We recently connected with Hannah Wicklund and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
One of my life’s greatest risks was actually releasing ‘The Prize’. I’ve had many obstacles and heartbreaks inside of my career, but the greatest of those came when it was time to release this record. I found it near impossible to get anyone in the industry to see or believe in my vision for these songs, so I gave up on management and big labels, and decided to self-manage and self-release this album in April of last year. I had been sitting on a completed record that I believed in so much, for so long, and decided that I would simply start letting the music speak for itself and bring the right people into my world. Upon the release of the second single, I met my now label partners. Because I decided to invest in and trust myself, I found the right people who saw what I was doing and chose to trust and believe in me as well.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
With learning piano at age 3, then picking up guitar and starting my band at age 8, it has been a lifelong quest to become the woman I am today, and I am so proud to have released a record that honors my path so completely. Being a young woman in the music industry, and more specifically rock n roll, I have faced many challenges and found myself leaning into the masculine side of myself constantly in order to be heard, valued and respected. After starting to tour at 16, I had to stand up for myself time and time again, which inherently hardens you. ‘The Prize’ shows both the softening and sharpening of my femininity, which I’ve learned has so much to do with who I am both as a human being and as an artist.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Any advice for growing your fan base? What’s been most effective for you?
My greatest advice would be to show yourself kindness and grace. I often mistook softness for weakness, but there is strength in showing yourself the love that we all deserve.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Resilience is such a beast of a word. It encapsulates struggle, strength and usually a pretty long story to go with it. I would sum up my entire journey once I started my band as an example of resilience, beginning with six months after starting The Steppin Stones, my drummer, his father and his 3 little sisters, The Bradleys, were in a plane crash that ultimately took all of their lives. Mark Jr, my friend, was on life support for 2 months before passing, and in that time I believe I learned a lot about staying strong from him.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hannahwicklund.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahwicklund/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannahwicklundss/