Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Hannah Hausman

2021 is off to a fast start for Hannah Hausman. The rising indie-pop singer-songwriter has taken the music industry by storm since releasing her debut single, which has quickly amassed over a million streams worldwide. She’s also earned praise from publications including Ones to Watch, 1883 Magazine, Parade, Culture Collide, and more!

She continues that track record for success with her latest single, “will i ever feel like this again?“.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Hannah about the song, her career, and the obstacles she’s overcome in her life.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Hannah: I’ve been obsessed with music for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my parents had music playing through speakers in our house twenty-four/seven. As soon as I was old enough to use a computer, I would come home from school and spend hours online looking for new music, downloading random songs on Limewire, and making mixtapes for my friends.

Going to concerts has always been my favorite hobby. I grew up in a small town in East Tennessee, but I always talked my parents into driving my sister and me hours to Atlanta, Nashville, or Charlotte to see our favorite artists.

I was always singing around the house, so my mom put me in voice and piano lessons when I was young. I started writing poetry when I was really young as well. Then, when I was a little older, I started singing my poems to chords and writing songs.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Hannah: For my whole life, my parents have always been very supportive of my singing and writing. My mom would always encourage me to sing and would always be super attentive whenever I performed anything for her, so that really helped me feel confident enough to keep singing.

Chelsea Cutler’s music also really inspired me a lot to start making my own music. For my entire life, all of my favorite artists were male, and she was the first female artist that I really connected with. She’s still the only female artist on my list of favorite artists. Chelsea was also the first artist I had ever heard with a vocal tone even relatively similar to mine, and she kind of opened the door for our sort of tone to be accepted in the pop music world.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success kicking off your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Hannah: Waking up to find my song on New Music Friday as an independent artist with no management or marketing was such an exciting moment for me!

PC: There was a point in your life when you thought you’d never speak or sing again. During those challenging times, how were you able to preserve? What did you learn about yourself during those dark times?
Hannah: The year where I damaged my vocal cords was honestly super difficult for me. I wrote a lot of poetry during that year. It made me process my emotions a lot more than I normally would, which was good for my writing, but not the best for my mental health. Overall, during that time, I really realized how much of a gift the ability to sing is and how much I was taking it for granted by asking myself if I was good enough instead of just singing. I realized how much joy singing brought me and I promised myself I would never hide my voice again once I got it back.

PC: Your debut single, “lost in brooklyn”, was incredibly well received. How much pressure does that add for future releases?
Hannah: The song is special to me because it was my first release, but I’ve written hundreds of songs after that one that I think are way better, so it really didn’t create that much pressure. I’ve found my own style and voice a lot more now than when I released that as my first song. I’d love to release another song that does better than that one statistically, and I’ve released a lot of other songs that I love since then, so that’s a success to me. My goal is to make music that I’m proud of, and I know that sometimes the song that I’m the proudest of isn’t going to be the one that the general public loves the most, and that’s okay with me.

PC: You’ve got a new single out right now. Tell us about “will i ever feel like this again?” and the inspiration behind the song.
Hannah: I started writing the song “will i ever feel like this again?” a year and a half ago to navigate my conflicting feelings about one of my best guy friends who I always loved but knew would be bad for me. Even though I knew he wasn’t right for me, he made me feel something I had never felt before. I was so scared to tell him how I felt because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.

We ended up dating and our relationship was just as toxic as I imagined. I was so scared of falling back into apathy, that I stayed even when I knew I was being used and manipulated. I knew I deserved better, but I felt trapped. It was so much easier to forgive him than to walk away. I kept wondering, “If I let go, ‘will I ever feel like this again?’” because the truth was, even though he caused me so much pain, when things were good, he also made me feel so alive. I was so scared to lose that feeling. Writing this song, in a way, helped me gain the courage to walk away, and my hope is that it helps others do the same. I haven’t felt that strongly for someone since, but I know one day I will feel like that again.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Hannah: I love brakence x glaive x ericdoa.

PC: First album you bought?
Hannah: It was definitely Hilary Duff’s Metamorphosis album.

PC: First concert you attended?
Hannah: When I was three, my parents took me to an *NSYNC show, but I only remember it because there’s a picture of me in front of the stage. The first concert that I can actually remember was the High School Musical concert.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Hannah: Apricot Princess by Rex Orange County. I found this album when I was at my lowest mental health state, and it really made me feel like I wasn’t alone during that time. It was at this same time that I fell in love with this album that I also fell in love with Mary Oliver’s poetry. I realized the thing both Oliver and Rex Orange County had in common was that their lyrics were both poetic and accessible, which really inspired me to be honest and accessible in my own writing.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Hannah: I would love to perform at Red Rocks one day. Also, it would be so special to perform at Ascend Amphitheater and The Ryman because I used to work at those venues when I lived in Nashville.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Hannah: I love reading and I bring way too many poetry books with me everywhere I go.

To keep up with Hannah, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Pick up or stream “will i ever feel like this again?” today.

Photo Credit: Brook Boyer