hannah grace

Top Tracks: Hannah Grace – Try

/ James Fenney

Sometimes it’s all too easy to get swept up in “what-ifs”. The idea that there could have been a wholly different version of me, leading some richer life, had I not been so paralysed by anxiety. In being too shy to talk to a stranger did I miss out on meeting my new best friend? What remarkable opportunities passed by simply because I didn’t have the confidence to put myself out there? There’s no way to change the past, but the future is still yet to be written. If a better life was that close to your grasp once before, who knows what new changes for the better might be just one small step outside your comfort zone away. ‘Try’, the latest single from Belwood favourite Hannah Grace, is all about breaking out of the grip of fear and doubt one small step at at time. This beautiful ballad is a welcome reminder that for every outcome you fear, there are just as many ways each day can turn out better than you hoped. We can’t banish all our anxiety and insecurities with the wave of a hand, and not every chance we take will pay off, but it’s only through trying that we open ourselves up to new possibilities. Regardless of the outcome, every moment we’re able to silence our self-doubt, overcome our fears, and have a little faith in ourselves, is a triumph worth celebrating.

Top Tracks: Hannah Grace – I Grow Up All Over Again

/ James Fenney

It’s that time of year when many of us are making resolutions and aiming to become better versions of ourselves in the year ahead. Trying to get fit, have a better work/life balance, save money, and just generally get our lives together. It always feels like everyone else already has everything figured out, while you’re out of your depth and struggling to keep up. Still having those moments where you feel like you need an adult’s help, only to realise that you are the adult. It’s just a phase, it’ll pass, one day you’ll have it all figured out… right? The gorgeous new single from Belwood favourite Hannah Grace is the perfect balm for all the anxious thoughts that flow all too naturally this time of year. ‘I Grow Up All Over Again’ is a comforting reminder that you’ve overcome every obstacle on the road that lead to where you are now. Every daunting decision, every challenge you didn’t feel ready for, each period of change and upheaval, you have emerged out of a little older and wiser. Figuring your life out is something that happens day by day, piece by piece, not all at once, and every little victory you achieve along that journey is one worth celebrating.

Top Tracks: Hannah Grace – The Moon

/ James Fenney

Much of what I have to say about a piece of music depends on when it finds me. A sun-kissed Americana anthem may not feel as potent in the dead of winter, while a break-up ballad may resonate deeper in the wake of heartache. You need the right frame of mind, the right angle of approach, to experience a song at its best. Occasionally however you find songs like ‘The Moon’ which can be approached from a different perspective and suddenly take on a whole new meaning. This latest single from Belwood favourite Hannah Grace is a reassuring love letter to a friend in need; a reminder that you’re there to lean on even when it feels like life is spinning out of control. While it naturally connects with anyone seeking to comfort someone in need, it touches a very different part of your heart when you’re the one that’s struggling. When that anxious voice in the back of your mind insists that your loved ones aren’t as invested in you as you are in them, ‘The Moon’ becomes a soothing balm to quell the self doubt. With Hannah’s most tender and effortless vocals to date, ‘The Moon’ is equally moving whether its words are ones you long to share, or the ones you desperately needed to hear.

Top Ten EPs of 2023

/ James Fenney

As fun as it is looking back on the past twelve months, reminiscing about all the music that captivated us, our EP list only has one foot in the past, while the other is firmly pointed towards the future. For while this part of out Listmas festivities always finds room to celebrate work from old favourites, EPs are the vehicle through which so much up and coming talent makes its presence known, and so this list is one of our favourite ways of shining a light on promising new acts poised to make waves in the year ahead. Join us then as we delve into the EPs that left the biggest impression on us in 2023. Continue reading →

Interview: Hannah Grace on her new EP Devoted

/ James Fenney

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. Continue reading →

Top Tracks: Hannah Grace – Silver Lining

/ James Fenney

They say that every cloud has a silver lining. But when times are tough, when the sky is just a swirling tempest of grey stretching from horizon to horizon, that hopeful spark we so desperately long for can be hard to find. Though we’re often more resilient than we give ourselves credit for, trying to weather the storm and wait patiently for that bright sliver to show isn’t always the best option. This uplifting new song from Belwood favourite Hannah Grace presents a different approach; being the change you want to see in the world, by painting your own silver lining across the sky when there’s none to be found. With a beautifully understated arrangement that gives her golden vocals room to glow, it offers all the comfort and respite found in that moment of calm once the storm has passed. Taken from her forthcoming EP Devoted, out this July, it’s a gorgeous first peek at what this promising new chapter has in store.

Top Tracks: Hannah Grace – Always Been a Dreamer

/ James Fenney

I’ve heard it said that youth is wasted on the young, and I think in a way the same is true about Christmas. While there’s undeniably something precious and magical about Christmas morning as a kid, it’s also the case that the whole world seems a lot more magical when viewed through the eyes of a child. So much of that fades as we grow older, the spark dims as we get swept up in the seriousness of adult life and the responsibilities that come with it. With all the stress and expense of the holidays, it would be all too easy to let childish dreams fall by the wayside at Christmas as they already have in so many other facets of our lives. With her new festive single ‘Always Been a Dreamer’, the sensational Hannah Grace shares the desire to cling on tightly to that last bit of magic. Taking time out with those we love, giving generously just to spread joy, hoping and believing, for that short while, in a better world. When we spend the bulk of our days flitting between humdrum and hardship, a little bit of wonder can go a long way. And with an arrangement that sparkles and shimmers like the most angelic of lights, and vocals as warm and comforting as a cosy evening by a roaring fire, Hannah’s latest is nothing short of wonderful.