Raised on the muddy banks of Muscle Shoals, the daughter of a musician-songwriter who worked at the legendary FAME studio, Hannah Aldridge has the musical spirit of Alabama flowing in her veins.
An early life spent looking to create her own identity while coming-of-age in the South, Hannah's songwriting is forged around themes of rebellion and self-discovery that has seen her release three albums: 2014's 'Razor Wire', 'Gold Rush' in 2017 and 'Live In Black And White' circa 2020.Currently based in Nashville, Aldridge's next musical chapter is the album 'Dream Of America', which she collaborated with Australians Damian Cafarella and Lachlan Bryan.
A mesmerising slow-waltz of sad-Americana tones filled with a dark pop-noir melodies and Hannah's smokey-honeyed vocals 'Dream Of America' will appeal to fans of Phoebe Bridgers, Lana Del Rey, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker.
"On this record I wanted to really focus on the mood and overall concept as a opposed to treating each song separately," shares Hannah.
"I had a really cohesive vision from the beginning and focused less on singing and guitar parts, and more on the delivery of each song.
"All of the songs were written in lockdown, during a time I really didn't know what my life would look like. I didn't feel like I had anything to say about my own life and myself because I was experiencing too many emotions during that time to put into words.
"Instead I turned to creating a Hollywood noir character that I wrote and recorded this album about. That character felt interesting and provoking for me creatively and I didn't feel like I needed to write about the pandemic when writing through her lens.
"The most important part of this record for me was the fact that I surrounded myself with people who got what I was doing. They didn't question me or make me feel like I was crazy or naive, but instead pushed me to go darker and weirder, and more exposing than ever before.
"Everyone involved with this project were all on the same page with me. We all had the same vision and they all really trusted me as the artist and that was really a first for me. I didn't have to fight for what I wanted and it liberated me to follow the project through exactly how I wanted it. I'm so grateful for that."
How are the European shows going? Do you feel we're somewhat returned to the old world in terms of touring and playing live shows or does the veil of COVID still linger?
It's going great.
It's always a treat to be back on the road in Europe because I have so many friends and fans here that I love to see. I don't feel the worry of the actual virus, but I can certainly still see the ramifications that it has had on the economies around the world.
Your own musical journey begins as the daughter of Walt Aldridge a musician, songwriter and producer who worked at the FAME Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama; what were those early years like growing up in a town that has produced so many classic hits?
To be honest, it didn't strike me as weird at all. My dad never really let us think that it was anything that made us special.
Of course looking back on it, it had a tremendous influence on me but at the time it didn't occur to me that it was something unique. It was just my little home town and FAME studio was just the place my dad worked at.
With a love for music, having a parent as a renowned musician-producer has that made it easier or perhaps more difficult growing up?
It made it more difficult for sure. I think it all depends on the personality of the kid in the parent.
For me I was very intimidated by my dad and his success. I was always very, very shy about playing music in front of him or anyone else. I felt very intimidated by all the gold records hanging around the house and didn't really think I had 'it'.
On the other hand it certainly gave me a standard to live up to and taught me how to approach music like a business and not just an art form.
Was music always your number goal as a profession, to carve our your own niche as a musician?
No. I always loved music and I always secretly dreamed of being a performer but I never really thought that I would get to live that dream. I had no idea how to do music for a living until I discovered that I was actually able to write songs which didn't happen until I was in my 20s.
I realised pretty quickly I was not going to be successful as a pop star like Britney Spears singing and dancing, so I didn't know how to be a musician, until I went to school for music and discovered the film and TV side of the music industry. That really moved me to write music.
It wasn't till your early 20s that you picked up a guitar; what led to that decision and how did your music evolve from that moment?
The only reason that I picked up the guitar is because I took a songwriting 101 course in college as an elective. It seemed like it would be an easy A so I enrolled in it.
Pretty quickly I realised that they actually expected us to write songs haha! I borrowed a guitar and learned a few chords and before I knew it I had written my song 'Lonesome' and it got placed immediately on a TV show. That was the moment I became very intrigued with writing music for film and TV.
I eventually zeroed in on my love for horror films and dark, quirky subject matter. I became totally consumed by the way music and other mediums of storytelling play off each other.
As a multi-instrumentalist, do you have a preferred instrument to write demo songs or does each track come to life dependent on the individual song and the melody you hear in your head?
Most of my songs start out on a variety of different instruments, but in the end I always finish them on acoustic guitar because it's the instrument that I am most fluent in.
I do start a lot of songs on the piano, but I'm not as dynamic of a player or writer on that instrument so I always feel like acoustic guitar is my safe space.
'Dream Of America' is your new album, your first LP since 2017's 'Gold Rush' (not counting your live 2020 album); you've obviously grown and expanded your sonic palette in that time, but how does this collection of songs showcase your current incarnation as an artist?
I think this collection of songs is a really good representation of what I have been trying to achieve for quite a long time.
I really worked hard on making the visuals very cohesive with the music and writing for the big picture not just song by song. I finished my film scoring degree during Covid and I think that it really fine-tuned my vision of how I wanted everything to look and sound like it was a cinematic experience.
Although my actual songs and music may change over time, I think I have finally began to really feel like I have found where I fit in as artist.
The blend of Americana, dark noir-pop, alt. country, roots-rock – did you want to present a sonically diverse record that also captured your own essence?
I think I am a very musically diverse person and my co-writers and producers are as well, so I think that really came out on this record.
We brought in soundscapes from people like Nick Cave and Phoebe Bridgers while approaching the vocals like Leonard Cohen. The writing is, at its core, a bit country because both Lachlan and myself lean pretty heavily into that genre by nature. I was also reading a lot of gothic literature and watching a lot of movies and whatnot that I pulled inspiration from.
Were there certain lyrical themes you wanted to explore on this album?
I get attached to words. 'Dorero' I really wanted the word 'vulture' in it because had read 'As I Lay Dying' and kept thinking about the scene of them carrying their mother's body in the Southern heat upside down in her coffin so her wedding dress would fit in and there were vultures following them the whole journey. It really stuck with me.
Another word I got attached to was 'omen'. I kept thinking about how a lot of things felt like omens during lockdown and I would literally be laying in bed at night and listen to my neighbours in all directions talk through the walls, ceiling, and floorboards.
I also watched a movie called '1922' which was an adaptation of a Stephen King novella. A lot of that imagery from that movie came to play in the song 'The Fall'.
Australians Damian Cafarella and Lachlan Bryan produced 'Dreams Of America' and it was mixed in Sweden by Frans Hägglund, with your dad mastering it. What did they each bring to the project that elevated the finished product?
Lachlan brought the collaboration of songwriting and artistry to the table from a different view point. Damian brought the careful crafting and shaping of each song and helped rope in two very creative and chaotic artists to finish the project.
Frans was brought in because I was a huge fan of the work he had done on Christian Kjellvander's records. He tied it all together and made it cohesive with an objective set of ears. My Dad was a comfort zone for me. He's been doing this so long and I have recorded vocals with him my whole life so I new he could capture what I wanted.
We all were working under crazy conditions or not being able to see anyone so we had to trust each 'team' working in every corner of the world. My Dad and me were the US team.
The process of recording and collaborating with people on the other side of the world and not having that direct contact; how did that affect the process and were there any unintended consequences (negative or positive) that arose?
It made a really unique project because had we all been sitting in a studio together we would have probably not allowed ourselves to be as experimental.
Because we were working in little groups remotely, we were each doing what we thought was right and then sending those tracks over to the next person. It was a very long and tedious way to make a record and I can't say I would ever do it again that way, but it also with something so uniquely perfect for that time.
We truthfully didn't know if it was going to even work and there was a moment that I was very concerned that we would not be able to finish the record the way we had started it, but we pushed through and brought Frans in to help tie all those little pieces together.
Any funny stories from the collaborations that you can share?
When we did 'Catacombs' I realised the moment before we sent it to be mastered that I had butchered the pronunciation of "De cendres à cendres" and had to fly in a new recording of in. I re-recorded the whole thing on my phone in my bedroom so we could fix it.
When we premiered your song 'Dorero' earlier this year, you mentioned you were studying Gothic literature; have those studies and what you've learned seeped into your songwriting?
Absolutely. Like I touched on before, I fit a lot of book references in on this record and had a huge impact on the music and imagery for the record.
Being based in Nashville and surrounded by so much original music, does that lend itself to your own creative processes, keeps you motivated to create?
I think more than anything it has influenced me on a business level.
The grind in Nashville keeps you grounded and aware of how hard everyone is working around you. It can definitely be a little exhausting too though. It can be a double-edged sword.
You toured east-coast Australia in April with Lachlan Bryan; how was that adventure and how'd you find Aussie audiences reacting to your music?
It's always a treat to perform these songs with Lachlan.
We are such good friends and have poured ourselves into this record so it is special every time we get to play together. Australia has always been so kind and welcoming to me. It felt so surreal to be away so long with Covid and to finally get to come back. It was so special.
By travelling to so many regional areas of Australia, did that give you a greater feel and understanding of the locals and just how immense in size this country is?
Being an American, I definitely don't under-estimate the distance between shows anywhere.
Australia has a lot more open space than the US but the drives are really long in both places. I spent a lot time in the car in Australia, but it's so beautiful and vast so I don't mind it.
Your cover of 'Wicked Game' with Nicky William is sensational; as a music maker, do you generally steer clear of covers or is it the reverse whereby recording a cover track can inspire, instigate your own creative juices?
No, I actually think it's harder to do a cover of a great song and make it compelling than it is to do my own songs.
It requires an equal amount of creative and musical ability to recreate or reimagine something. It always forces me to really step back and re-evaluate a song when I know it well and need to make it my own. I try to just imagine I wrote it myself and approach like I would if it were mine to begin with.
After your European dates, what comes next for Hannah Aldridge?
Oh gosh. A lot of touring. I am a real road dog so I'm always living one tour to the next. Through April of 2024 I will be taking the 'Dream Of America' tour to various parts of the US, Europe, and Australia in a variety of formations.
Then almost directly after that I will be beginning the 10-year anniversary tours of my first record 'Razorwire' which will go though 2024. Of course in-between all that I'll be writing a new record.
Thanks for your time; anything else you'd like to add?
I appreciate your interest in project. It is really humbling to see people across the world being so in tune with this record. It was a real labour of love and cathartic at the same time.
There were times I thought this record would take my life and times I thought it saved it, so it's incredible to be on the other side of such a wild time and have a record in hand to prove I made it out alive with something to show for it.
