Juliana Hatfield: ‘Women turn our anger on ourselves’

The indie-rocker is now a touchstone for a generation of young songwriters - and after learning to channel her pain and frustration, her 18th album is one of her best

Juliana Hatfield speaks with deliberation: her thoughts unfurl after pregnant pauses and are sharpened by astute clarifications. I'm sorry, I lost my train of thought," she says at one point, doubling back to ensure her meaning is clear. Such consideration isn't a surprise, given the rippling effect of an infamous early-career interview.

Nearly 30 years ago, while promoting her debut solo album Hey Babe, 23-year-old Hatfield, who was brand new to interviews, admitted to an inquiring male journalist that she was still a virgin. The casual comment became the focus of his piece, and incited scrutiny that followed the American songwriter throughout her rise. When I was in the thick of it, it wasn't really computing for me," she says on a phone call from her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It wasn't until much later that I realised how intense it was, how gross it was, and how it affected my career in negative ways."