Ella Hooper isn't afraid to admit she's a bit obsessed with photo-sharing app Instagram. "I'm totally addicted, it's terrible," says the singer-songwriter. "The curse of comparison is 24/7 when you're plugged into a machine that shows you how wonderful everyone else's life is looking, supposedly."

The Killing Heidi frontwoman and former Spicks and Specks team captain delves into the double-edged sword of social media on her new solo single, the high-energy ditty Data Dust. "Even though it sounds like just a sweet, upbeat pop-rock song, there's some meaning in there," she says.

With Hooper having started in the music business when she was only 13 years old, in 1996 with Killing Heidi, she's certainly seen the rise of social networking and also the positives in how beneficial it can be to independent musicians. "If you use it wisely it can be really powerful, almost like having your own record company in your pocket."

The tune was her entry in this month's Eurovision – Australia Decides, which saw Kate Miller-Heidke crowned as the 2019 Australian entrant. For Hooper, throwing her hat in the ring was a "wild experience" as she was something of a newbie to the kitschy joys of the hotly contested song competition. "My housemate is a Eurovision expert, she was giving me a crash course," she says.

Hooper is on the road for a short tour to give fans a sneak listen to fresh material for a mini album she plans to release later this year. "The meat of the set is brand new songs that I'm putting the finishing touches on now," says Hooper. "I feel really energised."

8pm, Camelot Lounge, 19 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, $37.90, camelotlounge.com