byrnes and UK grime rapper Scorcher.

Style and collaborations

Prynn describes her music as drawing on 1990s influences and combining hip hop, pop, electronic and organic live sounds. She describes the result as a post-genre mix, while still keeping classic song structures. Her work is described as having a hip-hop undercurrent and blending dance music with accessible pop forms.

She performs with artists including Andrew WK, Jay-Z and Avi Buffalo, and collaborates with Neon Indian, Bear Hands, Les Savy Fav’s Tim Harrington and remixer RAC. Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara comments on Can We Go Wrong in relation to dance and performance.

Recognition and live appearances

The New York Post names Prynn the number 4 artist to watch in 2010. In 2010 she tours Europe with Tegan and Sara and appears at Wireless Festival in London’s Hyde Park.