Never happier than when she’s at the piano, Hannah Grace writes songs to escape into and wants you to escape with her. She uniquely blends the sounds of soul, jazz, folk and pop with a voice that can seemingly sing anything.
Born in South Wales and now living in London, Hannah grew up idolising the queens that are Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Stevie Nicks and Beyonce (obviously). In keeping with these inspirational women, her songs are where she is both at her most vulnerable and defiant as she tries to make sense of her life and the world around her.
Who inspired you to make music?
So many people! But it all started growing up in a musical family. My parents always had music playing in the house and I was introduced to so many wonderful artists, bands, and songwriters at such a young age, so I was always singing and learning my favorites, from Eva Cassidy and Carol King to Beyonce and Alecia Keys. My Dad was always writing songs and he encouraged me to write my own and I’ve been writing and singing ever since.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I would say my music is always on that happy/sad line – ultimately I’d like it to be uplifting to people. Writing is like therapy for me so the songs often come out at difficult times but I try and make them into something positive too. My kind of ‘sound’ has varied over the years but I feel most like myself in a folky soulish world – I think my songs sound like a mixture of everything I’ve grown up listening to and have been inspired by.
Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
I’ve been lucky enough to play some amazing shows in some amazing places over the years. Highlights for me are supporting Barbara Streisand in Hyde Park (how did that even happen!?) – it was a beautiful summer’s day in London and I had such a lush time performing – such a memorable show. I also had the opportunity to support one of my favorite artists, Hozier, in Berlin – the crowd was so unbelievably welcoming to me and my music and I was just so grateful to play – it’s one of the shows I’ll just never forget. I can’t really think of my least favorite venue – I used to play pubs when I was a teenager and that could be a tough crowd to win over.
I’m super excited to be playing some shows really soon! I’m playing in London on the 26th of April at St Matthias Church & Cardiff on the 27th of July – I honestly cannot wait to play the new music live and perform for people in real life – it’s my favorite part of the job!
What are your plans for any future releases?
My new EP ‘Devoted’ comes out this July and I can’t wait for all of the songs to be out! These are some of my favorite songs I’ve ever written (especially At 28). It’s been a long time coming and I’m just so excited for people to hear the new music and play it live. I’ve been feeling really inspired to write at the moment too so I’ve been throwing myself into writing my second album, which is so exciting, I can’t wait to see it come together.
What is your current music project about?
‘At 28’ is about feeling like you’re growing up all over again (when you’re already supposed to be grown up). I’ve found my late twenties quite hard, especially in the music industry as sometimes it feels like there’s a real age limit for women. ‘At 28’ is about acknowledging the pressure to have your life together or to achieve a certain amount of success by a certain time. Life moves in phases and we’re constantly changing and growing and success can come and go at different times but I don’t think we should let it determine our self worth.
If you could be a superhero, what would your superpower be and your superhero name be?
To be honest I’ve always had an obsession with The Little Mermaid – so if I could be a mermaid that would be great.
What would be the ideal food to have cooked for you on a date night?
Pasta every time.
What was the last TV series you watched on TV?
Parks and Recreation! Lesley Knope is my idol.
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Julia Roberts. Love her so much.
Which fictional character do you wish was real?
Lesley Knope.