HALESTORM’s LZZY HALE On Never Giving Up: ‘It’s Almost Not Even Really A Choice’

In a new interview with Primordial Radio, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale was asked what has been the driving force behind the group to take her and her bandmates where they are today. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, there’s a couple things that bolster it. First, it’s our own childish, reckless abandon and stupidity that has absolutely driven the train since day one, because when we first got into this business, we could barely play our instruments, had no idea how to write a song for radio, didn’t have any connections in the music, no money. All of our dads were like mechanics and whatever — very lower middle class. Like, no uncles in the business or anything that we could like really hang on to, but there was this idea that it was kind of do-or-die. And once you find that thing, and collectively, thank God we all found each other, ’cause we all had that thing growing up where music kind of found us and saved us from a lot and became part of our identity. And so there’s a couple different things that bolster it now.”

She continued: “There’s no way that I can be Lzzy Hale or Elizabeth Hale, whatever you wanna call me, I can’t be me without this. If this was to go away, it’d be like me giving up an arm and a leg, literally, and I’d have to live my life without that and I don’t wanna do that. And then there’s also the aspect of family in the band too, whereas my brother’s [Arejay] our drummer, and he and I’ve been doing it since I was 13 and he was almost 11, We named the band HALESTORM in ’97 and never looked back. And so there is a huge part of our relationship and our growth together that is bound with this too. So it’s almost like you’re not gonna break up the band because of your own needs, mentally and physically, and then also it’s, like, you’re not gonna break up the family. There’s so much that goes into it. So, yeah, it’s almost not even really a choice. It’s like something more primal than that. And again, [I’m] very grateful that we haven’t killed each other yet. Obviously, we get on each other’s nerves every now and again, but we’ve never had a fight where we’re, like, ‘All right, that’s it. I’m out.’ Even in our weirdest times, that’s never been a question.”

Last month, HALESTORM bassist Josh Smith revealed to Jorge Botas of Portugal’s Metal Global that the band is working on its next studio album with acclaimed Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb, known for his previous collaborations with the likes of Sammy Hagar, Slash, GRETA VAN FLEET and RIVAL SONS.

Cobb has shared in nine Grammy wins, including four for “Best Americana Album” and three for “Best Country Album”. He’s also been named “Producer Of The Year” by the Country Music Awards, the Americana Music Association (twice) and the Music Row Awards, and has been a Grammy nominee in the category.

Lzzy (guitar, vocals) and her brother Arejay (drums) formed HALESTORM in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by Smith in 2004.

This past May, HALESTORM teamed up with country singer Ashley McBryde for a reimagined version of the band’s song “Terrible Things”, which was originally featured on the band’s latest album, “Back From The Dead”.

Last December, HALESTORM released a deluxe edition of “Back From The Dead”. “Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition” includes seven previously unreleased B-sides, including “Mine”, a 1980s-inspired rocker. “Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition” is available digitally, on CD, and cassette tape, marking the first time that the album has been offered in those physical formats.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a “Best Rock Performance” Grammy Award for its song “Uncomfortable”. Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of “Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance” for “Love Bites (So Do I)”.