The BIG Über Rock Interview: Lena Hall

Written by Gerald Stansbury
Sunday, 06 May 2018 04:00

Lena Hall first came into my world at the very beginning of 2018 when I saw an article that she was going to be doing songs from ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ as part of an ongoing project called ‘Obsessed’ where she records an EP of covers by one artist each month. The series will continue throughout the rest of 2018 with the other three EPs that have already been released include Peter Gabriel, Elton John, and most recently the Cranberries. When I heard Hall’s version of ‘The Origin of Love,’ I was completely blown away and began collecting all of the music from her background that I could get. She has an ability to sing extremely delicate when needed to singing with an extremely powerful rock voice that can rip your face off in the best of ways. Compare the cover of ‘The Origin of Love’ to ‘Death, Rattle, n Roll’ by her old band The Deafening for two examples.

I started by asking her if, between Broadway, The Deafening, TV, movies and a solo music career, there is anything she can’t do…

Yes, there are things I can’t do – but they are few and far between 😉 (laughter)

One of the things that really drew me in was your range and how much emotion you convey in your voice. The first time I heard you was doing one of my al- time favorite songs (‘The Origin of Love’), and I just sat there amazed at what I had heard. What drew you into music and singing?

I wasn’t drawn into music and singing, it’s more like nothing drew me out of it. Music, singing and performing has been a part of my life ever since I was born, it’s in my DNA. I was born into a family of artists and I was taught from a very early age how to express my emotions through dance, playing piano and singing. It’s been the clearest way for me to communicate with the world. Ask me to put those feelings into speaking words and I find it nearly impossible to define my emotional state.

With both of your parents being involved in the entertainment industry, how did they react when you told them what you wanted to do with your life?

I told my parents that I wanted to be a doctor, a lawyer or an accountant. I wanted to be “normal” and didn’t view the arts as my path, only something that was always there. My parents didn’t support my idea of “normal” life so they emphasized the arts and dance. Anything that would make me happy and was considered an art form they would support.

I am generally not a fan of cover albums, as they usually just send me back to the original albums. You have really made this different for me though. With Peter Gabriel, I have never listened to much of his music because I did not like ‘Sledgehammer’ when it was first released. Your version though is one I constantly play. Take us through the process of how many different artists were considered and what the process was then like to decide on the songs to be covered.

The 12 artists that I chose were the ones who were freshest on my mind that influence me. I usually know exactly which songs I want to cover, but I dive into each catalogue anyway. More often than not I change my mind. I say to myself “Oh, I forgot about this song and it reminds me of…” The songs that really affect me are the ones that bring about vivid memories of specific times in my life. In the end those are the songs that are chosen. There are so many more artists that affect me on many different levels which is why I hope to do multiple seasons of ‘Obsessed’.

I was very glad when the songs on the Elton John EP were released that you did not include the more obvious choices like ‘Tiny Dancer’ that have been done many, many times before. I loved that it had a mix of songs I knew such as ‘The Bitch Is Back’ with something like ‘Have Mercy on the Criminal’ which I had never heard. Were there any songs that you wanted to cover but decided they would not be the right choice?

There are many songs that I would have loved to have had the chance to cover but because of the album restraints I had to pick the absolute top four or five. I also had to pick the songs that I could do the most justice to. What’s the point of covering a song if you feel you can’t do it justice?

The artwork has been very clever with elements of the month’s performer incorporated into the illustration of you. Who has been doing the artwork each month?

I love the artwork Stephanie Layton has done. We were crunched for time and decided on a photo that my best friend, Melisa Hall, had taken earlier that year. Then, to give the series of albums continuity, we decided to only change the image a little and let color differentiate each artist. In the end, when you put all the album covers together, it will look like a Warhol painting.

I have been trying to figure out what artists might be coming over the rest of the year based on what has been said and what covers you have done in the past but also have been going through your back catalog. It seems fair to say The Deafening were a little louder than the music in the Obsessed series. Have you had any time between all of the projects to start working on new original music?

I am still looking for my voice as a songwriter. This series is part of the process that will hopefully end with all originals.

You have been playing some pop up live shows in New York to commemorate these releases. Is there any possibility of you playing more shows in other cities?

I am trying very hard to do shows around the country and even around the world but at the moment my schedule is very tight and it’s difficult for me to travel.

The ‘Becks’ movie just came out digitally. What can you tell our readers about it?

‘Becks’ is a universal story about finding confidence in yourself without the crutch of a relationship. It’s about overcoming the obstacles we put in front of ourselves and finding our way to personal happiness and fulfillment, all set to beautiful music.

While you are younger than me by a few years, we both come from a time when music had much more impact on society that it does today as we have seen album sales decline, record labels fade away, and the “it” factor fade from the mainstream when it comes to an excitement about bands releasing albums. Is there a way for us to help everyone truly experience the power of music and feel how songs can break our hearts, help us get through, and soundtrack our lives?

I believe all that still happens in the music industry, it’s simply a different sound and a different platform than what we knew when we were younger. Times are ever changing and so are music tastes. Computer programs, such as Auto-Tune and Melodyne, have taken over in music production and more often than not someone’s vocal performance can sound robotic. It’s been altered to be too perfect. I am generalizing and this is simply my opinion but, I believe that the pendulum swings one way and then must eventually swing the other way. There will be a rebellion against Auto-Tune and highly-produced computerized music. The world will eventually come back to live music, with all its beautiful imperfections. And then the pendulum will go back the other way.

What can you tell our readers about your upcoming TV role on ‘Snowpiercer?’

Let’s just say, I’m excited!

What else, if even possible, do you have planned for the rest of 2018 and into 2019?

At the moment, I am planning and working on many projects that are in their baby phases. So many times, I will talk about something I have planned and then the world veers me in a totally different direction. Life is amazing that way.

Any last words for our Über Rock readers?

Thank you for being obsessed with OBSESSED! Please spread the word and listen to the rest of the series with hungry ears and open hearts.

www.LenaHallObsessed.com

www.facebook.com/lenahallobsessed/

The Obsessed Series is available through the normal digital outlets.