In Part Three of our interview with Lzzy Hale from Halestorm, the enigmatic frontwoman discusses her collaborations and the Nashville music scene. Halestorm plays Wembley Arena on 9 December 2023, and Lzzy Hale told MetalTalk that “London’s getting extra.”
Away from Halestorm, Lzzy Hale has done a ton of sensational collaborations. There are so many out there, including The Hu and Daughtry. The latest one is Imposter Syndrome with Sophie Lloyd.
Reflecting on the number of people she has teamed up with over the years, Lzzy says, “The irony is that I have I’ve said no to a lot of people that I wish I didn’t have to say no to, just because there’s a lot that always comes in. This is a good problem to have, what we call champagne problems because it’s a good thing to be wanted. But at the same time, I can’t do everything.
“But for every few nos, there’s a ton of yeses and I love doing it. I like saying yes to adventure and I like doing things that are different. I love collaborating with other people and writing for other people because it takes you out of your own world in a way. It’s just about living in the moment and being creative for another purpose besides something that’s self-serving for yourself.
“I always learn something new about myself, either about my instrument, my craft, about the way I sing or about the way I write a song or approach a song. I realize it doesn’t even really matter. The weirder, the better. You want me to do a collaboration with a rap star? Sure. Absolutely. There’s this pop EDM girl? Yeah, let’s try that. You always learn something new and you get to see how other people work as well.”
Now living in Nashville it was kind of inevitable that local country artists might make an appearance somewhere. So Lzzy reworked the song Terrible Things with country star Ashley McBryde. “There’s a tremendous scene in Nashville and it’s literally every genre. If you like emo pop rock, it’s out here. If you like Death Metal, it’s out here. If you like ’80s Metal, if you like country, it’s out here.
“There’s even a rap scene and a comedy scene out here. It’s definitely become a hub for creatives which is why I live here in Nashville. I moved here about ten years ago with our guitar player Joe, just on a whim. Just because it’s a central location. The buses come out of here. It’s music city and now the rest of the guys in the band are out here and we just kind of fell in love with it.
“It’s a good place to be for whatever flavour you might like at the time but has such a rich history with country music. I loved the collaboration with Ashley McBryde because she’s a rocker at heart.
“It’s kind of like I can dip my toe into country and probably be fine. The lines between rock and country have always been a little blurry. Chris Cornell could have put on a cowboy hat and probably had something in the country charts.
“So it’s kind of beautiful blurring that line with her and then her voice is amazing. We both sounded amazing together. So, it’s one of those great things that I can take off my bucket list.”
Halestorm play Wembley Arena on 9 December 2023.
