Hannah Ellis, a small-town girl from Campbellsville, Kentucky, has been making a name for herself since she first released a track in 2015 titled “Officer Down”. The story behind the song was about the passing of her cousin killed in the line of duty. Ellis released a song last year to iTunes and Spotify titled “Temporary Feeling,” which began to garner the singer more attention due to her honey voice and charismatic personality.
In 2017, she released her first EP. The five-song record included “Temporary Feeling” and another popular single of Ellis’, “ILY So What”. Other tracks included a beautifully breathtaking track of heartbreak titled “Never In Love”. “Ghosted”, a fun country/pop-rock track, tells the story of a guy who stopped talking to the girl he was dating, thus “ghosting” her. The final track on the record is titled “Break from the Weather”. The song is a fun country-pop track that is sure to have you singing along in the car or shower.
In 2018 Hannah released her latest single “Home and a Hometown”. The song talks about her love for her hometown in Kentucky and all the things that make it special for her, and then about her home in Nashville and what makes it feel like home for her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lgGk2qKZyQ
We chatted with Hannah about her career, new single, and songwriting. Take a look at what she had to say:
- Besides writing for yourself and your own music, you have also written songs for artists in the industry, including Danielle Bradberry. From the songwriter’s perspective, what is it like seeing a song you wrote performed by someone else?
Seeing someone else perform something I wrote is such a special feeling because they are putting their story into the song. Music is meant to connect us, and two people can hear a totally different story from the same song, and that is something so magical to watch.
- You wrote “Officer Down” for your cousin who passed away in the line of duty. From there, you had the opportunity to perform in Washington, DC for the Fallen Peace Officers Memorial Service. Coming from writing a song to help heal you through a difficult time to seeing how much it was able to help others heal, how do you feel about it now?
I still cannot believe the journey that song has taken me on. I have flown around the country to perform it and to hear people’s stories. “Officer Down” is a constant reminder of the healing power of music, even in the darkest times.
- In 2017, you released your EP with five tracks on it as your introduction to the industry. What was the process of writing and picking the songs for it? What was your reaction to how the fans reacted to the EP?
I was absolutely blown away by the positive response. From Spotify, to Sirius XM, to CMT, to the fans, it was amazing to watch people embrace my music and me as an artist. In choosing the songs, I wanted the EP to tell a story in reverse of sorts. I am in a happy relationship now, which the first two songs are about, and the next three kind of work backwards to where I was in past relationships. Also, I just love those songs.
- A few weeks ago, you released “Home and a Hometown,” which is such a fun and upbeat song. Listening to it, it paints a picture of how not only yourself but also many other artists and songwriters feel about their lives in Nashville. How did the idea come to you, and what was it like bringing it to life?
I am so happy you love it! I got the idea one day when I was driving to my hometown. I just remember thinking how blessed I was to be able to call two places home. I thought to myself, “I’ve got a home and I’ve got a hometown,” and I immediately wrote that down as a title. I brought the idea to my friend Mark Trussell and my boyfriend, Nick Wayne. Because they know my story so well, we were able to really stay authentic, but also write something that so many people who move away from home experience. It is so great to have found where I belong but love where I am from.
Thank you so much for your time, Hannah.
Thank you so much for reaching out!
Cheers, Hannah
We look forward to seeing all that Hannah Ellis will achieve in her career. If you haven’t yet, her EP “Officer Down” and latest single “Home and a Hometown” are available for download on iTunes and for streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.
