Interview: Hannah Grace on her new EP Devoted

Life is always in motion around us. Just when we think we have things figured out, a new day will bring fresh challenges to knock us back down to square one. The world is endlessly growing and changing, and it expects the same of us in order to keep up. Thankfully there are a few constants in life for us to cling on to, such as how the good will balance out the bad in the end if you give it time. For every heartbreak there’s a new love that blooms, with each ending there’s a chance for a new beginning, and even on the darkest days there’s a silver lining to be found. For instance, there’s no day bleak and dreary enough to dull the warm glow of Belwood favourite Hannah Grace’s soulful honeyed vocals. Her new EP Devoted contains some of her most raw and personal lyricism to date, detailing her own struggle to find a guiding light in the darkness, and yet at every turn her tender voice offers a comfort and familiarity that feels like a safe port in a storm. We were lucky enough to chat with her about this gorgeous new collection of songs and how they came to be.

Thanks for your time! You’ve just released your new EP Devoted, how does it feel to be sharing it with the world?
Thank you for having me! It feels really good. I am so happy that these songs are out in the world!

I love it when a collection of songs feel like they belong together, and I definitely get that vibe here. In your mind what’s the unifying thread that connects these tracks?
Thank you so much! That’s how these songs felt to me as I wrote them, they all sort of fell into place and clearly belonged together. I think the unifying thread would be ‘growing up again in your twenties’. Which ultimately can be good and bad. The songs are about making good things happen for yourself and putting energy into being optimistic through the harder times.

There’s a greater emphasis on harmonies and strings here compared to some of the more stripped back piano balladry that preceded it. Was that a sound you were aiming to capture from the outset, or just a happy accident while developing the songs?
I think it was a happy accident. All of the songs are pretty mellow so a mellow soundscape seemed to be what they needed. I love harmonies, and I will record them at every opportunity, so I loved the process of layering these up for the recordings. I always things it’s special when strings are on a track, they always bring the song into another world. I feel very lucky to have been able to have them on this EP. (Shout out to Rosie Langely, who played and arranged all of the strings!).

‘At 28’ talks a little about how we never have things fully figured out, how we’re always learning and growing. Were there any particular lessons learnt while making the EP that you’ll take with you moving forward?
The hardest thing about being an artist is picking yourself up on the incredibly doubtful days. There always seems to more reasons to give up music than to keep going and sometimes that can get tough. This song (and the entire EP) is a reflection of going through that process and making something good as a result. I wrote ‘At 28’ at home by my piano, it was written for all of the people who were rooting for me and was written in defiance of all the people who weren’t. I kind of just told myself that good things don’t come easy and that’s okay, and it turned into a song. I think the EP itself is proof that you can keep going even if it feels like the odds are against you. I’m going to try and keep that lesson with me in the future.

You’ve been quite open online about how this EP nearly didn’t happen, and how you considered quitting music all together. Was there a particular turning point in the process of writing and recording that made you fall in love with music again?
After releasing my first album I was so excited to move onto another project. I was looking for a new team to work with and whilst reaching out to people in the industry I was met with views that caught me off guard at the time. I’d hear things like ‘It would be different if you were brand new’ and ‘maybe you should try and do something else’ – I was made to feel like my 10 years of experience and catalogue of music was going against me for any future opportunities. I felt encouraged to not mention achievements if they had happened more than 2 years ago, because they had become irrelevant. It really hurt for a while because I felt like I have been told that all I had worked for my whole life was now irrelevant. There’s not many industries where your experience goes against you. It was a combination of all of these things that made me very close to quitting and pursuing something totally different, and for a while being free from these pressures was really appealing. However, I’ve always been so lucky to have lots of amazing supporters within my team and family and friends and they all really encouraged me to keep going. It feels good to still be here doing it now.

Last year you played a residency at The Green Note in Camden. Always love when artists do those kind of shows, it’s like they’re taking the time to weave their magic into the very fabric of the building! What was that experience like for you?
I absolutely loved these shows. They reignited my love for performing and they reminded me of the importance of community in the music industry. I loved music again and felt inspired to record something new. So many people came out every month to hear me sing, and it honestly transformed my confidence as an artist.

If you could play a residency anywhere in the world where would it be?
There’s so many places I’d love to play! But I think, New York or Nashville – two of the most musical and inspirational places I’ve ever been to. I’d love to play shows there.

There’s more live music on the horizon, you’re heading out on a UK tour later this year. What can people expect from those shows?
I honestly can’t wait for these shows! They are going to be lush. I can’t wait to perform the songs from the EP live and share the stories of each of the one. I’ve also been writing a lot of new songs that I am really excited to play live (As well as some oldies). London will be my biggest headline show to date, which in itself is proof that it was worth pushing through the doubt.

Ending on a happy note – taking the message of ‘Focus On The Good’ to heart – what’s something good that’s happened in your life recently?
It may sound pretty simple but I recently got a kitten (Tullulah) – she’s an angel and life is always going to be a little bit better now that I have her. (I am a cat person obviously!) So that’s pretty good. I’ve just been really enjoying the summer so far and I’m very grateful to be celebrating the EP release this week alongside a Cardiff show! Things are good – I can’t wait to write more songs, maybe on a happier note this time.