About That Song: Hemma
About That Song #75
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
For our 75th edition, I was delighted to connect with Hannah Hebl who, performing as Hemma, is releasing her full-length debut soon! We had an inspiring conversation about many of the songs that were formative in her musical journey.
Hemma. Photo credit: Michelle Bennett / Wolfskull Creative.
Sarah: Hi Hemma! Welcome to About That Song. Over the past few years, you’ve earned a reputation in the Midwest as a singer-songwriter creating fresh and engaging work. Your debut album, Abalone Sky, will be released into the listening universe in a few weeks. Congratulations! I am a huge fan of the singles I’ve heard thus far and am eagerly anticipating the full album. This feels like a wonderful opportunity to learn more about your musical journey, and we do that here by exploring the songs that have made a significant impact on you.
Do you remember the song you heard that made you want to become a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Hemma: That question stumps me a little. I grew up in a household that worshiped songwriters—my dad was one himself and was always singing Paul Simon, James Taylor, Carole King. I started writing songs in middle school around grade 6, so maybe Jewel’s “Absence of Fear” was one that really hit me back then and really took me into the depths of the endless pool of songwriting potential. It was really just a matter of time before I took to songwriting, given my upbringing.
I was fortunate to be exposed to a tremendous variety of songs through theater, church, film, radio and TV, and there are countless songs that inspired me to pick up the pen. It's hard to name just one—but it is fun to reminisce on the early days of my writing inspiration!
Sarah: Oh, a household that worships songwriters sounds like my kind of place! And ah, Jewel! Her “Foolish Games” was one that struck me as a “could I do this” kind of song, too, and sent me running to pick up the sheet music. I’m very happily hearing it in my head now, thank you!
Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it—was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
Hemma: I still have to actively identify as such—it’s a daily commitment and I believe it now because I’ve spent years doubting and proving to myself that I am, in fact, a writer of poems that become songs. “Lightless Thunder” off my second studio EP (and first EP as Hemma) Tomorrow River was the song that made me feel like I was stepping out confidently with a song to say “here I am—a songwriter.” That song was inspired by Tallest Man on Earth’s (Kristian Matsson’s) writing for sure. Written on piano, it was arranged for guitar when I recorded it on the Pony Rug video series and garnered some attention in my early days of residence in Minneapolis in 2017.
Sarah: I understand that need to “actively identify as such.” I think for many songwriters (and I imagine this extends outward toward all manner of artistic identity) it doesn’t often settle into something as a known fact. And Pony Rug! The Pony Rug video series is one of those things that we in the Midwest are so lucky to have in our atmosphere.
I fell into big song-love with your recent single “Lullabies.” Lyrics such as “I don’t need a happily ever after, at least not at this time, I got too many songs to write” hit me as both declaring a position of independence from traditional narratives, and/or declaring a dedication to song/art. What can you tell us about that song?
Hemma: “Lullabies” is about that second wave of songwriter confidence that came through after recording Tomorrow River.
Sarah: Here’s to a second wave!
Hemma: Growing up, my family had a nightly bedtime ritual of singing lullabies and hymns (with harmonies of course) as a way to quiet down and pray before falling asleep. At 25, I was doing what my childhood self dreamed of—writing and performing original music. I wasn’t on a traditional trajectory, but I knew that songs had always carried me through and would continue to so. In a way, “Lullabies” is a manifesto for my artistry and it certainly declares my commitment to the craft. The song ends with an invitation for the listener to find song as a means of spiritual affirmation when all else fails.
Hemma. Photo credit: Michelle Bennett / Wolfskull Creative.
Sarah: What a beautiful invitation (and a magical way to experience bedtime! I would gladly accept that sort of settling down, now, as a grownup).
You’re set to release your debut album after releasing a handful of singles and EPs. Was there a particular song you wrote that gave you a “time to make an album” feeling? Can you tell us about that song? Or those songs, if it was a couple that worked together?
Hemma: Yes! After finishing Tomorrow River in 2019, I had a bank of new songs with no real plans for the next album. I sent “Grief” to Sean Carey to initiate collaboration on just that tune. There’s something about that ballad that feels epic. It harkens back to my childhood idol Bette Midler and her song “The Rose” written by Amanda McBroom. After listening, we decided we could get enough songs to make a full-length record and this tune would be our cornerstone. It happens to be the album closer.
It’s amazing how you can pull songs together from a seven-year span and find coherence. The dialogue between the songs on Abalone Sky is quite beautiful and I love how, magically, songs that did not arrive together are now sequenced and speaking to each other in ways I never could have imagined.
Sarah: Bette Midler was my childhood idol, too! And “The Rose”—that was it for me as well. What. A. Song. I agree, “Grief” evokes a similar response. Bravo. You just released a video for “Grief” as well—can you tell us a bit more about that song?
Hemma: That song comes from a love of sitting with those who are grieving and being there as they process and ride the waves of despair and elation. It’s a song that pulls from my long history of performing at occasions like funerals, weddings and anniversaries. I’ve stood at the front of the church and sang for a chapel of grieving people, and I feel this song comes from learning how to be that container for such deep emotion, and to use song and my voice as a tool to transmute that darkness into light.
Sarah: That is such a beautiful offering, and I look forward to hearing the album, and all of those songs “speaking to each other.” Thank you for talking with us all About That Song!
Get tickets to Hemma’s album release show at Stones Throw in Eau Claire Wisconsin on Saturday, April 26! Doors are at 6:30pm and special guest Luray goes on at 7:30.
Listen to “Grief”
Abalone Sky Album Credits
written in Eau Claire, Minneapolis, Central Coast CA
recorded at hive. Eau Claire, WI
engineer/producer: Brian Joseph
producer: Sean Carey
songwriter/producer: Hannah Hebl
other personnel: Jeremy Boettcher, Ben Lester, Courtney Hartman, Hilary James, Erik Koskinen
Mixed by: Brian Joseph, Hannah Hebl, Sean Carey
Mastered by: Huntley Miller
Album Art: Sarah Jean Shervin, Martin Wheeler, Karen Wells Verlander
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
