Diandra Interviews Rebecca Haviland: Capturing An Americana Spirit

Playing Berlin on June 4, Rebecca Haviland’s music combines a country roots sound with a heart-stringed sentimentality. Similar to Brandi Carlile or Kacey Musgraves, she crosses over genres, or her Americana style, through her vulnerability. You hear her music and you “get it.” Her voice is simple and serenading in delivering that life is and should be lived through your soul, and, in our interview, she discusses how her spirit has grown and reflects through music.  

Diandra: You try to stream your social and political views into your music. What about songwriting makes you feel safe and strong enough to be vulnerable? 

Rebecca: Writing songs gives you two ways to express yourself- musically with melody/chords and lyrically. Choosing certain melodies and chord progressions in conjunction with lyric ideas helps to express my social and political ideas more without having to be as direct with my lyrics.  This gives me the opportunity to say what I want to say, but still have my songs appeal to a broader audience.  I’m also creating art in a time and place where I feel safe to say what I want to say. New York has always been a place where artists have felt comfortable speaking out, and I’m grateful to be born and raised here, and continue to have the freedom to express what I want to say as an artist.

“You and I” – Rebecca Haviland and Whiskey Heart Official Video Diandra:  You do not shy away from speaking/ singing out on being a woman in this current world. If you could define womanhood in terms of a song, how would you do so? 

Rebecca: In terms of a song, I would say Bright City Lights from my last record. The lyrics touch on a few ideas, like social norms for women that are being questioned.  For example, the idea that women should smile all the time or we look sad. I’m tired of being told to smile all the time! The song also talks about being raised with tradition, but also bringing those traditional ideas into a modern society.  As a woman, I’m excited that the new norm is for women to be strong mothers and independent business women all at the same time.

Diandra: You have talked about how your grandparents, as musicians, and their marriage inspired your songwriting. How do you connect music to love? 

Rebecca: A lot of my songs deal with different kinds of love- long lasting relationship,  falling in love, losing love, or trying to find love.  My new single “Hideaway” talks about the love of a memory, and how remembering a brief moment in time can bring us back to maybe a moment when we felt the most loved.

Diandra: Bright City Lights, as a record, is about hope for change and positivity. What are the positives you see in our current world and how do they bring you hope? 

Rebecca: Positives in our current world would definitely be getting to see people challenge the social and political norms and succeed.  I travel a lot, and seeing more and more unisex bathrooms at airports and music venues has always brought me so much joy.  

Diandra: Defined as an Americana songwriter, how do you feel this genre embodies or reflects upon American society? 

Rebecca: Americana music has been an interesting genre to live up to.  I’ve always been a writer that thrives on American roots music, especially blues and rock n roll.  Both of those sub genres really reflect on American society, especially if you look back to the initial inspirations for those styles of music. Rock n roll has always been about saying what you want to say and challenging society or politics. Blues has been about singing melodies that create tension notes, which helps to reflect emotion more deeply.  

Diandra: What can we expect from your upcoming album, and how do you feel it reflects your growth as an artist? 

Rebecca: Our new album will be out in the fall.  I’ve been in a really nostalgic point in my life and career, and have been writing a lot of songs inspired by memories I’ve had in my life.  “Hideaway” is inspired by a memory I had of my first late night drive home from a gig in New York City.  It was a beautiful summer night, and I rolled all the windows down and was blasting Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye.”  I wanted Hideaway to be my version of a great late night drive song, with lyrics that reflected my memory of that night.  It’s also become a collection of stories inspired by women, but can be related to by anyone.  I’ve grown a lot since the last album as a person and as a songwriter.  So looking for new inspirations and trying out different tempos and feels with my band really was the goal for this album.

Diandra: You have said your newest work will be a collection of stories about women. Who are the women in your life or in history that have most defined what strength means to you? 

Rebecca: I was really moved by the #metoo movement, especially by women in the music industry that spoke out about experiences they had.  So there will be a song on the new album called “Adeline” that touches on that.  I’m also inspired by my grandmother, who raised 6 boys and made music a priority in all of their lives and all 19 of her grandchildren’s lives.  Politically, I am incredibly inspired by Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  She is always calm, collected, and incredibly smart with the way she defends her point of view.

Diandra: What was the inspiration behind “Hideaway,” and who or what do you consider your “Hideaway” when you need peace? 

Rebecca: Hideaway is my take on a late night drive song, something you could blast on a long drive, sing along to, but also really dig in to the lyrics and be reflective about maybe a moment in your life that brings you back to your favorite hideaway.

My hideaway is definitely my house at the moment. I finally have my own creative space to reflect and write songs, and it faces my garden. So I love getting to hang out and look at the garden and write and chill with my cats.  I’m also super nostalgic about upstate New York.  I grew up spending the summers in the Catskills, riding bikes in the woods, strawberry picking, and swimming in the lake.  So upstate New York would definitely be my other favorite hideaway.  My friend and fellow musician, Evan Watson, has a brewery in Poughkeepsie, NY called Plan Bee Brewery.  Anytime I get to go up and visit and spend the afternoon on his farm, it feels like a hideaway.

Diandra: What is your favorite childhood memory that involves music? 

Rebecca: I have two favorite childhood musical memories.  The first is playing music with my grandparents in their house.  My grandpa would play drums and improvise around me singing lead vocal on a jazz standard while my grandmother would play piano.  I’m so grateful that I grew up with a musical family and have quite a few memories of making music with my grandparents.

My second favorite childhood memory was performing with my band at my high school graduation party.  My dad helped clear out the garage, and we set up the band and played a bunch of classic rock tunes for my entire family.  It was the first of many family events where I’ve been given the chance to share my love of music with my family.

For More Information On Rebecca Haviland Click Here.