Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Hannah Hughes. Together we discussed their relationship with music, Julez and The Rollerz, sedation, upcoming shows, and so much more!
1. Mustard is grateful to have you join them at Music Shelf. How are you doing today?
I’m great, feeling good about my Whisky a go go live performance last Saturday. It was my first sold out show. Very excited for the upcoming gigs.
2. You have been performing music and writing your whole life. Can you recall some of the first songs you wrote?
When I was 8 years old learning how to play trumpet, I wrote my first song about the holiday season and the annual snowfall in New York, where I grew up.
3. At eight years you picked up a trumpet. Afterwards you began to learn guitar, drums, and bass. What first interested you about the trumpet? What advice would you give to those hoping to become a multi-instrumentalist? Do you have a favorite instrument?
My grandfather was a jazz aficionado, so from an early age I was exposed to big band musicians like Benny Goodman, and jazz legends Charles Mingus, and trumpeter Miles Davis. I also remember thinking at that time that I wanted to play trumpet because no other girls were playing the instrument.
Play what feels right. Try out many instruments and develop a spiritual, artistic connection. Practice until your hands hurt. My personal favorite instrument is guitar.
4. You have been a staple in the New York and Los Angeles music scene. Is there a big difference between the two? What similarities do they share?
As someone who was born in the Los Angeles area and raised in New York, I’d say the LA music scene has a real sense of community and has a lot of accessibility to connections in the music industry. In NYC, there’s a great appreciation for performance art and more experimental music. My live performances take inspiration from both scenes. Both scenes appreciate a passion to create, and it’s infectious.
5. Mustard recently had the pleasure of interviewing Julez and The Rollerz. Which you are apart of. When did you first become involved with Julez and The Rollerz?
I started with Julez and the Rollerz in January of 2022.
6. Who would you consider some of your influences?
Jack White, DEVO, Lady Gaga, The Doors, Gram Parsons, The Velvet Underground, to name a few.
7. What is your creative process?
Sometimes I’ll sit with my guitar and write a cool riff, close my eyes listening to it, and sing a vocal harmony over it. Sometimes I’ll just be in the shower, or about to fall asleep, and hear a melody and rush to sing it into my phone, before creating a guitar part over it.
8. You were featured in a music video for A.R. Ameen. Could you share more about this experience?
I was back home and got offered the opportunity through mutual friends in the music scene. We had a fun time running around the city shooting the video, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn about video production and what goes into it. It was also cool to work with the son of an Oscar Winner.
9. 2019 saw the release of your debut single “The Killer.” Has the Killer been caught? What was the inspiration behind this single?
No, the killer has not been caught, and I suppose it never will. The song itself captures the intense highs and lows of a relationship, and how love is the killer.
10. The following month in 2019 you released two EPs “Sedation” and “Temptation” When did you first begin working on these projects?
The songs on the double EP’s we’re written between the beginning of 2019 until the summer of 2019, with the exception of one song, ‘Wave’ on Temptation, I wrote when I was 17 in high school.
11. What helps put you in a sedative state? How do you like to relax?
Now that I live in LA, I love to relax by taking hikes up to the Griffith Park Observatory. It provides calmness and brings me closer to my spirituality. Also, working on my music and my goals helps me relax.
12. Mustard wonders if you are tempted to be in a sedative state? Do these EPs have a shared universe?
Yes, they do. Temptation and Sedation represent two different sides of me. I like to say “when the audience tempts me, I sedate them”. I suppose Temptation represents the audience’s curiosity about me as an artist. Sedation is the state I believe I like to put them in when I perform
13. What makes a nice person? How does someone become the nicest person?
The title of The Nicest Person is ironic, because that song is about someone who was anything but nice to me. The subject of the song literally told me he was “the nicest person” but I later found out how untrue that was.
14. Mustard is curious: Who is Simi? Are you Simi? How did Simi inspire your album of the same name?
Simi is my middle name, and was my Aunt and my Grandmothers name. My aunt Simi died at age 43 from stage 4 breast cancer when I was 2 years old. She only knew me as a baby, but I feel her presence in me everyday. Her strength, will, and determination through everything she had to endure, inspires me to keep going and make her proud. Through this career I wish to live the life she didn’t get to live. The album represents my honest self, as the cover shows me shirtless with no makeup on staring at the camera.
15. You’re going through the garden. What are you picking from the garden?
I’d pick some pansies
16. A human gets the chance to see Hannah Hughes perform. What three words best describe your live performance?
Serious, honest, fun!
17. Do you have any upcoming shows?
Yes! Julez and the Rollerz have our EP release show on May 19th at Non Plus Ultra in LA. We are then going on on tour up and down the coast of California beginning May 26th through June 4th. My next Hannah Hughes show is June 10th at Universal Bar and Grill!
18. What is next for Hannah Hughes?
A lot is coming next! A new single and a new album on the way, big things approaching!
19. Where can readers listen to your music?
My music is available on all streaming platforms! I am also frequently active on my Instagram and tik tok!
Music Shelf With Mustard 