'I just had this really strong fire burning in me': Hanorah on her desire to make music

WARNING: This audio contains content about sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

The Block26:35Hanorah speaks on how she uses songwriting to express and heal on The Block

Montreal singer-songwriter Hanorah recently released Closer Than Hell, a new EP that showcases her diaristic songwriting and emotional depth.

Over gentle rhythms, she sings about grappling with ambivalence and learning to trust her artistic instincts. Songs such as Heavenly One and Matty are standouts on the project, filled with introspective lyrics and dulcet harmonies.

Hanorah joined The Block's Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe for an interview about her musical beginnings, the evolution of her sound and more.

You can hear the full interview above and read an excerpt of their conversation below.

So you're originally from Pierrefonds?

Yeah, Pierrefonds. But, my family says it "Pierre-fond," because we're Anglophone.

Okay, [it's] a suburb of Montreal. Your father is Black, your mother is Italian, and they met while in bands of their own. So right away, we've got a musical sort of history in your family. Was that a reason why you decided to go into music?

No, not directly. It was maybe just present in the household. So my sister and I were very much infused with funk and jazz and rock and roll and blues growing up. And so it wormed its way into my brain.

Were you in music lessons from a young age?

Briefly, piano classes. I didn't last, though. I was more into painting and sculpture growing up, and then when I was a teenager, I discovered Etta James. And that blew everything open for me. So I would listen back to videos of her on YouTube. Rewinding little segments until I could imitate the same runs, the same little tones and stuff.

That's big from a vocal standpoint to look to a voice like Etta James to train your voice.

I had no shame, I was just like, "I'm going to be as good as Etta James."

So you started the writing and the creation of the music prior to deciding to enter [La Voix], this televised talent competition.

Yeah, I don't know.

Your eye just twitched a little bit. 

It twitched because, yeah, I was just so full of hope and gumption and I just had this big idea of what I was gonna do and change my life and change the world and all these things, so I kind of just threw everything I could at it and just did everything I could think of to make something happen. I didn't know what yet, but luckily I did spend a little bit of time cutting my teeth in the pub scene in Montreal and writing my first songs with my bandmates, and Saturn Return was one of the early ones, yeah. Co-written with Paul De Rita, [a] talented guitarist.

So what made you decide that you wanted to... entering a televised singing competition is wild.

It's unhinged, is what it is. I didn't know what else to do. I just had this really strong fire burning in me. I had something to share, I had a message, and I knew that my voice was taking a direction that I felt would resonate with people. It was just this bizarre pseudo-spiritual psychosis type inner knowing. And then once I signed with my first record deal after that and was met with the reality of being a touring musician, then I sobered up real quick.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. To hear the full interview, listen to The Block on CBC Music.