Classic Replay-Music Saved Me with Singer-Songwriter Holly Lovell

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Classic Replay – Music Saved Me with Singer-Songwriter Holly Lovell

Podcast: takin' a walk – Music History on Foot
Host: Buzz Knight reference, guest host Lynne Hoffman
Guest: Holly Lovell
Date: October 26, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of the “takin’ a walk” podcast features an intimate conversation between Lynne Hoffman and Australian-American indie folk artist Holly Lovell. Lovell’s new album “Hello Chelsea” forms the backdrop for an exploration into music’s profound healing power, personal grief, family history, the magic of live recording, and the bittersweet inspiration that New York City can provide. The conversation is candid and deeply emotional, focusing on music as a vehicle for self-discovery, processing trauma, and connecting with listeners experiencing parallel struggles.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Early Musical Influences and Emotional Connection

[03:16]

• Holly credits her mother as her earliest influence, describing how her mom’s moods were expressed through the music played around the house.
• Strong formative inspirations:
  • Patty Griffin: Praised for her raw emotional honesty and letting her vulnerability show (“lets her voice break a little in like what sometimes would be considered like an ugly way. But when you know what emotion is conveying, it’s like beautiful.” – Holly Lovell, [03:44]).
• Other early influences: Missy Higgins (noted for her emotional honesty during Holly’s adolescence in Australia), Counting Crows, and pianist George Winston when “sometimes you don’t need words.”

2. Music as Healing & Coping Mechanism

[05:18] – [06:49]

• Holly discusses how songwriting and music creation fuel her healing process, more so than passive listening:
  • “The healing power of music for me is really in writing…because then I get my whole body involved and I can write and I can feel.” ([05:30])
• She shares a moving example: after losing her uncle (the inspiration for much of "Hello Chelsea"), she found comfort in Donovan Woods’ “Our Friend Bobby,” which felt as if it captured her own heartbreak:
  • “…it felt like he was writing the song about my heartbreak…those moments where it’s not like it healed me, but it understood me.” ([06:16])

3. Music as Anchor Through Upheaval

[07:00]

• Holly recounts her move from the US to Australia at age 12 and how music served as a constant when everything else changed.
• She vividly describes the relief and sense of identity when her long-missing CD collection finally arrived:
  • “I remember the feeling when…my CD player and my CD collection showed up…it was like, you know, grounded. And again, I’m myself again.” ([07:38])

4. The Making of “Hello Chelsea” – Recording Old-School

[08:13] – [10:52]

• “Hello Chelsea” draws deeply from Lovell’s family history, particularly the loss of her uncle to addiction.
• A notable creative choice: Holly and her producer, Brian Joseph, recorded the album with the musicians together, live in-studio, reminiscent of 1970s’ methods:
  • “Being in a room with other people and recording in that way isn’t something you can really put your finger on, but I certainly think you can feel it over time.” ([09:09])
  • The time crunch forced a focus and energy: “…if we’re gonna get this done, we’re kind of just gonna have to go for it…we are all gonna just play at the same time. Just make it happen.” ([09:51])
• Holly emphasizes that performing and singing emotionally in the moment cannot be recreated by isolated overdubs:
  • “When I’m playing my instrument and singing, and I’m really in the lyric emotionally…that’s really hard to recapture.” ([10:26])

5. Vulnerability, Grief, and Listener Connection

[10:52] – [12:47]

• Holly reflects on how listeners connecting with “Hello Chelsea’s” themes of loss and addiction is powerful, but heavy:
  • “When somebody tells me something like that, I just don’t quite believe them…that’s an honor.”
  • “When somebody connects to something like that…you’re already in totally different territory.” ([12:36])
  • She is learning to “hold for other people” as her deeply personal work resonates with fans experiencing similar pain.

6. New York City – The Double-Edged Inspiration

[13:13] – [16:22]

• Lovell discusses her love/hate relationship with NYC, both as a symbol of promise and a source of profound family pain:
  • “There is an element of promise there…But when you’re there long enough…you just start to get that disappointed feeling that the city also has.” ([14:36])
  • On her uncle’s journey and decline in NYC: “I just couldn’t help but feel like it was the city that did this to him. And I saw the underside underbelly of the city so much…” ([14:23])
• Her song “Hello Chelsea” encapsulates that tension:
  • “The chorus is, ‘I’ve got to get out of New York City. I used to love it, but now it kills me.’…that’s exactly how I feel. I love the city with everything I have. And also…I cannot stay here.” ([15:41])
• New York, for Holly, is both a maker and breaker: “Just to persevere in New York City, I think is success. Even if you leave, you’re made there.” ([16:05] – Host Lynne Hoffman)

7. Closing Thoughts on the Mysteries of Healing Through Music

[16:36]

• Holly hopes her music “finds the right ears” and thanks the show for exploring “the healing power of music and lyricism and just that mystery that it is…to get into the places where others can’t get in and unlock something.”
  • Host responds: “Wow. That was almost a song in and of itself.” ([16:54])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Music unlocks something in you that then allows you to go and do the work of it.” – Holly Lovell ([05:30])
• “Those moments where…it’s not like it healed me, but it understood me. It saw me in a place where I didn’t feel like anybody saw me.” – Holly Lovell on Donovan Woods’ “Our Friend Bobby” ([06:16])
• “All these artists that I love so much…the more I would learn about their records, there would be that through line of like…they recorded it all in the same room…they did it live at the same time. And I started to just feel like there’s something there.” – Holly Lovell ([09:09])
• “When somebody connects to something like that… you’re just like, so sorry that that’s you, you know?” – Holly Lovell on connecting over family addiction and loss ([12:36])
• On New York City:
  • “All I feel is like possibility…and then when I looked back on this whole thing, I was like, oh, I can see what [my grandma] was feeling there. And they exist at the same time…the undercurrent of disappointment and…it’s a really strange place to be.” ([14:37])
  • “I’ve got to get out of New York City. I used to love it, but now it kills me.” ([15:41])

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Segment Timestamps

| Time | Topic | |:-------------:|:-----------------------------------------------| | 03:16 | Early emotional bonds with music/her mom | | 04:14 | Artists and songs that “came to her rescue” | | 05:18 | Belief in music’s healing powers | | 05:30 | Writing music as a path to healing | | 06:16 | Grief, loss of her uncle, and “Our Friend Bobby”| | 07:00 | Music during her move to Australia | | 08:13 | “Hello Chelsea” – family history & recording | | 09:09 | Recording live with band – old school approach | | 10:26 | Emotional performance versus overdubbing | | 10:52 | Being vulnerable, listener connections | | 13:41 | Love/hate with NYC – personal/family context | | 15:41 | “Hello Chelsea” and other NYC musicians relate | | 16:36 | Closing reflections on music’s healing mystery |

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Tone and Style

The tone throughout is warm, open, and introspective. Holly Lovell is earnest and articulate, while Lynne Hoffman guides the conversation with empathy and appreciation for Holly’s artistry and candor. The dialogue is respectful and thoughtful, providing insight into Holly’s process and the universality of music in our hardest moments.

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This episode is recommended for anyone interested in the interplay of music, grief, mental health, vulnerability in artistry, and the complicated relationship between place and identity.

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Transcript

[A]

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[A]

Remember the feeling when like my my CD player and my CD collection showed up like six months later and I got listened to my music for the first time in like forever and I just finally was like, you know, like grounded. And again I'm myself again.

[D]

I'm Lynne Hoffman and welcome to the Music Saved Me podcast. The podcast where I get to talk with musicians about how music and its healing powers helped save them and discuss how music works its magic on us all in so many ways. Now if you like this podcast, you might also really enjoy our companion podcast. Actually, I know you'll enjoy it. It's hosted by my dear friend Buzz Knight. It' taken a walk. Please check it out wherever you get your podcasts. Today I am so fortunate to get to speak with Holly Lovell, an Australian American indie folk artist whose music is steeped in emotion. Like her song When Did I Lose you? Which chronicles the confusion of a disintegrating relationship. Her new album, called hello Chelsea covers a range of topics that showcases her skill in conveying the power of music in dealing with grief, addiction and healing. Holly Lovel welcome to Music Saved Me. It's so great to have you here.

[A]

Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for that Intro.

[D]

It's so well deserved, I have to say. First and foremost, your voice is intoxicating. You know, you meet someone, you hear their speaking voice. You're going to hear Holly speak with me today. But when you hear her sing, I didn't even have to know the words you were singing. I immediately felt better. And that truly speaks to the power of your voice. Your music is also very soulful and meditative. My first question is, what was your first connection as a musician that taught you about the power of music?

[A]

My first connection that taught me the power of music. I mean, my mom, first and foremost, I think a lot of our music connection is our parents at first. My mom is deeply emotionally connected to music. So she, she processes her days and emotions through music. I know how she's feeling based on what was playing as she was cooking dinner. A lot of her artists are what I was originally steeped in. So one of my all time favorite emotive artists is Patty Griffin. I don't think anybody can write a song as steeped in like true, honest emotion as she can. She conveys it with her voice and lets her voice break a little in like what sometimes would be considered like an ugly way. But when you know what emotion is conveying, it's like beautiful. Yeah, I love that. I love that balance.

[D]

What songs or musicians you just mentioned, one of them have come to your rescue during some of your difficult times?

[A]

I mean, Patty Griffin has to be like number one. Funnily enough, when I first moved to Australia, I was 12 and this artist who, she's, she's pretty known in the world, but she's very known in Australia. Her name is Missy Higgins. She was just breaking onto the scene when I was 12 and I just moved there and her, her out, her first album came out, I think when she was like 18 or 19. So it was like very emotive because that's what you are when you're like that age. And I, it was like such a gateway into like me feeling my feelings because I think I don't do that naturally very well. I think that's probably songwrite and lean on music to help me understand what I'm feeling and thinking. So Missy Higgins, in the early days I was really into Counting Crows. Just another, another one. And then also the pianist George Winston, I listened to him a lot too. Sometimes you don't need words.

[D]

That's so true. That is very true. Do you believe music has healing powers?

[A]

Oh, absolutely, yeah.

[D]

What, has there been anything specific that you've been healed From. With the music that you've listened to and how you've used it.

[A]

The healing power of music for me is really in writing this, like, in making the music. Listening to it does heal me, but it always pushes me to want to go make something, because then I get my whole body involved and I can write and I can feel. I mean, even in those early days when I first started songwriting, I would be. I first started songwriting through poetry, but I would be writing poetry while listening to something that was, like, unlocking that little thing in me, you know? And I think, first and foremost, music unlocks something in you that then allows you to go and do the work of it. There was a song. There was a song that was really important to me when my. My uncle who passed away, that this album is about. That we're going to talk about. But when he passed away, I found this song by a songwriter named Donovan woods out of Canada, that's called Our Friend Bobby, I think. And it was one of those moments where it felt like he was writing the song about my heartbreak and my. What happened to my family. And I just sent it to my whole family, and I sat in the car and cried. And. Yeah, those moments where it's not like it healed me, but it understood me. It saw me in a place where I didn't feel like anybody saw me.

[D]

Speaking of which, you. Early on in your life, you moved from Australia to a new country. Did music come to your rescue during that time as well?

[A]

Oh, yeah. I actually moved from the States to Australia, and so sorry about that.

[D]

I just reversed the two. That's okay.

[A]

And then I moved back. So easy to do. Yeah. I mean, I was 12, so I. I was in sixth grade. I just finished sixth grade, and I moved. And, you know, I was about to turn 13, and I. I definitely turned to music then. I. I remember that, like, when we moved, all of our stuff got shipped in containers, and so it took, like, nine months for our stuff to get there or something like that. Six months maybe.

[D]

Wow.

[A]

And I remember the feeling when. Because this is before, like, streaming and everything, right? So I remember the feeling when, like, my. My CD player and my CD collection showed up, like, six months later, and I got to listen to my music for the first time in, like, forever. And I just finally was, like, you know, like, grounded. And again, I'm myself again. And then, I don't know. I never talk about my hands, but I guess we're here in this, like, small saga of my life. And she was a real, like, grounding place for me when I first moved there.

[D]

And now one of the things that I read about your newest release called hello Chelsea covers some, you know, some deep family history. Can you talk about your trip to New York city on your 28th birthday and tell us a little bit about how that family history of yours was involved? And the other thing is, making this album, you did something that. It's almost like you went back to the 70s. I was talking earlier with Buzz about it. You did something that a lot of artists don't do anymore, which is getting in the studio with someone looking at them face to face and recording and. And writing. And you went like, deep into the woods to do it, which I think you must be an old soul, because I don't think a lot of people even recall when times were like that, when you could. When you did that. Do you think that's a big part of why your songs and your music resonates with.

[A]

With people?

[D]

Because it was so emotional to make in and of itself?

[A]

I think that there's definitely something carried in the. It's untangible, right? Like, being in a room with other people and recording in that way isn't something that you can really put your finger on, but I certainly think you can feel it over time. All these artists that I love so much, the more I would learn about their records, there would be that through line of like, and they recorded it all in the same room or like, and they did it live at the same time. And I started to just feel like there's something there. Like, I haven't done that before in recording. And I really feel like there's something there and something that's stripped when. When that isn't happening. So I wanted to try it, and I'm really glad that we did it on this record. But yeah, I honestly, one of the reasons we did it was time restriction. Like, we had a couple weeks, three weeks, and me and my producer, Brian Joseph, we were like, you know, if we're gonna get this done, we're kind of just gonna have to go for it. Songs like, we're just gonna have to, like. We figured out how many songs a day that works out too. And we're like, okay, we are all gonna just play at the same time. Just make it happen. And I'm really glad we did.

[D]

That's so cool.

[A]

There's also something for me when I, like, I'm playing my instrument and singing, and I'm really in the lyric emotionally when I'm in that space that it's really hard to recapture that, like, whole connection, you know, when I just do vocals separate or just do guitar separate. Like, they inform each other. And this is a very emotionally charged record, so it needed that.

[D]

It definitely is. I just watched a music video for Lion's Den, which I also want to talk to you about. It's very emotional, and you're definitely working through some things that we all go through. And it's amazing that you're so open to being so open in your music for the community that listens to it. And what does it feel like when you know how your music has connected, you know, so deeply with. With your fans and people who listen to you?

[A]

Yeah, I think it feels incredible because I know. I know what that feels like as a listener, to, like, find an artist, like I did with that Donovan Wood song, where it feels like I'm, like, being seen in this place where nobody sees me. And to be. I mean, that's an honor. That's like, something that. When somebody tells me something like that, I just don't quite believe them, you know, because I'm like, really, like, I saw you in that place. That's so incredible. But it's also. Especially with this record, it's been something that's. I'm having to learn how to hold for other people and really learn how to understand how to handle those moments. Because this whole record is about, like, my family's very specific loss with a family member, my uncle, who had a drug addiction and was in and out of this drug addiction and in and out of contact with our family until he died from an overdose. So when somebody connects to something like that, like, that, you're already, like, in totally different territory than if somebody was, like, connecting to, I don't know, a more easy topic, like, moving across country. You're like, oh, yeah, same. I've moved across country.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

You're already in totally different territory. You know, with this record, when somebody goes, yes, that's me, and you're just, like, so sorry that that's you, you know?

[D]

Yeah, it's heavy.

[C]

It's.

[D]

It's heavy. But it must just feel so good that you're not alone. And then when you turn on Holly Level, you're like, yes, I'm not alone. This is exactly what I went through. And. And it's nice to know. It's amazing how many things you find out about when you talk, but music just takes it to a whole new level. It goes into you and so many ways beyond just talking.

[A]

Yeah. So it's like immediate insight.

[D]

Absolutely. Well, you actually just answered my last question. The one thing I wanted to tell you that I felt like we were very connected on was New York City. Because I read that quote about how you have a love hate relationship with New York City. Can you expand on that a little bit? Because it's something I've always tried to explain to people and they just, they don't quite understand. Unless you've been there.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

And you've done your time. Yeah.

[A]

I mean, I feel like I spent a long time trying to like sum up how I feel and then I wrote a bunch of songs about it and then I wrote that quote and was like, yeah, that's kind of it. Like it's. There is an element of promise there, which I think everyone in the world feels about New York. You know, coming from Australia, all anybody ever wants is to like go visit New York. It has that element of shine to it. But when you're there long enough, and particularly for me, when I watched a. I don't know how long it would have been, 20 year journey of my uncle moving there, who he was at the beginning, and then the many times and amounts of time I spent with him towards the end, I just couldn't help but feel like it was the city that did that did this to him. And I saw the underside underbelly of the city so much and I would go there on. On trips to visit with him and got left on corners waiting for him to meet me at a corner and I would wait there for hours. And you wait there long enough and you watch people walk by and your people watching and you just start to get that disappointed feeling that the city also has. When you're there long enough, you know, you kind of have this undercurrent of disappointment and it's a really strange place to be. I remember walking with my grandma there and she was like, I hate this city. She basically was like, there's nothing here. And I was like, really? Because all I feel is like possibility. And that was the early days, you know. And then when I looked back on this whole thing, I was like, oh, I can see what she was feeling there. And they exist at the same time, you know, they exist at the same time. It's. Yeah, it's tricky.

[D]

It's a tricky place, but inspiring for sure.

[A]

I know, it's. That's the thing, like I've shared. I shared the Hella Chelsea song, which, you know, the chorus is, I've got to get out of New York City. I used to love it, but now it kills me. I shared that with other songwriters that had lived in New York, and she was like, she's like, that's exactly how I feel. I love the city with everything I have. And also I was like, I have to leave. Like, I cannot stay here.

[D]

Well, in a way, it does mean that you've conquered. I mean, you went there, you had a purpose, and you were able to persevere. Just to persevere in New York City, I think is success. Even if you leave, you're made there.

[A]

For a period of time. Yeah.

[D]

Oh, my goodness. I could talk to you for hours. Holly, I really appreciate you spending some time with us on music. Save me. Was there anything that you wanted to discuss that we didn't talk about today that was important for you?

[A]

I hope that, you know, this music finds the right ears. And I really appreciate you guys creating a space where you can acknowledge the healing power of music and lyricism and just that mystery that it is, you know, to get into the places where others can't get in and unlock something. It's beautiful.

[D]

Thank you. Wow. That was almost a song in and of itself. You just spoke and it was great. Just an honor to have you on today and thank you and best of luck with the new album and come back and see us. We're not in New York.

[A]

Thank God.

[D]

Thank you so much.

[A]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

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