And she was like, “You have a really good voice, you should think about singing more.” That was a really big moment for me, because I never really thought of myself as a singer. That was a moment that encouraged me to start writing songs and really pursue music. As for what held me back, I think self-doubt was a big one. I never really thought I was good enough or worthy of making music and putting it out there. It took me a long time to get over that and start sharing my music with the world.
How have you seen your sound evolve over the years, from your debut album Child Bride to Earthstar Mountain?
I think my sound has definitely evolved over the years. Child Bride was my first album, and I was still figuring out who I was as an artist and what kind of music I wanted to make. Pleasure Boy was a little more experimental, and I think I was starting to find my voice a bit more. Welcome Home was a big leap for me – it was a much more personal and vulnerable record. And now with Earthstar Mountain, I feel like I’ve really settled into my sound. I think it’s a more mature album, both musically and lyrically. I’ve been through a lot in the past few years, and I think that’s reflected in the music. I’ve also grown a lot as a songwriter and a singer, and I think that comes through in the songs on this album.
What was your mindset going into Earthstar Mountain, and how did it differ from your previous albums?
Going into Earthstar Mountain, I really wanted to make a record that felt true to who I am as an artist and as a person. I wanted to make a record that was honest and vulnerable, and that really reflected where I am in my life right now. I think that’s the biggest difference between this album and my previous albums – this one feels more personal and more introspective. I also wanted to push myself musically and lyrically, and I think I did that with this album. I tried some new things, both sonically and lyrically, and I think it paid off. I’m really proud of how the album turned out, and I think it’s some of the best work I’ve ever done.
What do you hope listeners take away from Earthstar Mountain?
I hope that listeners take away a sense of connection and understanding from Earthstar Mountain. I hope that they can relate to the songs and the stories I’m telling, and that they can find some comfort and solace in the music. I think music has the power to bring people together and to help us feel less alone, and I hope that’s what this album does for people. I also hope that listeners can appreciate the beauty and the magic of the Catskills, and that they can feel a little piece of that when they listen to the album. Overall, I just hope that people enjoy the music and that it brings some joy and light into their lives.
Earthstar Mountain is out this Friday. Listen to the album now and watch the video for “Clay Pigeons” below.
Follow Hannah Cohen on Instagram and Twitter for ongoing updates.
Photos: Kristianna Smith
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She told me she thought I had a good voice, and because she was in chorus in school, having a peer tell me that was cool. Something that discouraged me from singing or making music? I think that’s mostly my own negative thought process. When I’m hard on myself about my singing, I feel like my worst enemy. But I’ve been really lucky to have supportive friends who are musicians and artists that I’ve always been encouraged by.
How do you feel like your perspective on songwriting has shifted from Welcome Home to the new record?
I think the shift in perspective is just: use your time wisely, be with people who make you feel good, try to do the things you love. I feel so lucky that I’m trying to make music my career, but it’s not lost on me that being able to sing for your job, to sing for your supper, is a really cool thing. But perspective-wise, what really shines brightly for me is the idea that anything can mean everything. A mushroom in the woods that you find can shift your whole day or your whole perspective. I think that kind of runs through me at all times. I’m really sentimental and sensitive, and being in nature, in this place, I feel very protected by it in a way that’s really comforting.
From the beginning? Or is it something you’ve felt more intensely over the past few years?
I feel more connected to it every year that I’m here because the patterns repeat, and I notice them every year. We’re coming into spring now, and it’s starting to smell a specific way. You’re starting to see little things, buds and plants, peek through the dirt again. There’s this sort of routine that feels very comforting, that I get to witness every year. It’s like we’re old friends – I’m still very new here, but it really feels like I’ve found a companion in a way.
As a product, a thing that’s about to be released into the world, Earthstar Mountain feels to me like that one line in ‘Rag’: “a measure of time passing quietly.”
I think that lyric is about observing time in a different way – experiencing time through something like a rag on the side of the road, seeing it deteriorate over time and stay there in one place. I found comfort in checking in with this rag I saw on the side of the road for years, walking past it. It roots back to the idea that anything can mean everything. This rag on the side of the road reminds me of time passing, of tenderness in all things.
You started working on the new album as an idea pretty soon after Welcome Home. I wonder how the revolving door of collaborators at Flying Cloud affected the pace or your mindset around how you process your own songs.
I think because of our crazy schedule, I’m sort of forced – not forced, it’s my own doing – to let the songs marinate and just hang out as they were for a while. I kept writing, and then I’d write more songs, bumping old ones off the record. Things really started to take shape last year and the year before, but especially over the summer when I recorded a couple more songs: ‘Mountain’ and ‘Una Spiaggia’, which is a cover. Those two songs helped seal the record and the sequence. They were like missing puzzle pieces that made the record feel whole for me. I don’t think I would’ve had the same record if I’d put it out even two years ago – I was in a place where I actually could have put the record out, but I kept writing and rearranging it. Having people up here all the time, constantly creating in the studio, brings a lot of life into our house and the studio that’s separate from our house.
I love how ‘Mountain’ juxtaposes the idea of loss as a mountain of stillness with a propulsive arrangement. What do you remember about tracking that song and having Sufjan Stevens sing on it?
I had recorded it with Sam, and he had the ideas for the guitars. I love his solo on the song, the slide; it’s really emotive and beautiful. I think it was his way of expressing his grief too, because we all lost somebody really special to us. We recorded that last January, I believe. It’s a really special song to me. Sufjan played on ‘Una Spiaggia’, as well, and he came to hang out with us, listen to the record, and heard some backing harmonies he wanted to add to ‘Mountain’, so he added those. I’ve been working with Sufjan for the last couple of years – I sang on his last record, Javelin. He’s a really close friend and collaborator. Since moving upstate, we’ve become closer, and he’s always encouraging me to write and work on music. I really cherish his friendship and our musical connection.
The rendition of Ennio Morricone’s ‘Una Spiaggia’ has a magical quality to it. Clairo played on it too, right?
Yeah, Claire came and played clarinet, and she did a little singing – there’s a harmony at the end of the song. The collaborations with Sufjan and Claire were very casual. It was like, “Hey, do you want to come over and play on this?” And they were up for it. We have so many musician friends who live in the area that are extremely talented and who I really admire. It was cool to have them on the project. And I’ll also say, my biggest inspiration and musical idol – I live with him. I’m his biggest fan. I’m such a fan of his music and production, and then I also live with him. [laughs] He’s also my partner.
“Nunca se me olvida, pero a veces, cuando vives con alguien, tiendes a olvidarlo un poco – no olvido quién es Sam, pero cuando estás en una relación, estás hablando de platos o lo que sea, y pienso, ‘Estoy hablando de platos con Sam Evian’.”
“‘Dog Years’ cierra el álbum con la idea de que la incertidumbre reina incluso cuando sientes que estás viviendo la vida de tus sueños o estás en un lugar seguro. ¿Por qué fue importante para ti terminar con ese sentimiento, y cómo resuena contigo ahora?”
“Siento que esa canción es muy poderosa. Sonoramente, es una forma genial de terminar el disco porque está un poco en este reino diferente entre géneros. Es un poco su propia cosa. Sentí que esa canción era un buen remate para el disco de alguna manera, tanto lírica como musicalmente.”
“He entrevistado a Sam dos veces ahora, y la primera vez, hace cuatro años, le pedí que compartiera una cosa que le inspirara sobre ti. Me siento obligado a hacerte la misma pregunta, pero también me pregunto si hay algo de lo que eres consciente ahora, como resultado de esta colaboración o simplemente del paso del tiempo, que quizás no hubieras podido decir entonces.”
“Bueno, lo respeto mucho por su destreza musical. Es como un arma secreta – es un productor muy sólido, y piensa en la producción no solo como productor sino como ingeniero. También es como un doctor de canciones, ¿sabes? Estudió composición, y es un músico increíble. Empezó con el saxofón, y puede tocar tantos instrumentos. Realmente lo admiro musicalmente, pero también siento que la música que hacemos juntos, porque soy un músico autodidacta sin formación, hay esta mezcla que creo que es realmente única. Traemos tantas cosas diferentes a la mesa. Lo mío puede ser esotérico y de corriente de conciencia, y lo suyo es más estudiado. Siento que nos complementamos musicalmente porque traemos cosas tan diferentes a la mesa, y realmente aprecio eso. Para mí, es un gigante musical, y me siento realmente afortunado de poder trabajar con él.”
“No lo tomo a la ligera porque es realmente difícil navegar trabajando con tu pareja en la música – puede ser desafiante a veces. Realmente tratamos de ser conscientes de eso. Y creo que trabajar en música con él es una forma en la que conectamos y nos unimos. Por supuesto, voy a escribir cosas sobre él – o a veces no lo hago, pero partes de nuestras vidas entran en nuestra música. Así que estamos hablando de ellas a través de la música de alguna manera, lo cual es un poco terapéutico para nosotros.”
“Dadas sus agendas ocupadas, ¿cómo hacen espacio para ustedes dos para hacer música juntos?”
“Normalmente, empieza conmigo escribiendo las canciones por mi cuenta, y luego se las llevo. Por lo general, trabajamos juntos por las noches después de que él haya terminado su día. Él está tan ocupado – está llevando su propia carrera y es un artista por sí mismo, así que tenemos que ser respetuosos con el tiempo del otro, porque no tenemos mucho tiempo juntos. Tenemos que ser realmente conscientes de eso. Creo que esa también es una razón por la que me tomó tanto tiempo hacer un disco – estamos compitiendo con tantas bandas y personas que surgen aquí que cuando tenemos tiempo, por lo general estamos descansando. Volver a trabajar en música es un poco mucho. No es una queja, pero es solo la vida. La vida es ocupada.”
Esta entrevista ha sido editada y condensada para mayor claridad y longitud.
Earthstar Mountain de Hannah Cohen saldrá el 28 de marzo a través de Bella Union/Congrats Records.