COMING INTO HER OWN
Singer-songwriter Hannah Wicklund finds herself within ‘The Prize’
It’s a few days before heading out on tour and Hannah Wicklund is running around tying up last-minute business. “There was a time in my life where I was basically transient,” she says. “I’d thrown all my stuff in storage and I was hanging out in different places. I had a lot more time on my hands. Now that I have a home again, it’s a reality check.”
The singer-songwriter is gearing up to hit the road in support of her new album, “The Prize.” The tour is slated to make a stop on Monday, March 25, at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe.
Growing up on the beaches of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Wicklund has always had music in her bones.
Through hard work and determination, she built her career on her own.
Starting her band at 8 years old, then graduating at 16 and hitting the road, she has performed at Firefly Music Festival, Shaky Knees Music Festival, Bourbon & Beyond, Summerfest, and Kaaboo Del Mar, toured as direct support for Marcus King, and opened for Greta Van Fleet.
Wicklund released her debut LP, “Hannah Wicklund & The Steppin Stones,” on her own label, Strawberry Moon Records, in 2018.
With “The Prize,” she returned to her roots of independently releasing music.
“I’ve learned that I can rely on myself to get things done,” she says. “I’ve been the one leading my music career since I was a kid. It’s been an incredible journey of learning.”
The album is produced by and featuring Sam Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet on bass, keys and organ, and accompanied by Daniel Wagner of Greta Van Fleet on drums.
Wicklund says both the music of “The Prize” and its visual components deal broadly with the transition into womanhood.
“The writing process for the album was the shortest and pain-free part of the journey,” she says. “I wrote the songs starting in the summer and they were completed quickly. I’m more comfortable with myself these days, and the album is a reflection of that.”
Wicklund says being able to release “The Prize” independently has also allowed herself to be more free.
She worked with big record labels and never really liked the deadlines, and is grateful to the fans who continue to grow alongside her.
“The fanbase is everything,” she says. “They not only appreciate my music, but are finding inspiration in what I’m doing. It’s been really cool to have young women come up to me and talk about starting their journey in music. I talk about my experience. Talking to them about the realities and knowing that some of the hiccups were directly tied to who I am.”