Interview with Noelle Hannibal
Noelle Hannibal is a pop singer.
Why did you want to be a professional musician?
I have been performing since I was 5 years old. Being on stage is my happy place and feels like home to me. I have been lucky enough to work as an independent singer-songwriter, as well as an actor for over 30 years and I'm beyond thrilled that I get to keep doing it!
What inspires your music?
Every song is different, but every song has a little bit of me in it. They say,"write what you know." Sometimes that means digging deep and getting really personal, but sometimes it means creating stories in my mind and translating them into song. I just love being a storyteller.
What things get you in the mood to write songs or do lyrics come spontaneously?
It varies. I have written songs in an hour and I have written songs that have taken me a year. Sometimes it starts with a melody or a chord progression that I just hum into my phone, sometimes I have one line or one word and I build on that.
How often do you write songs?
All the time! Are they all good, definitely not! But I always have a notebook with me that I scribble in. My new favourite place to write is in my hammock in my backyard, but sometimes a song will come to me in the car and I sing it into my phone until I can get to my guitar or piano.
Do you find song writing easy or difficult?
For the most part, easy. But there are times when I struggle with a lyric or two and allow myself time to let it just come to me. Sometimes that means putting a song away for an hour or a day or a month.
How do you want your music to affect people?
The artists I admire the most are ones where I listen to their songs and think, "it's me!" I want people to feel seen. We all go through challenges, love, loss, all of it. Connecting with fans is so special and if I can help them in some way on their journey through my words and music, that's the gravy.
Do you test out your songs before releasing them? How do you do this?
Not really! I like the element of surprise. I do online concerts three times a week on StageIt, a ticketed music platform. It's what got me through the pandemic. I have given little snippets of the new music, but acoustically, which is a totally different vibe that my recorded music.
How do you prepare for a gig?
I try to get as much rest as possible, drink lots of water and tea, steam, run through lyrics in my head. I like to get to the venue before everyone else if I can to just get a feel for the room. Then I allow myself some quiet time just before I hit the stage.
Has there been a reaction to one of your songs that you've been surprised by?
I had the good fortune of playing at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. It's a stage I've wanted to perform on since I saw the Peter Bogdonavich film, "The Thing Called Love" starring River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis, Sandra Bullock and Dermot Mulroney. It's all about songwriters trying to make it in Nashville. I sang my song Bye Bye to the most attentive crowd. It truly is a listening room. After the show, multiple people came up to me and recited my lyrics back to me. That had never happened to me before, and it was really special.
How do you promote yourself?
For this new release, I hired an amazing publicist. This music deserves to be heard. It's some of my best work, and I'm really proud of it. I'm very active on social media as well. As an actor, I get invited to appear as a guest at comic cons around the world. I always have my business cards, which are essentially my social media accounts, a QR code to my mailing list, my Patreon link and my StageIt link. I've been building up new fans that way in the past two years.
Which musicians do you find inspirational?
I have a few favourite artists. Top of my list are Taylor Swift, Brandi Carlile, Jack White and Marty Willson-Piper. I was lucky enough to catch Taylor Swift's Eras tour three times in between my own tour dates in California. What a show she puts on! On my plane ride home, I finally watched Brandi Carlile's "In the Canyon Haze." I've been a fan since her first album and I'm thrilled for her more recent success (and 6 Grammys! Woot!) She has one of the best voices I've ever heard, and I'm totally in awe.
Are any of your fans Trekkies?
Absolutely! I have incredible fans from Star Trek, Buffy, theatre and my music. I'm beyond grateful for all of them. I have actually done a few sci-fi themed live streams with prizes from my personal collection of Star Trek items. Those shows are always a hit!
What have been your favorite places to tour?
I toured a lot in the UK and Ireland with a former band. I particularly loved the west coast of Ireland. I'm just back from a California tour where I played 6 dates in different cities. I have just hired someone to work with me to book some more shows in the fall. I want to get out there as much as possible, even if it's just me and my guitarl
Are there advantages to being an independent musician?
Yes and no. It's nice to be able to do what I want when I want and being in control of everything, but it's challenging to put everything together on my own. It's also expensive without a label planning tours, paying out advances, etc. I spend a lot of time online researching how to do things!