U of O student Hannah Vig has taken Ottawa by storm with her emotional music and soulful voice
The Fulcrum (F): Can you introduce yourself and your music to the Ottawa student community?
Hannah Vig (HV): I’m in my third year of an English degree, and I plan on doing a master’s in Information Sciences to be a librarian as of now. But I do [currently] work at the Ottawa Public Library. I love working there. I thought, “I could do this for a while.”
In terms of music, people might recognize me from the first uO Pride Queer Connection in 2022. That was my first gig ever actually. There were 300 people at the SAW art gallery. It was just me and my guitar, playing songs that I wrote that were not good.
And that’s how I became friends with other newer bands in the Ottawa music community, like Noise Hotel, Out by Lucy, and Dart Trees. That was when things picked up a little bit. I love performing. I always really liked singing, but I just was so terrified of actually doing it. I would get so anxious. So I never thought about actually doing it. I didn’t think I was going to actually get to do Queer Connection.
But after the SAW performance, it was like I got bit by a bug because of the adrenaline of playing live. I just wanted to feel that again. So then I organized my own show for July of that year.
F: How have you evolved from that very first show?
HV: I think I’ve logged about 30 gigs in Ottawa. I think the first, 10 or 11 at least, I would feel like I was gonna be sick before every show. And now it happens occasionally and I’ll feel like maybe a little off but the second I get on stage it goes away. Also, my debut EP came out last year!
F: What thing or person sparked your interest in writing music? Or was it an event?
HV: The reason I first started writing music wasn’t really for the sake of performing anything, it was my attempts of processing a lot of things I experienced, particularly, I was in a relationship that was incredibly abusive, and I found that there was limited amounts of discussion about those abusive relationships. So I didn’t really know how to deal with any of that. So I started just writing and then I picked up guitar around that time. I started writing to come to terms with all those awful things. I really enjoyed it and realized it was a really nice outlet for me. So I kept writing.
Around Queer Connection, I wrote a couple songs that will never see the light of day. But, I’m a firm believer that all writing is productive, even if it’s not objectively good, because you’re still honing your craft, you’re still creating something, which can never be a bad thing. I think, probably around 2023, I started writing things that I felt strongly about. Inspiration comes from a lot of experience. I think it was in the last year when I started writing things that are a little more fictional.
F: Is there an artist that inspires you?
HV: Yeah, Taylor Swift is definitely my biggest inspiration for sure. Especially with the whole writing about my life. I draw inspiration from artists like that, who write about their experiences, and I do try to be authentic with my writing.
F: How did you go about producing your music? How can others do the same?
HV: For my EP at least, I worked with somebody else for it because using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is so difficult. I’ve worked with a local producer and musician, Kieran Isley, and he’s also in a band called Country Club Pool Boy. He also did Noise Hotel’s EP, A Traveller’s Guide, and it was around the time they started working on their EP, he was at a show that I was playing. I was asking Eric Montpool (Noise Hotel’s Lead) like, please introduce me to him because I would love to work with him because I love what he’s doing with your stuff. So Eric introduced us (…) and then most of last summer was spent in his home studio recording that and putting that out. I think for people who either haven’t been able to meet people who might have those kinds of skill or aren’t involved enough in the community to have these connections, I think something that helps is just honestly just messing around on your own.
Also, in the Arts Court, there is a studio where they have all this recording equipment and DAWs and everything.
F: How did your background contribute to your music?
HV: Everyone in my family’s either an artist or some sort of rocker. So I grew up singing with my dad. My dad plays guitar and sings and so growing up, he would play and I would sing, a lot of The Beatles like “All You Need Is Love”.
Also, my brother studied audio engineering. He does a lot of recording for death metal bands and metal bands in Arizona. I think I actually only got into music around the time that I found out that he did that. I have six older siblings, and half of them are musically inclined and the other half either work music or are also musically inclined. But I actually started with photography as my main creative outlet.
F: Since getting started you’ve started playing with the band. Do you have a preference for playing solo or with the band?
I think it is very different. Honestly, I’m still unsure which I prefer more. It depends on the day. But I think lately I love playing in a band because the guys in my band are some of my best friends. The guys in my band are Nae Roy-Ling, Matthew Scharfe, and Eric Montpool
Whenever we have a show coming up, we rehearse a couple weeks prior. When I write new tunes that I think would be good for us, I’ll send it their way. We figure out how to play it together. And there’s a lot more freedom with a band. Whereas with just me and a guitar, it sounds a little more folky. A little more personal, which I do enjoy. I have been getting a little more into rock writing. And I think it fits really well with the band, especially with the band that I do play with. We all complement each other very well. And we play together very well.
F: What advice would you give to others who are interested in putting their creative work out into the world?
HV: I feel like the biggest thing is just to care about what you’re putting out and care about what you do, which I feel like anyone who is an artist puts things out because they care about the music.
I tell people that open mics are a good place to start. That is actually how I met my bassist and my band. There’s Art House and Live on Elgin also against a very like hub for creatives in Ottawa and they do have mics on Monday nights as well.
You can follow Hannah on Instagram and Spotify.
