October 13th, 2023 (Nashville, TN): Hannah Anders reminisces on the old days in new single and music video “18”.
Download and Stream: https://soulspazm.ffm.to/18single
The intro of this song features a light acoustic guitar along with the distinctive sound of a steel guitar. This intricate melody is played under Hannah’s soft voice as she sings the first lyrics “I’m not 18 anymore.” The instrumentals play a quiet role, staying in the background truly allowing Hannahs heartfelt lyrics to stand out. The chorus shines bright as Hannah sings “I’m not as crazy as I used to be / Don’t jump in the fire with both feet / Lord only knows how I came this far with a reckless head and a rebel heart.” Hannah uses this beautiful tune to express her gratitude to her younger years as well as her thankfulness that she isn’t like that anymore. Just like everyone else, she was once a kid who made quick and impulsive decisions leading her down difficult paths. Now she has learned from her past and grown into the intelligent woman she is today.
“After sitting with my producer and reviewing the giant handful of songs I had written for an upcoming project, he looked at me and said, ‘I feel like we’re missing one more. One more that’s YOU, that’s personal, that’s your story.’ So I set off to continue writing, and set up a co-write with Nashville writer Kris Bergsnes. As we sat and talked about lyrical ideas we both had in our journals and stories of our lives (as you do in a songwriting session) , he shared a possible idea with me as a starting point for our yet to be written song. I can’t even tell you now what it was, but it just felt like a song idea for a younger girl, someone who hadn’t experienced as many of the hits and victories of life yet. It felt like it belonged to a girl I hadn’t been in a long time. So I kind of shrugged my shoulders and said, “I don’t know…it feels like an idea for someone else…I’m not 18 anymore.” He paused and looked at me and said, ‘That’s it. That’s your song. That’s what you need to write.”
She continues, “I left the session, marinating on what that meant to me. What it meant to be past the innocence of unending youth. How relieved I was to be past it honestly. How much I had learned. How many disappointments and victories I had experienced. How grateful I was to be in a place where I was unapologetically who I am. The lyrics started to come. It was truly the most honest song I had written in a long time. I had written so many of my other songs at this time with fellow writer Kris Bradley, and so I pulled her in at the end as another set of eyes and ears, another woman who had plowed her way through this industry, and we put the finishing touches on it. What came out of this time in my life is a song that comes from my soul, and I’ve been waiting to share until the right moment. And the right moment is now. I’ve had the privilege of singing this song both at home based shows and halfway around the world on tour, crying with people in the room as we all feel our way through what it means to not be “18 anymore,” and I am beyond excited to share this piece of my soul now with everyone. Whether you’re 25 or 95, I think you can find yourself here, in the lyrics, in the feeling, in the meaning. We can all use a place to celebrate what it means to conquer the ups and downs and life, and come out the other side proud of who we are and where we are.”
Along with her single, Hannah Anders has also given her fans a beautifully done music video to match. This video is very warm and welcoming as it gives the feeling we have been invited into Anders’ home to share this time with her. With varying scenes of the singer throughout her house, she delicately sings of the girl she used to be. The audience can feel the intense wave of nostalgia as B-rolls of Hannah flipping through an old photo album go hand-in-hand with her introspective lyrics. The video ends with Hannah closing the photo album as if signifying that storytime is over. This is the perfect video for this song. A flashy video with dramatic camera movements and crazy outfits wouldn’t have gotten the message across the way this video did so effortlessly. Hannah kept things simple showing a deep understanding of her art.
