HANNAH GEORGAS
Photos by Vanessa Heins
Acclaimed indie-pop singer-songwriter Hannah Georgas crafts textured pop songs with lyrics about heartbreak and change, coupled with incredibly catchy hooks. She has been an active touring member of The National and Kathleen Edward's backing band, and on September 4 she releases her new album All That Emotion. Produced by Aaron Dessner, founding member of The National and producer of Taylor Swift's latest LP folklore, the album has already attracted an enthusiastic critical response.
Interview by Abby Provenzano
When did music begin to be a prime form of expression for you? Do you come from a musical family background — we get to see an old family photo in the album cover for the upcoming album All That Emotion — or was music something you felt naturally drawn to on your own?
I started playing piano around the age of five. Once I could figure out my way around the piano I began songwriting. My dad was a great performer and talented musician. He was really passionate about music and was always playing the piano when I was a kid. I think that energy rubbed off on me. I remember wanting to make up songs and write things down at a young age. I was a quiet kid and found myself expressing how I felt through music.
All That Emotion is a wonderful collaboration project with producer Aaron Dessner of The National — what was this collaboration like, and did it change your creative and musical process? What has your experience been like joining The National’s touring band as well?
I really enjoyed working with Aaron. I look up to him as a producer, songwriter and I really admire his incredible work ethic. Aaron has great creative energy and it’s inspiring to be around. He makes you want to be the best you can possibly be. He’s been so kind and generous to invite me along to sing back ups with The National. I am a big fan of the band and so it was extra cool to see that all of them are incredibly kind and lovely.
The album debuts on September 4th, with early released singles “Just a Phase,” “Dreams,” “Same Mistakes,” and “That Emotion” having already garnered great, well-deserved attention — what has the process of this project, and the writing process for these tracks, been like? How would you describe the experience of such a long-gestating project, the creative process for the album beginning shortly after the release of the celebrated 2016 album For Evelyn? What are you most excited about in finally sharing this project with your audience?
Towards the end of 2017 and into 2018 I was spending a lot of my time at home in my apartment in Toronto writing and demoing music. A lot of changes were happening in my personal and work life. It felt like there were a lot of new beginnings in a way and I was expressing that in the new music I was making. Aaron and I started the recording process at his studio in Upstate New York in April of 2018. We worked on the album on and off up until early last year. I was also putting some new pieces together with my team in music and that took some time. The album was technically supposed to come out in May this year but the pandemic changed things a little. I’m really happy to be sharing new music and excited that there’s some new music out there already. It’s been awhile since I’ve put out any original songs so it’s nice to have something fresh to share.
Are there any particular tracks in this upcoming album that you’d like to speak to?
I’m really proud of the songs that are on the album and I think different songs make me feel different things. My band and I started testing some of the new songs live last year. “Same Mistakes,” “Easy” and “That Emotion” felt so good to play. Lyrically, “Pray it Away” means a lot to me and I like how the process of that song came together. I met up with a good friend of mine for dinner one evening. She was in the midst of planning her wedding and had sent out her wedding invitations. She was upset because of a response she received back from a family member. They explained that they didn’t want to attend her wedding because she was marrying another woman. It was upsetting to see my friend go through all of this during a time where she should have been celebrating. I come from a conservative family and struggle with being on a different page with my beliefs. I felt like I could relate to what my friend was going through. Aaron had emailed me an instrumental idea a little while back before the encounter I had with my friend. I ended up writing “Pray it Away” over his instrumental the next day after my friend and I had that conversation.
Something many appreciate about your work is that none of your previous records sound alike; you are constantly expanding your craft by exploring a range of sounds from folksy to electronic pop. The Boston Globe described you as “an indie-minded avant-pop artist” in this album — how would you describe the sound of All That Emotion?
Describing music is such a hard question sometimes especially when it comes to me trying to explain the music I make. I feel like I’m just bad at talking about myself in general. I would say this album sounds lush and at the same time spacious. It’s very emotive and personal. The album has a subtle blend of electronic elements. There’s a real depth and clarity to the vocals and there are a lot of beautiful organic textures. I also really appreciate the kind words.
More broadly, how do you like to describe your sound in general? How has your style and music changed, and how do you think you have evolved musically over your career and six albums to date?
If I was describing my sound to someone who never heard me before I would say it’s indie, alternative, pop sounding. I think I have definitely progressed as a writer and matured over the years. I’m having fun experimenting with sounds I gravitate towards and trusting my instincts a little more. I think it’s good to evolve and challenge yourself as an artist as long as you’re staying true to your feelings. It’s important to be honest about the music you’re making and make music you actually really like and are proud of.
Has your songwriting approach taken any unexpected paths for you since the release of your first album, The Beat Stuff, in 2009?
Life has taken me on so many different paths since the release of that album. I was a little baby and have learned a heck of a lot about who I am and the music business. One thing I do appreciate about myself back then is my drive to keep pursuing my path. I did everything I could to keep things moving forward and continued to trust myself. I’m constantly trying new ways to refresh my creativity. I can gravitate to a certain instrument or feel like I’m only inspired when I’m going through something challenging. I’m working on how to change that thought process and try different avenues.
Your songwriting is marked by stirring vocals and expressive, compelling lyrics — how have you found the process of mixing storytelling and music?
I think music has always been a cathartic process for me. It’s been a good way for me to communicate how I feel a lot of the time. I also really connect and draw a lot of inspiration from listening to music because it’s helped me get through challenging times and has empowered me in some way. I like listening to music that feels honest and authentic.
You have said All That Emotion is your most personal album to date, and that much of your inspiration comes through individuals and interactions in your everyday life. Where else do you draw inspiration from, both for this album and past albums? What environment works best for your process?
I draw inspiration from my surroundings a lot. I like space, being outside, going for walks, being in nature. Those things are good for my creativity. I think I’m an introvert at my core and I do find I can go a bit crazy if I don’t have my space. I like being around people and I’m social but I like to pick those moments. The important thing is to make space for creating. I can’t plan a coffee or do emails when I’m making music. I definitely do but it just throws the day off. It can be challenging sometimes getting distracted by everyday work. Giving myself that space to work at music is really important. It takes me a second too to get in the zone. I’ll clean my whole house before I sit down to write a song.
How has your experience been with music, and even releasing early singles from All That Emotion, during the quarantine and current pandemic? Do you think the themes of resilience, self-reflection, and finding hope/healing you’ve mentioned in All That Emotion may resonate even more during these current times?
The meaning behind all the songs I write change significantly over time. What originally inspires a song takes on new meaning over time. I hope that these songs inspire and empower people and bring them comfort. I think it’s an extremely important time right now because a lot of what has been going on for so long is being brought to the surface and we are forced to take a hard look at the truth and change what’s definitely not working. I’m trying to stay optimistic and I’m fortunate that I’m able to stay and work from home. I have days where I’m feeling creative and days where I don’t feel that way. It’s all been a process. I have been focusing a lot of my attention on this current release and trying to think ahead too.
What else will you be exploring stylistically and/or thematically in All That Emotion? What do you find exciting about the creative direction of this new album?
I’ve been taking things into my own hands a lot for this campaign and that’s been interesting. I’m trusting myself more and that has been a good thing. It’s good and scary all at the same time. The pandemic has pushed me to get more creative with things too and that’s been fun.. My partner has helped me create all of my own music videos and artwork.
Another fairly recent project of yours from 2019 released on International Women’s Day, Imprints, celebrated some of your influences and featured some of your female contemporaries. Can you speak a bit more to this project, and other songwriters/musicians who have influenced you? How do you feel about being an inspiration for other female singer-songwriters yourself?
A big reason why I have chosen music as my career path is because of the female artists I listened to in my adolescence. I didn’t have a lot of support or encouragement in my past to follow music as a career. When I listened to artists like Fiona Apple, Frente, Sade, The Cranberries and Annie Lennox it kept making me think about my passion and how much I wanted to continue writing songs. They were making music that felt so honest and raw. All of those female artists helped me get through challenging times and gave me the courage to pursue what I loved to do. It’s really comforting to hear that my music helped someone get through a rough time. I know how much music has helped me out so I can relate to that feeling.
You have described making music as both a cathartic and cleansing process — can you describe an instance when music has helped you get through a tough time?
The truth comes out when I write a song. Even if I haven’t taken the steps to follow through with something in my life it could be getting worked through in a song. Writing music has helped me work through some tough relationships.
Aside from the much-anticipated All That Emotion, are there any upcoming projects and/or collaborations from you to be on the lookout for? What are your plans moving forward as an artist during the current pandemic?
There are a few plans I have in the mix. Some surprises too! I’m working on new music and I’ve done some co-writing with artists I love. I think things are constantly changing right now and it's been tricky to navigate what’s going to happen from one day to the next. I’m going to continue working on new music and finding ways to share it. Music has continued to be the beacon and I think now more than ever is an important time to keep following that light.
All That Emotion will be available September 4.
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