Hannah Diones Talks "Paradigm," Colorado, Nashville, and What's Next
I am so excited to write this article about Hannah Diones. Hannah is an incredibly talented singer-songwriter that I first met at the ever-popular Open Mic Night at The Alley in Littleton, Colorado. She’s an excellent example of the beautiful music making its way out of our state and into the world. Hannah has been involved in music from a very young age. She’s still very young, but music has been a huge part of her life from the get-go, and she’s writing and recording music on a level far beyond her years. It’s such a joy to watch her grow into herself and explore her extraordinary creative talents.
Hannah is releasing her very first EP, “Paradigm,” on Friday, Nov. 15th, 2019. The EP is a 5-song creative statement about her artistic vision right now - a representation of what she wants to put out into the world creatively.
I had the extreme pleasure of asking Hannah some questions about her new EP, what inspired it, and what’s next for her. Check out the interview, then head over to pre-save her debut album!
How Did You Begin Playing Music?
My first taste of creating music was in the school concert band as a bass player, believe it or not. I ended up switching to clarinet, and I was kind of a hardcore band nerd for a while there. I even played in Colorado Honor Band outside of school. I started playing guitar a little before joining the middle school band, but I didn't start writing songs until I was about 13.
How Did Colorado Influence Your Music?
The most influential factor that made me decide to pursue a music career is honestly the support I have received from the Colorado music scene. My first open mic was at Swallow Hill, and I did it as kind of a one-off. I met some people there that told me about some other local music venues to check out, and after making my way around, I couldn’t stop playing live.
I truly believe that if it wasn't for the people who supported me by giving me words of encouragement or even opportunities to play, I would not be pursuing music as a career. It has been awesome to come to Nashville and know that I have this music family back home that truly believes in me and has been there since the beginning.
How Has Nashville Influenced Your Music?
Nashville music is really unlike anything else. A lot of people say that it’s kind of a rare occurence to meet someone who doesn’t sing, write, or have their hand in music in some way or another, and that definitely feels like the truth! Being surrounded by such a high caliber of musicality is really inspiring to be around. I think a lot of people come here and have this competitive mindset that they have to be better or do more than everybody else, but for me I prefer to surround myself within an atmosphere of collaboration. There’s so many cool people from different backgrounds that you can learn from, and connecting with them has really shaped my songwriting and artistry over the past year for the better.
What Do You Want People to Know About Your Story?
I feel like I kind of came late to the game for music. When I was a kid, I had a hard time finding my niche. I did everything from figure skating to swimming to horseback riding, and it took me a while to finally land where I did. Even though it wasn’t always a priority for me, it’s interesting to look back and see how music was always a pretty consistent thread throughout my life whether it be middle school band, singing, or playing guitar. Songwriting started out as something I just did in my bedroom and my parents thought I was joking when I was like, “this is what I want to do.” Very few of my friends knew that I wrote songs, and I’m sure some of them thought I was crazy when I told them that it was something I was actually pursuing. I think it would be easy to look back and say I wish I had started taking it seriously sooner, but I don't regret it because I think the experiences that led me to the point of pursuing music as a career are the reason I love it so much.
Tell Me About Your New EP, “Paradigm.”
My EP is called “Paradigm” and I am extremely excited for everyone to hear it. I wrote all the songs by myself which I am super proud of, so I think it’s a pretty accurate representation of what I want to say as an artist. It’s interesting because most of the songs weren’t really written with the EP specifically in mind; they are just some of the ones that I’ve written since being at school, so they are based on what I was feeling at that specific time.
What Inspired It?
A paradigm is essentially a model or pattern that something follows. I called this EP “Paradigm” because I think everyone kind of has a specific way or pattern that he or she tends to look at the world and relationships. This EP is representative of how I go about comprehending and experiencing the different aspects of life. This EP was largely inspired by, not only my own paradigm, but I also tried to capture different people’s pattern for perceiving various situations. I think it’s easy to underestimate the inspirational power of simply listening to others. I try to make this a priority in my life in order to fuel my songwriting, and I think this is largely reflected in my EP.
What Do You Hope People Will Take Away From It?
I hope people can take away that we all have common experiences, and we’ve all tread the same emotional terrain at one point or another. Each song tries to take an overarching situation like not being able to sleep (“Sleep Trauma”) or not being able to walk away from someone that’s bad for you (“Affliction”) and zooms into a narrative that everyone can relate to in some way. I don't think an EP can necessarily change the landscape of how we interact with each other, but I do hope people can at least consider that we are not actually that different from one another.
How Did You Record the Album?
Sean Rogers (Nashville’s Hey World Productions) and Forrest Finn (Nashville’s MV2 Entertainment) produced the album for me and I honestly couldn't have asked for a better team to work with. Sean has a really awesome studio that has such a great atmosphere to go to and create. We spent one session for each track and then cut vocals over the next few sessions. I feel like only half of the time was spent actually working on music and the other half was honestly us just hanging out. When you go to record an album, it’s an interesting experience because you are taking a collection of your most prized works and essentially putting them into the hands of another person. It was important to me that this EP was recorded in a space that cultivated creativity in a fun, positive manner, and I think by listening to the EP, you can tell that I had a blast making it.
What’s Next for You in the Music World?
More music! Paradigm is really just the foundation for what’s to come. I'm going to move into more single based releases, and I want to experiment with my sound a little bit. I’m excited for people to hear where my music goes in the future and how it changes as a reflection of what’s going on in my life.
Make sure you follow Hannah Diones’ journey on Facebook and Instagram - and pre-save your copy of “Paradigm“ here.