More Than Just Funny: Henry Hall Embraces Vulnerability
Photo Credit: Emily Nigro
Indie pop singer-songwriter Henry Hall is well-known for his ability to create catchy songs that intertwine humor with smart lyrics. However, his new productions switch apart from his usual style and dive deep into the self with total honesty. He recently presented “Like A Knife,” this brutally emotional track represents the first single of the newest chapter in his career. Motivated by the memory of his friend, who was tragically killed due to gun violence, Henry Hall crafted a song that honors her creative spirit and keeps her memory alive.
“I wrote this song to commemorate the untimely passing of my friend Claire. The only way to describe the feeling of hearing the news over the phone was that it hit me ‘like a knife.’”
– Henry Hall
In an exclusive interview for RIVAL, we had the chance to personally discuss with Henry Hall the impact this song had on him, from the heartbreaking moment of getting to know the tragic news, the process of transforming this experience into a soulful tribute, and the complex emotions he navigated as both an artist and a friend grieving a loss.
Besides discussing his musical projects, he also told us about his artistic acting role. We talked about his participation in the comedy show “Dinner with the Parents,” where he brings the character of David Langer to life, and how this experience felt for him compared to what he is used to doing as an entertainer on stage. Finally, he lets us know what the future looks like for him, including the release of his album, “Stop Doing Funny Stuff,” very soon.
“Like a Knife” is a fascinating song, tell us about the process of writing it. Was it cathartic?
It was quite cathartic writing it, yeah. It’s always meaningful to write and finish a song, but in this case, it felt particularly fulfilling because of the subject matter. We kept the instrumentation pretty simple and true to the demo, which I think helps highlight the lyrics and vocal arrangement. Jess Best sings backups on this tune too, and it really enhances the song and brings it to the next level.
How do you even tackle such a delicate, difficult subject as a songwriter?
I think you have to do it on your own terms. I didn’t set out to write a song about my friend Claire’s passing, but it came out naturally, which is appropriate. My friends Connor Schultze and Jess Best were closer with Claire than I was, so making the tune with them made it all the more comfortable and meaningful.
Your music often features a lot of humorous elements - not so here. How did it feel to step outside your usual for this?
It felt good! Whatever is top of mind emotionally for me is usually what ends up coming out lyrically, so “Like a Knife” felt right because it was true to what I was feeling. The song actually starts out with a true story of me telling a failed joke to my friend John when he called to tell me the news about Claire. He said, “Are you sitting down?” And I thought he was gonna say something funny, so I said “Yeah, I’m lying on my couch, does that work for you?” That’s basically what happened verbatim, and it ended up in the song.
Photo Credit: Emily Nigro
What can you tell us about your experiences in “Dinner with the Parents” so far?
That was an incredible experience. Writing music is quite isolated for me because I do it on my own, so being on set with tons of people all day every day was a totally new and exciting experience for me. I loved it. It was kind of a relief to be reminded that I can still be a functioning member of society and be around other human beings, lol.
Creatively speaking, how do you feel about acting vs. performing music live? Do the two overlap for you somehow?
They do, and they don’t — I’m not really acting when I’m performing music live. Who I am on stage is kinda who I am in real life too, but an exaggerated version in order to entertain everybody a bit if possible. Music is my first love, so I’ll always prefer performing music live, but acting has been exciting for me because I’ve loved collaborating with people in this new way with this new craft. I was lucky to be part of really, truly the greatest cast ever on DWTP.
Are there other artistic or creative roles you’d like to see yourself in the future?
Well, if all else fails, I’m just gonna make one of those accounts called like “@trillionaire.grindset” or whatever and post pictures of Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders with captions threatening people to share the post with 10 friends or have bad financial luck for the next 6 months. That seems to be working out for a lot of people, and I want to get in on the action.
Speaking of the future… what’s coming next for Henry Hall?
Besides @trillionaire.grindset? Well, I’m releasing my next album “Stop Doing Funny Stuff” on August 23rd, so keep an eye out for that! Also, I’ll be doing a tour soon so, hope to see you guys soon.
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