We were lucky to catch up with Zelena Hull recently and have shared our conversation below.

Zelena, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Currently I”m working on the world record for the most consecutive single releases. I wanted to use this as way to raise awareness for autism and shine a light on the struggle that indie artists face. Every Friday I’ve been coming out with a brand new song and lyric video (I post the video on YouTube). It’s been super fun and allowed me to experiment with my style. I’ve been able to create in genres that I never was able to before. I started out in rock and country however I’ve now done pop, alternative, comedy, electronic, experimental, and many other songs that don’t fit in a specific category. Every song for single of the week I produced, recorded, mixed, and composed myself.

As of June 9th I have released the 39th single of the week only 21 more to go!

I was first inspired to do this because of a class I took in college. It was the class international marketing for musicians. They spoke about world records being a great way to gain awareness. I decided to do further research. Because I had to create at least 2 compositions for school a week (plus my own personal projects), I was creating songs at a very fast pace. I created 60+ fully produced songs in a 3 month time frame. For single of the week many of the skills I learned from Berklee were eye opening. Most of the Single of the Week releases are from this 3 month time frame, some are a little earlier or later. I graduated from Berklee with a 4.0 from the online division and made the Dean’s list every semester. I’m grateful for the education and experiences I gained there.

When I was diagnosed with Autism I was told by the doctor I would never be able to live on my own. I wanted to forge my own path against the odds. Sometimes it’s hard, but everyone has there struggles. Being a Indie musician it is freeing, I can create whatever my heart desires, but for everyone in this space the hardest thing is getting ears and in front of others. There really isn’t the idea of the big break anymore. It’s determination and luck. I hope that my endeavor inspires other’s to shoot for the starts and land where they land.

I would love to share my journey with you. zelenahull.com is my website.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a singer, songwriter, and musician. I’ve been in the music industry after I was diagnosed with autism at 11 . I didn’t start earlier because I couldn’t listen to music until I was 8. I started out doing vocal lessons at Pitch Doctors and then competed in vocal competitions. I won many of the competitions I competed in including Best Singer in The District. I was invited to judge Best Singer in the State at 16 and I am still the youngest judge to date. Soon after I started taking guitar lessons with my mentor Dan Caston. 2 months after I released my first single “Serious”. Then roughly a year later I released my single “I Believe” and album “6ft under”.

I’ve worked with Mike Schrimpf (who has worked with Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, and many more in the Nashville music scene), Mr. Steve Hinson (One of Nashville’s most requested players), Grammy players, and some members of the house band for the Grand Ole Opry on my ep’s “Just a Cinderella Story” and “Hello”. on my older releases I also worked with my mentor Dan Caston. I call my older releases the 13 because they were the 13 original songs I released.

I’m currently working on an ambitious project to break the world record for most consecutive single releases. It’s a brand new song every Friday and of May 12th I have 25 more to go. I’ve been really loving creating so many new songs as part of my single of the week initiative. To be able to express myself in ways I never really could before is awesome. I love to entertain. Music is so important because it is a fundamental part of so many of our lives and it’s wonderful to be a part of that, a little happiness in someone’s live.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I love to entertain, but I understand that there is more to it than just that. My mission as an artist is to create work that touches people emotionally and provides a deeper meaning. I love to interlace themes and morals in my work. Contrast is an important element of art. Balancing light and serious themes can create a stronger emotional impact than either alone. I also love to weave together stories. My work ranges from love songs to serious narratives about the misgivings of society.

I want to show that you can be a happy person and have a few falls. To quote my song “Unravel”: “No matter how bad everything gets, you can always turn it around.”

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I was working on getting single of the week setup I spent hours without breaks. I remember spending roughly 6 hours a day just writing and creating songs. Because of pushing myself discovered that I work well under pressure. This is something my mother taught me. When I was younger I would freeze up as part of my Autism. However when the doctor told my mom I couldn’t live on my own, I asked her to help me get used to stress. Here I am today working under tight deadlines. I created almost all the single covers in one night. After my songs were submitted for distribution, I found out that some of them had technical issues once processed. I had to go in a resubmit them 2 more times to check. I constantly had worries about a song not releasing on time or anything technical like that. I should achieve the world record around October to November.     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zelenahull.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zelenahull/
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/zelenahull
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/zelenahull
• Youtube: http://youtube.com/zelenahull
• Other: Bandcamp: https://zelenahull.bandcamp.com/releases
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1vpy7TkesttmaCecyCrbA5