Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your
musical direction?
A: I grew up in a small town called Alexandria, MN in a large family with 4 siblings. Music was always around while I was growing up — my dad was always listening to different types of music, my mom was a musician, and my older sister, three younger brothers and I all ended up being pretty musical. My parents really encouraged us to learn music and all of us took piano lessons. I was a little more quiet than some of my other siblings, and I think that’s sort of how music became an avenue of self-expression for me, a place where I had more room to explore my own voice and feelings amidst all the noise, where I could process my life experiences and also I just found it so fun to be able to create my own music, to be able to express who I was at a deeper level than just words could say. My siblings and I had some great jams all together growing up – sometimes we’d sing in 4
part harmony just for the fun of it. I started writing songs in middle school, when I learned more about jazz and improvisation and poetry and it all sort of started to combine. My original plan was to be a doctor – I just wanted to help people feel better. I was on that trajectory, but then this music thing just kept calling. I’d share a song and it would make someone cry and I’d be like hm… maybe there’s something to this…I learned about the field of music therapy, and about Berklee College of Music, and I sort of just applied on a whim thinking there’s no way I could get in there, but then I did, and well the rest is history as they say, I’ve been doing music ever since. I am extremely grateful and fortunate to have been so encouraged by my parents, and especially my older sister who helped convince my parents that it was important for me to go to school at Berklee, to have those opportunities. Following the music path hasn’t always been easy, and it can be so hard at times because you can never really know where it’s leading you and you really have to keep believing in yourself in order to keep going, to not let the doubts and fears get in the way, but ultimately, I feel extremely grateful to be able to express myself in this way. I think if I didn’t have music as an outlet for all the feelings I feel I would probably go insane. Or rather, I’d be more insane than I am now haha!!!
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover Hannah Lou Woods?
A: I plan to keep recording, releasing, performing, and sharing my music; to keep collaborating with fellow artists, and to keep growing my team of people that I can work with in terms of marketing. Social media does not come naturally to me, and so I will probably need to keep working on that, and figuring out how to use it in the way that works for me. Part of me would love to just live in a cabin in the forest and retreat from the world, but I don’t think that that’s what I’m here to do in this lifetime. For whatever reason, I just have this inner sense that I need to do all that I can to help my music reach the people it’s meant to reach. I plan to keep listening to that inner feeling, to do the next right step, and the next right step, and keep trusting that it’s leading me to where I need to be, even if I can’t always see the bigger picture.
For anyone who is just discovering me, my music comes from my deeper feelings about life, it’s how I make sense of things. I hope my music can help you feel less alone in your feelings, that my music can help those parts of you that feel the same way I do, feel seen and heard too, like yes, there’s someone else that feels this way and it’s okay to feel that way. Also you may want to grab some tissues because there is a chance that my music might make you cry 🙂
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Honestly, I am really inspired by my peers, by fellow indie-artists that I personally know, because I know how much work goes into it; the people who are putting themselves out there day after day, making a career in music, but still staying true to themselves. Sarah Rogo, Heather Christie, Sierra Marin, Vincint, and though I don’t know them personally, I’m also really inspired by Ayla Nereo, Rising Appalachia, and Marya Stark; how they stay true to themselves and their art and expression. Other artists I’ve been recently been inspired by include Jacob Collier, Norah Jones, Aurora, Jenson McRae, H.E.R., Sara Barielles, Regina Spektor, and Queen Herby. Inspiration is everywhere! For me, that impulse to create comes from a need to express myself or explore something I’m feeling, the need to understand something going on internally and bring it into a form; something I can’t quite express with words alone. I write to process my emotions and reflect on my life, and I use music to reflect those inner sounds and stories to find meaning and make sense of things. I also find a lot of inspiration from nature and traveling.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, Fallen from the Stars?
A: Fallen from the Stars is about unraveling the layers of self-doubt and fear that prevent you from letting yourself be loved and seen for who you really are, it’s about the power of someone loving you for you, and the challenge of believing that you’re worthy of that kind of love. I wrote this song as I was falling in love with my husband over a decade ago. We fell in love amongst the juniper trees and red rock mountains in Sedona, AZ, and I was there for about a month before I had to leave to return back to Boston. I started writing the song as a way to process and overcome my self-doubt that real love was possible. Love can be scary, it can rip you open and bring up vulnerable parts of yourself that might feel unworthy of love. This song gave me the courage to let love in, and helped be open to the idea that I could actually possibly love someone for my whole life. I recorded this song as a surprise for our first dance at our wedding.That dance was one of the most beautiful moments I’ve experienced, to be surrounded by so much love all at once, from our friends and family, from Jeff, almost too much love for my heart to hold. It’s the first single off of my new EP, Meet Me at the Pine Tree, which is a collection of songs I gifted to my husband as a wedding gift over 8 years ago.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: soul-full
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording Fallen from the Stars?
A: Honestly, the biggest challenge was keeping it a secret from my husband at the time so I could make it a surprise for our wedding haha! This song arrived pretty quickly when I first wrote it, and by the time I brought it into the studio I had a pretty clear idea of what I’d imagined for instrumentation and arrangement on the song, so that all went pretty smoothly. Very grateful to Dave Chapman, who mixed, mastered, and co- produced the song with me, and Trevor Jarvis who played cello on the track.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I feel the main messages of my music are something along the lines of: It’s okay to feel what you’re feeling, keep staying true to who you are, vulnerability is strength, be brave enough to believe that love is real and to let yourself be loved for who you really are, and no matter how hard it gets, never give up.
My main goal as an artist is to keep staying true to my inner voice, to express what wants to be expressed, and to keep following that inner voice, step by step. I hope my music can reach the people it needs to reach, that it can help uplift others and carry them through hard times. That it can reach as many people as it needs to and help support people on their path towards living braver, kinder, more authentic lives. I hope my music can help inspire and create a more beautiful world.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Oh man, that is too many to choose from! I’d love to collaborate with Coldplay, Sara Barielles, H.E.R., Jacob Collier, Aurora
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: This is just my perspective, so please take what works for you and leave what doesn’t. As I say all of this, I am also saying this to myself haha! As best as you can, keep listening to that deeper inner voice, trust it, and let it guide you. Try not to let the fear-based worries get in the way of taking action. Get clear on what you want, and try not to look for acceptance and approval from others. Make the kind of art that makes you happy first. Listen to your inner voice and let that lead the way, it may surprise you. My first song that went viral was written and released after I listened to my ‘inner voice’ and decided to move to a tiny town in New Mexico to take a break and retreat and take care of myself. You never know where the music path will take you, but if there is a deep calling within you to create something, please follow that. No one can create what you can create due to your unique lived experiences and perspective on things. Your voice matters, someone else may need to hear the exact thing you have to say. Learn the skills that you need, but most importantly keep listening to that inner voice as you best as you can. Find the strength within to keep believing in yourself and know that you have what it takes to achieve your vision. Surround yourself with people that are good for you, people who are kind, who listen to your needs, who are willing to be real with you, and who don’t invalidate your feelings. Your feelings about things and perspectives are important and valid. Also practically speaking, it’s a really good idea to learn what you can about graphic design, music production and video editing, as this will help
you tell your story.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: To my younger self: I am so proud of you for being so brave, for listening to and honoring your deeper truth, and for being courageous and open to following an unconventional path. You’re doing a great job, and even though you’re a little hard on yourself at times and you’re worried about how it will all turn out, hang in there, you’re on the right track — it’s going to be even better than you can possibly imagine.
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