On August 25, 2011, Suite101 spoke with 19-year old bluegrass sensation Sierra Hull. She opens up about her latest album Daybreak, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Dale Ann Bradley, covering Adele's “Someone Like You,” her proudest accomplishments, as well as the upcoming IBMA awards, where she is nominated in two categories.
Sierra Hull Talks About Bluegrass Music
On bluegrass music, Hull remarks “what makes it so special is the community that’s involved in this type of music. It’s different from a lot of other types of music, since it’s very social. It’s unique in that regard.”
Hull notes that she moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a full-time musician. “I spent two years in Boston going to school. It’s a really exciting time to be back in Tennessee.”
Sierra Hull Talks About Alison Krauss and Union Station
At the age of eleven, Hull had the good fortune to collaborate with Alison Krauss and Union Station at a concert of theirs, by playing mandolin on the tune “Everytime You Say Goodbye.”
“I started playing mandolin at eight and I heard Alison’s music when I was nine. At eleven years old, I got to play with her for the first time. It’s really awesome, since I was a huge fan of hers and Union Station is one of my favorite bands. I am forever grateful to be able to meet them at that age and have a chance to play with them. Alison’s a great lady, and she’s been very generous and humble,” Hull says.
Sierra Hull Discusses her “Daybreak” Album
“Daybreak is my second record with Rounder and it came out in March,” says Hull. “It’s a little different from my first album, since it has more original material on there. It’s a good representation of where I was at that point in time.”
Hull co-wrote seven out of its twelve tracks.
“I cannot say that I have a particular favorite song on this album” she says. “The goal when you try to make an album is to make one full of songs that you love. All the musicians that came and sang on this album brought the songs to life, and they really helped me make a record that I can be happy with!”
Barry Bales from Union Station served as producer for her record. “I’m a huge fan of Barry’s playing. He had a great vision and he’s very creative and has a good ear. We worked really well together and Barry is a great guy,” she reveals.
Sierra Hull Talks About Covering Adele’s “Someone Like You”
According to Hull, “I bought Adele’s album 21 several months prior to going in and recording. We had the chance to go in and do some live in-studio performances for CMT.com. The idea was to do a few songs off the album, and then also do a cover song. At the time I was listening to Adele’s record quite a bit. ‘Someone Like You’ was a song that I thought I could hear with a full band. Adele’s such an amazing singer, and to be able to change it up with a full band is a pretty cool experience.”
Sierra Hull Shares Proud Accomplishments
“I feel blessed to have had enough opportunities and exciting things happen at a slow pace to keep me inspired with things. I’m proud of the fact that I’m able to go out and play and make a living doing it at this point. It’s what I always wanted to do,” she admits.
Hull was the first bluegrass musician to be given the Presidential Scholarship at Berklee College of Music. “That was pretty awesome to be given something like that,” she acknowledges. “I was blown away because I didn’t think there was any way there would consider giving it to somebody like me. I’m doing a two year program there and I’m really enjoying my time there.”
Sierra Hull Talks About her 2011 IBMA Nominations
This month, Hull scored two nominations at the upcoming 2011 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards for “Emerging Artist of the Year” and “Mandolin Player of the Year.”
“It’s always great just to be recognized among your fellow musicians and to think that they like something that you’re doing. We’re usually nominated right among our heroes. It’s definitely an honor,” she admits.
Sierra Hull Talks About Dale Ann Bradley
Hull was featured as a harmony vocalist and mandolin player on bluegrass queen Dale Ann Bradley’s latest release Somewhere South of Crazy.
“I was just thrilled to get the call to play on Dale Ann’s record. She’s been one of my favorite singers for a long time now. She has a beautiful voice. I’ve played mandolin on several other projects but never had the chance to sing on anybody’s CD yet. I was very fortunate to get to sing on Dale Ann’s album,” she adds.
Sierra Hull Offers Advice for Hopefuls in Music
For hopefuls who wish to go into bluegrass music, Hull recommends they “go for it, and work real hard! Be active and pursue it. Just take things as they go. Eventually, the hard work will pay off.”
Sierra Hull Thanks her Fans
“Thanks for all of your support. I appreciate everybody out there that’s buying my music and coming out to the shows. I’m very grateful for those dedicated fans out there,” she says.
“If I can go out and do what I love, and I can go out and make people smile, and do something that other people are going to enjoy, that’s success to me. I think everybody envisions goals that they want to accomplish, but to me the greatest success is to do what I love, and there’s a great happiness that comes in that,” Hull concludes.
Many thanks to Sierra Hull for granting this interview!
For more information on Sierra Hull, please visit her official website.
Source
- Telephone Communication. August 25, 2011.
Markos Papadatos - Markos Papadatos holds over six years journalism experience, authoring over 700 articles, many of which are feature profile interviews.
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