Music student Spotlight: Hann Cassady

Acoustic musician Hann Cassady opened up about her upcoming LP release, Silent Moods, which is expected to be released by winter this year.

Cassady, a senior psychology major at The University of Rhode Island, taught herself to write and play her own music at the age of 17. Since then, she has found success by playing shows at many different venues, including the 193 Coffeehouse in URI’s Memorial Union. Cassady defines her sound as “honest and interpretive.”  She explained that lyrically focused songs are written in a way that can be interpreted differently, depending on the listener.

“I am, and have always been, lyric-focused,” Cassady said. “My melodies and strong structures are very simple on purpose. I put a lot of work into manipulating my words enough that they convey what I want while still being ambiguous.”

Cassady’s lyrics are extremely genuine and really speak to the listener because she is inspired by her surroundings and various life events. She said that this new album encompasses the last few months of her life, and the lyrics are written in a way that evoke something different to each individual listener. Dealing with daily struggles have spiraled into her writing an entire album, and it proves to be a successful way that she can handle her emotions.

“It deals a lot with my mental health diagnoses, dealing with the weight of being ‘labeled’ as mentally ill and other emotions that fall under that,” Cassady said.

She explained that she uses music as a relief and she could never write about something she hasn’t had a first hand experience with.

“It’s cliché, but all my lyrics stem from things that have either affected me directly or someone close to me,” Cassady said. “Usually, an event will occur and I’ll have no idea how to deal with the emotions that may follow. Suddenly, I am overwhelmed and I end up writing an album. That’s what happened with my last two and that’s what is currently happening with Silent Moods.”

Taking a step in a different direction, Cassady described that this album will show some progression from her earlier music, stating that this work will demonstrate how an artist can grow, while still staying true to themselves. With influences from various female artists, including Cocorosie, Meredith Graves of Pussy Riot and Courtney Love of Hole, this album will be have a different tone from her previous work.

“Sonically, I’m going for an eerie, wintery feel, with a lot more experimental elements,” Cassady said. “It isn’t just me and an acoustic guitar this time, I’ll leave it there for now.”

You can find more updates about Silent Moods, as well as previous music releases and upcoming show dates on Hann Cassady’s Bandcamp. Pictures from previous shows, as well as music updates, can be found on her Facebook page.