Talking with Hannah White

Hey Hannah, how the devil are you?

[laughs] I’m really well. Only just back and still very much high from a socially distanced tour of the UK I did with my guitarist husband Keiron Marshall. It has been absolutely amazing!

That really does sound amazing! Tell me, where are you right now? And what are you up to today?

Today I’m at home for the first full day in three weeks as I’ve been performing shows around the country and living out of bags. I’m getting washing done and catching up on my messages, which is always a lovely thing to do after a run of gigs.

I normally do a mini intro piece in interviews, but if you were introducing yourself in a paragraph what would you say?

I am an extremely sensitive, highly emotional songwriter, artist who lives for music. I run a couple of venues in South London with my amazing guitarist husband, Keiron...who lives for music too. The venues keep us busy on a day to day basis as we try to support other touring artists which is pretty inspiring work. But it’s also a lot to keep up with.

What can you tell me about your recent self-titled album, Hannah White and The Nordic Connection, in two sentences?

It was recorded with a band from Norway who are gorgeous people and possibly the best musicians I’ve ever shared a stage with. It was nominated for this year’s AMA UK Album of the Year Award.

Which song have you not had much chance to talk about in interviews and what would you like to say about it?

‘Man Without Men’ is the last song on the album...and the longest (which is saying something because we recorded it live, in a room together Nashville-style, so all the songs are quite long). It captures a rare moment of meaning for me and the way the band perform it really gets me every time.

I really like ‘City Beats’, what can you tell me about that song?

Thank you! ‘City Beats’ was a bit of fun for me. I wrote it when I was stuck in London traffic so it’s very much the pace, rhythm and relentlessness of city life. It’s a groove that I really enjoy playing live because it’s totally indulgent. It’s a song that has only one chord! It does not move from ‘D’ from start to finish.

Tell me about the Nordic Connections.

The Nordic Connections is the brainchild of producer, composer and musician HP Gundersen. Our paths crossed via a Norwegian artist who had brought me & Keiron over to Norway to play a festival. HP contacted me out of the blue having heard some songs and decided he had the perfect band and that we would make a perfect match. He invited us to play a live show when we hadn’t even met in person but I said yes. He was right and there was real chemistry. We played to a sold out, very attentive audience in Bergen and it was one of my favourite moments of all time. We decided on the spot we would take what we had done on stage, into a studio and capture it forever more. It was very pure and very beautiful.

Which song did you write first?

‘When You’re Not Around’ has been kicking around for quite a while for me. Sometimes it’s like that, you have a song that doesn’t quite disappear but you don’t do anything with it until some kind of trigger tells you it’s right.

You’re playing Black Deer Festival in a couple of weeks, how excited are you at playing a festival again? [Brace yourself everyone, Black Deer has been cancelled for 2021 due to the UK government and its mess of removing COVID restrictions]

It means more than anything! I have really battled with depression during the pandemic, a life without music is a really hard existence for me. I’ve always loved Black Deer Festival because the music is always the best there is, but also the atmosphere is incredible. Just being in a space with other people who care about music and coming together is going to be incredible. I feel emotional just thinking about it. 

[This is Max for a second… this is such a powerful answer to this simple question and shows why live music is important to EVERYONE, mainly the fans and the musicians, but also everyone else who has their livelihood on the line: the crew, the festival, the stage construction people, the bars, the portaloo company, local businesses, the list goes forever. And not enough has been done.]

I know you’re playing a few live shows, what’s the best thing about getting back to playing gigs?

I’m me again! When I’m on a stage sharing my songs, I couldn’t be more vulnerable and part of me couldn’t be more frightened because it’s so exposing. It’s like that feeling before you get on a roller coaster ride. It’s a risk. But one that always pays off. Sharing the deepest part of you with a room full of people reaches the deepest part of them. There’s a connection that happens which is better than any drug out there. And it somehow builds a resilience to face whatever life throws at you. It is the most human thing I have ever done and will ever do.

And if there was one thing you haven’t missed, what is it?

Moving gear around. Loading and unloading guitars and amps, untangling leads etc etc! Not exactly the stuff of dreams.

What’s the thing you’re most looking forward to about playing a festival, other than playing in front of people!

Being on a big stage with the man I married, making a sound through fat speakers and feeling the rush that comes with it. 

What can we expect from you for the rest of 2021?

I’ve just released a single ‘Walk Beside Me’ with the Nordic Connections and US artists Tim O’Brien (Grammy award bluegrass legend) & Viktor Krauss, brother of Alison, which has been really well received, particularly in the States. I’m just about to release a second single that we recorded together so you’ll get to hear that, and in the meantime I’m about to record my new album which will hopefully be released in September when I’m touring the country again (this time not socially-distanced!). I’m also working with Guy Fletcher (Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits) on some of his music and some of mine which has been really fun and uplifting. So I’m super busy but very happy with that after what we’ve all been through.

If you could recommend one artist to hear this week, who would it be?

I’ve spent the tour listening to The Staple Singers. WOW! Not a new artist I know but actually quite new to me. The soul, the groove and the harmonies...it doesn’t get much better. Mavis is queen.

What’s the question we should have asked you today but haven’t?

Oh my! I don’t do shoulds. Your questions have been perfect!

Ha, you’re too kind! OK, so finally, how do you take your coffee?

Black, no sugar. I’m easy [laughs].

To find out more about Hannah (and buy her album) then you can check out her official website, or you can see what she’s up to on her Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.