During a recent appearance on the “Hardcore Humanism With Dr. Mike” podcast, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale spoke about how rock music has long been an outlet for youthful rebellion and how it has served as the musical voice of its time, but not the mainstream voice — the underdog voice.
“The beauty of music, and specifically rock music, is that it has always stood up for the downtrodden, always stood up for the freaks, the people that don’t necessarily have a place at the cool kids’ table,” she said (hear audio below). “And what we’ve ultimately cultivated in our band community and all of that, and our career, but also, we didn’t invent this — this is just something that exists and we are very proud of — being proud of your flaws, or your so-called flaws, being proud that you don’t necessarily fit in… And that’s easier said than done, but the beauty of music is that I’m able to turn these real-life experiences, or these stories that I hear from our fans, into something that they can take as theirs.”
Hale also touched upon her own struggles with mental health and how she has benefited from treatment.
“I’ve been going to therapy for about a year and a half, for the first time in my life,” she revealed. “It started before the pandemic. And it’s been one of the most amazing acts of self-love that I think I’ve done for myself. Now I have so many more tools in my tool box to, like, just be, ‘Okay. Something’s going on. All right. I need the hammer. There it is. All right. We’ve got it.’ I digress.
“But it’s really great to be a part of that thing that is something bigger than yourself,” she continued. “I feel like through music, that has been a vehicle. At the same time, what I’m discovering just about who I am and the kind of things I wanna get out to the world, even beyond music, I think I’m learning even more about what my own mission statements are and what I want to put out there in the world.”
Hale added: “As far as I know, I’ve got one ride on this thing, so I’m gonna do what I can. [Laughs]”
Last month, Lzzy said that HALESTORM has demoed “about 60 ideas” for the follow-up to 2018’s “Vicious” album.
In September, Lzzy confirmed to U.K.’s Rock Sound that she has been using her coronavirus downtime to compose material for the new HALESTORM LP. “I’ve been writing, honestly, some of the best songs I’ve ever written, because I’ve just had the time, and there isn’t any deadline and nobody’s breathing down my neck, saying, ‘Hey, where are those demos?’,” she said.
“I haven’t been home without a gig for this long in probably over 15 years, so that’s a strange thing. I think in one way, I have the time, but in another way, I’m seeking that high out, I’m seeking that joy that I find from playing out live every night. I’m not writing for any other reason — I’m not writing for a deadline, I’m not writing for a record, even though technically I am; we are technically working on a new HALESTORM record. But I’m writing from such a position of joy right now, literally just getting excited about some small piece of music. And I’m taking more risks now, because I have the space and the time and I’ve settled into something. And I’m not even quite sure what that is, and I feel like it’s gonna reveal itself maybe later, but right now, I’m in it, and it’s exciting.”
“Halestorm Reimagined”, a collection of reworked HALESTORM original songs as well as a cover of “I Will Always Love You”, the love ballad made famous by Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton, was made available in August.
Lzzy and her brother Arejay (drums) formed the band in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.
In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a “Best Rock Performance” Grammy Award for its song “Uncomfortable”.
In 2012, the band won its first Grammy in the category of “Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance” for “Love Bites (So Do I)”. According to the Grammy web site, Lzzy became the first woman to earn a Grammy in the category.
