THE NATIONAL’S TREASURE
Hannah Georgas On working with her IDOLS, ditching Toronto and her tanning bed regrets
WAY BACK IN 2008, HANNAH GEORGAS’S DEBUT EP FEATURED A SONG CALLED “THE NATIONAL,” an aching ballad about running into an ex at a concert of the titular indie rock band. Now, more than a decade later, her career has come full-circle: her new album, All That Emotion, out September 4, was produced by the National’s Aaron Dessner, and she spent part of last year touring with the group as an opening act and backup singer.
All That Emotion is a beautiful culmination of the journey Georgas has been on throughout her career; while her early releases often featured surging dance rock and quirky shouts, she now prefers to find intensity in heartfelt intimacy, and Dessner’s spacious production leaves plenty of room for her soft, poignant vocals to shine.
So, what do the members of the National think about that old song that Georgas named after them? “I never told them about it,” she says with a mortified laugh. “I’m too embarrassed.”
What’s been the greatest moment of your career so far?
Getting the opportunity to sing with the National has been pretty great, and to open for them as well. I have always really admired their project and have listened to them so much.
Who’s a Canadian musician that should be more famous?
Devon Welsh should be more famous. He had a project called Majical Cloudz, and I just love his music a lot. He has such a captivating voice, and I like his production style a lot. And he has a song called “Downtown” that I’ve probably listened to… I can’t even count how many times.
What advice should you have taken, but did not?
I should have taken the advice, in my teens, never to go to a tanning bed. I think I went because I had really bad acne growing up. I think that was just something that I thought could fix it, and my mom told me not to do it and I did it, probably around the age of 16 and 17. I really regret that. It’s just long-term damage. It’s just totally bad for you. It’s just cancer.
What’s the meanest thing anyone has ever said about your art?
It was after one of the first really big shows that I had ever played. I was opening for City and Colour in Calgary or something. I played a stripped-down set, and I know that I had a really bad show and I was really nervous. I woke up the next day and there was a review in the paper saying that I was “a sheep in wolf’s clothing,” and saying that I just need to play more shows. In hindsight they were right, but it made me really sad at the time when I first read it, ’cause I knew I was really bad.
What was the first album you ever bought with your own money?
It was a tape. I bought Paula Abdul’s record called Forever Your Girl. It had “Cold Hearted” and “Opposites
Attract,” and I just remember loving those music videos that she put out with a cartoon cat. That’s very weird. I was pretty young. It was the ’90s at some point, so I was in elementary school.
What’s the best way to listen to music?
For me, the best way to listen to music is driving in a car. I can really kinda zone out and not pick up my phone or get distracted by anything. I can just really kind of dive into a different universe. Or walking and listening with headphones.
What do you fear most?
Birds flying around my head. I just have a genuine fear of birds or any flying animals. They just scare me a lot. Bats. Birds.
What has been your strangest celebrity encounter?
A while ago I sang backups for Kathleen Edwards on her previous album [2012’s Voyageur] and we played David Letterman. I went to get my makeup done pre-performance, and Ricky Gervais was just sitting in the room by himself. I sat down right beside him and we were both looking in the mirror, getting our makeup done, and I didn’t say a word to him because I was in shock the whole time.
Who would be your ideal dinner guest, living or dead, and what would you serve them?
I really love Chelsea Handler. She has inspired me a lot. I’ve watched every single one of her specials that she does on Netflix. What would I serve her? I am not a good cook… I would try to ask her team what she likes and then I would go from there. I know she really likes to smoke weed, so I’d like try to find someone to help me get that for her. And she likes to drink, so I would find out exactly she loves and get that.
What is the greatest song of alltime?
The thing that’s popping into my head is “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division. All of the instrumentation is just so perfect and it’s organic, and it’s got this synth element to it. The words are so heart-wrenching, and you could choose to listen to it by tuning into that, or just tuning into how great it sounds. I love songs like that, where you don’t realize at first how well-written and how deep the music is. It’s a beautiful song.