American songstress Hannah Lou Woods is an ever-evolving artist with millions of streams under her belt (as the electronic artist We Saw Lions), and is launching her new acoustic singer-songwriter music into the world. 'Fallen from the Stars', is the debut single from her upcoming EP, Meet Me at the Pine Tree, a collection of love songs slated for release on February 14, 2024.
Hannah Lou Woods weaves complex melodies with her distinct voice, accompanied by the piano, guitar, and ukulele. Red Line Roots describes her style as having “a tenderness in each whisping breath that dances elegantly over the delicate touch of each piano key. Her voice floats and dips in a calming and ethereal sort of way. It seems effortless, but its beauty is undeniable.” The end product is folksy-bluesy-pop that is genuine, heartfelt, and enhanced by the lyrical depth of personal experiences.
We sat down with Hannah Lou Woods to discuss her music and much more. Here's what she had to say:
Hey Hannah Lou Woods, welcome to FLEX! How are you?
Hello FLEX! I'm doing great, stoked to be here! Thanks so much for inviting me to share about my music.
Congratulations on your brand-new single ‘Fallen From The Stars’ - what inspired this particular track?
I wrote this song when I was first falling in love with my husband over 10 years ago. I had just gotten back to Boston after a month-long retreat to Sedona. In exchange for working and taking care of the garden at the retreat center, I got to do yoga and meditation and just enjoy being in nature. I went to Sedona to heal and just take care of myself and at that point was taking a break from being in relationships so that I could just focus on taking care of myself and my heart. Surprise surprise the universe had other plans! It was one of those surreal things where Jeff and I just had this connection from the get-go, and the rest is history as they say. I was back in Boston, he was still in Sedona, and I was just trying to grapple with these very big feelings that I had for him and how to let myself be loved, even though it's scary and you never know what's going to happen, to have the courage to take that chance. Those were sort of the circumstances that were happening in my life at the time that I wrote that song.
And do you have to be in a certain mood to write?
I tend to write best when I'm not 'trying' to write when I'm just allowing whatever expression or feeling I'm feeling to exist for that moment, to translate it musically whatever it is that I'm feeling or processing or trying to understand. I use music as a tool for self-reflection, and for me, it's a place where things are just allowed to be however they are. I try to write what feels true for me in the moment. Sometimes I'll write when I'm feeling happy and excited about things, sometimes I write when I'm feeling super sad and trying to understand what's at the heart of things. Generally, I try to hold as non-judgemental of a space as I can within myself. Sometimes that means allowing really silly or weird things to come through, letting my inner child play and feel safe to express, and then that can help give permission for the more vulnerable deeper aspects of myself to have a safe place to exist and be expressed as well.
How was the recording and writing process?
Both the writing and recording process went pretty smoothly overall for this one. The song came pretty quickly and mostly all at once, with a few revisions over the next week or so. In 2015, I decided to record this song, as well as several other songs, as a gift to my husband for our wedding. I surprised him with Fallen From the Stars for our first dance at our wedding, and am finally releasing all the songs I gave him as an EP called Meet Me at the Pine Tree on Feb 14. "Fallen from the Stars" is the first single from the EP. It came together pretty easily in the studio. I recorded piano and vocals at Ugly Duck Studios and brought in Trevor Jarvis on cello. My friend Dave Chapman engineered and co-produced the track with me. I finally feel like I'm ready to share this part of my heart and life with others.
For viewers who don’t know Hannah Lou Woods, how would you describe your sound?
Acoustic, heartfelt, soulful singer-songwriter music, intricate thoughtful songwriting, with influences of folk, pop, and jazz -- a heartfelt seeker of truth reflecting her feelings into music, a soul slowly finding and singing her way back home to herself. It sounds like the feeling of sipping a warm cup of chai on a cool winter's day as you sit by a fire; music that brings warmth, comfort, and upliftment.
And what are some of those activities that you engage yourself in when you aren't writing or recording in the studio?
I love to be in nature, to be in the forest, to be near water, and to go on hikes and walks with my dog and husband. I love traveling to new places. I also love yoga and meditation, as well as painting, catching up, or hanging out with friends. I also really enjoy making homemade chai and baking. I also love dancing to my favorite music and reading fantasy fiction novels, and lately, I've been enjoying playing Wordle! I try to enjoy the 'down' times that aren't as busy and use those times to do what I can to feel rejuvenated and restored. Basically, I'm always trying to find the balance with it all.