Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Hannah Zeile

Actress Hannah Zeile is best known for her breakout role as Teenage Kate in a little show you may have heard of called This Is Us. For four seasons, she’s captivated audiences with her dynamic performance, taking us on a roller coaster of emotions.

It’s Hannah’s big break on the screen, but what fans may not know is she’s also a gifted singer-songwriter who has started releasing her music to the world. With not one but two new releases in 2020, Hannah chatted with us about this exciting new chapter in her career.

PC: You recently released your debut single. Tell us about “Ode to My Anxiety” and the inspiration behind the song.
Hannah: It’s my first song ever. It’s about my personal battle with anxiety, which I’ve had before this crazy pandemic. But now that we’re in such a scary time, I feel like a lot more people can resonate with it. That was one of the driving forces behind why I wanted to put it out. I didn’t originally create the song for it to be released. I was feeling anxious one day, and writing became a therapeutic process for me. It didn’t even feel like songwriting; it felt like journaling. The song talks about how I feel anxious or when I’m having a panic attack and feel trapped inside. I wanted to take all those internal feelings and put them out externally. That’s how it happened. I wrote and recorded all of it during quarantine.

PC: With this being such a personal song and a subject matter that many people around the world struggle with, did that add any pressure/nerves to the release?
Hannah: Absolutely. I’ve had other songs done for over a year, and I didn’t put any of it out because I was so nervous about releasing music. So like you said, with this being such a personal song, I was even more nervous. I’m a private person. I have a hard time opening up sometimes. The times when I do, I get that feeling like I want to recoil because I’ve said too much. I had that experience with this song. I wrote it, and I decided to put it out. Once I started realizing that people knew something about me that I hadn’t previously shared, it was a scary feeling. I felt like maybe I’d overshared or maybe I’d made a mistake. But then after all the messages that I’ve received from people who have felt heard by this song, I realize I made the right decision.

PC: Not only is this your debut single, you also got to work with your brother. Tell us about that collaboration.
Hannah: Yeah! I got to work with my brother and the producer, GMB. Originally, my producer had made a different beat for me to work on, and I remember saying, “I love this, but it’s not my vibe right now. I don’t feel like myself. I feel down.” So we started working on the chord progression that you hear. I wrote the whole song and recorded it to that progression. It was a different process. My producer built the rest of the beat around my vocals rather than me recording over the full beat.

Once that was complete, I felt like it needed that extra sauce. Since it was so personal and monumental for me, I thought who better than my brother. So I emailed it over to him where he’s quarantined at home, and he played live guitar and emailed it right back. He’s always been an inspiration for me. He’s grown up being in bands and grew up songwriting. He’s incredible at so many instruments, and he inspires me. So I thought it was really cool that I got to work with him on this.

PC: A few of your costars are actor-singers. Have they shared any words of wisdom as you stepped into this exciting new chapter in your career?
Hannah: They haven’t shared words of wisdom, but I’ve learned from them and get inspired just by watching them. They definitely shared words of encouragement. They reached out to me. They’ve known that I’ve had a passion for this for a long time, but I haven’t put myself out there. They’ve told me that they’re very proud of me and it was brave to release something so personal. It’s been cool because Chrissy just released a single in the same month. Mandy’s been promoting her album. It was really cool to be able to talk with them, and now we’re all releasing music and supporting each other.

PC: You also released a lyric video for the single. Can you tell us how that came to fruition?
Hannah: Yeah! I created the entire lyric video on my own. I’m really proud of it. I worked really hard. I hope people enjoy it. I love visual content. I think it’s really cool when you can touch both senses. So I’ve always imagined that when I released my first single that I would have a professional video. Then being in quarantine, I realized that wasn’t possible. We’re social distancing and it wouldn’t be safe. But I didn’t want that to prevent me from creating a visual because that’s so important to me.

So I tapped into what I was saying earlier that writing the song felt like journaling. I envisioned a notebook as if it was me writing in a journal and documenting how I was feeling and how my anxiety makes it feel. I thought that would be cooler than videotaping me writing. So I did it through pictures. I had thousands of pictures on my phone that I put together to make a video.

PC: You’re going to be releasing your debut EP soon. What can fans expect?
Hannah: The EP is very honest. I’m talking about personal subjects, hardships, and traumas. If you like to read into the lyrics, it’s very honest. But if that isn’t your thing, sonically, if you like to listen to music and dance, you’ll be able to do that.

It’s not dark, even though the lyrics can be somewhat heavy. I didn’t want to make listeners feel physically heavy. I wanted it to feel fun and something that you can dance to, even though it is very honest.

PC: You also just released your new single “Sugar and Spice.” What was the inspiration behind that song?
Hannah: People always say there is a fine line between love and hate, and I find that the more you care about a person, the more extreme your emotions toward them become because the stakes are higher. “Sugar and Spice” is a fun song, which plays on the idea of a relationship—romantic or nonromantic—that is one extreme to another and has no real grey area. The chaos and passion exist because of how important this person is. So in the end, love always overshadows any other feeling.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Hannah: Maybe Oasis? I also love “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers. Also Summer Walker and Kehlani. I find a lot of inspiration from the different realms of music. I also accredit that to my brother because I grew up listening to rock. I grew up on the Ramones, AC/DC, and Tom Petty.

PC: First album you bought?
Hannah: I think it was Hannah Montana. I was an obsessed fan. I went to the concert. I went to the live taping. I wanted to be Hannah Montana.

PC: First concert you attended?
Hannah: Britney Spears

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Hannah: I can’t fully picture myself in a venue. It would be a dream to perform anywhere. I’ve had such bad stage fright. My brother and I were supposed to do a talent show in elementary school, but I ran off the stage crying because I didn’t want to sing in front of people. So it would be a bucket list to perform anywhere. Staples Center would be a surreal moment.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Hannah: Coffee

To keep up with Hannah, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Pick up or stream “Sugar and Spice” today.

Photo Credit: Rowan Daly