​Hannah’s Neverland

Young local singer/songwriter releases wondrous EP, performs this Thursday and Friday

About six years ago, Fargo native Hannah Jean Westerholm started writing music. Three years ago, she began playing music in the local band Shape Than Shift. Two years ago, she began performing her original music live.

Today, at 18 years of age, Hannah has completed her very first EP, recorded at Video Arts Studio thanks to an award she won from the yearly local event Celebration of Women and Their Music.

A superb, pleasant vocalist, Hannah is also a powerhouse songwriter, as showcased on her new EP, available at soundcloud.com/hannah-jean-11. “Suzie Sally” may be your new favorite fight song. “White Earth” may be your favorite new growth and reflection song. “Neverland” may be your new favorite … song. Pay close attention to her emotive and exceptionally heartfelt lyrics that complement the gorgeous, indelible melodies.

Hannah leaves for college at University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point at the end of the month. Out of hundreds of auditions, she was selected as one of four females to study in its BFA acting program. Her send off show is this Friday, Aug. 22 at the Red Raven. She’ll also open for acclaimed Minneapolis band Rogue Valley on Thursday, Aug. 21 at the same location.

Get to know a bit about Hannah here:

High Plains Reader: This year you became a Celebration of Women and Their Music award winner. You’ve attended the event every year for 10 years. Can you talk to me a bit about the specialness of that event and what it was like to win the award?

Hannah Westerholm: It was probably one of the craziest things that’s ever happened to me just because I even remember the very first celebration I went to and my mom bought me my first pair of heels, I was 8 years old … I remember it was a super special event for me.

I remember Deb would let me take tickets at the door. I just felt so cool. I think Lindsay Mac was playing and it was just the coolest thing for me … I feel like going to the Women’s Show really contributed to me being a singer-songwriter just from seeing these women all get together, local, high school and all around the country … Once I sent in my audition tape and then Deb gave me the call that I was going to be an award recipient – I remember freaking out … screaming on the phone to Deb.

HPR: How do you approach songwriting? Is it finding a great melody or great single idea and running with it?

HW: I feel like I always write when I am in a certain mood, an intensified mood. Like, if I am really pissed off or if I am really stressed or super in love or if I just ran into a boy in a coffee shop, then I’ll go to the piano and I’ll write and sometimes I’ll just write a song in 10-15 minutes and I’ll spend the next week just tweaking it and running it over and over again.

Sometimes, my favorite time to play is 1 in the morning … I’ll practice my songs and every once in a while I’ll mess up and think, “That sounds like cool chord,” and then I’ll just go with it.

The best way for me to attack writing a song is just singing and playing the notes at the same time and kind of free styling it and whatever comes out of my mouth is what happens. Sometimes it’s the cheesiest thing I’ve ever said in my life and sometimes I think ‘OK, that’s really cool.’

You’re a self-taught musician. In what ways do you feel like it’s to your advantage?

I feel like it’s an advantage because I kind of just get to make it up as I go along and I don’t really have to follow any rules, but that’s also a really big disadvantage when I want to collaborate because it’s really hard for me to kind of keep up with, especially if I am playing piano, all the musicians being like, “Oh, what key are you in?” and all these time signatures and, “Let’s switch here.”

HPR: And you were in a band at a very young age.

HW: I had been playing piano since I was 8 or 9, just kind of diddling with the keys. But once I got into the band I feel like that’s really what showed me a passion for music. Not only performing, but the whole atmosphere of being around different musicians … I feel like it was a completely priceless experience for me to be in that band.

What do you hope to do in the future?

I’m kind of going to go with the flow. Cause I know everyone in my major wants to be a Broadway star and that’s the farthest thing from what I want to do. I love acting and I love theater so I want to do something where my major is applicable to one of my passions at the time. It was hard for me to decide between going into music or going into acting. But since I am self-taught in music, I didn’t feel comfortable – being intimidated with music theory and having to learn all that. It’s kind of something I kind of like to do in my own time and at my own pace so I didn’t want school to conform me and ruin that for me so I chose to do that on the side and then go to school for theater.

IF YOU GO

Rogue Valley and Hannah Westerholm 

Thurs, Aug. 21, 7 p.m.

Red Raven, 916 Main Ave, Fargo

Hannah’s send off show

Fri, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m.

Red Raven, 916 Main Ave, Fargo

Free will donation