Hallie Marie’s “Sanity” Depicts How Intoxicating Fun Can Unravel into Negative Consequences

Hallie Marie’s alluring blend of pop, rock, and folk influences helps her create a genuine connection through heartfelt lyrics and relatable storytelling. Her latest single, “Sanity,” blends alternative rock energy with an underlying punk attitude to help mirror the emotional whiplash of chasing freedom but waking up to the consequences.

It starts with an easy, infectious rhythm, then daringly swerves into something weightier, unravelling into a moment of raw reflection. The shift mirrors the story it tells— the excitement from losing yourself in the moment to heeding the cold slap of reality. The song is a manifestation of Hallie Marie’s intellectually curious spirit as she dives deep into the complexities of human emotions, crafting music that resonates with listeners on many levels — from the highs of love and joy to the depths of melancholy.

While embracing the beauty of authenticity and connecting with each of us at our core, Hallie Marie’s music invites her audience into her world, sharing not just her music but also her creative process — writing, arranging, and recording — along with the benefit of what she has learned through struggle and resilience. With this exclusive V13 interview, Hallie Marie offers an insightful glimpse into her artistry and upcoming single while aiming to connect deeply with her listeners by sharing meaningful ideas that reverberate long after the music ends.

How would you describe your own music?

Hallie Marie: “My music combines pop, rock, and folk music. I really enjoy folk lyricism and try to incorporate it into my music. Then the final product often has a pop or rock feel. I love a good rock ballad, and that’s what my song ‘Indebted’ is. This new song ‘Sanity’ is more upbeat with an alternative rock feel.”

How would you describe your creative process?

“My writing process involves as little thinking as possible. I cannot stress this enough. Sometimes I’ll be playing around on the piano, and a nice chord progression comes out. Then I’ll try different melodies, basically just throw things at the wall and see what sticks. I’ll usually put random words to it at first. So in the beginning, it’s just whatever comes to mind, as unfiltered as possible. Then I’ll go back and edit it to make it into a coherent song.”

Tell us about “Sanity.” What was your experience of making it? What went on behind the scenes? Any notable moments that stand out?

“‘Sanity’ was really fun to make. I was in the studio with my old band Direville, and we got to work together on the arrangement. The drums were super fun because we were playing with a sort of ’20s swing beat, and swing is always a fun time signature to explore. The bridge was my favourite part to work on because it is the culmination of the whole experience of letting things get out of control which is what the song is about, and I got to express that with fun sound effects like the breaking of glass and deep laughter. I feel that the chord progression change to a chromatic descent really fit that vibe as well.”

Cover Art for “Sanity”

What’s the best criticism you’ve ever received about your music or performance?

“I have heard before that sometimes my lyrics can be more vague than I intend. I love to write poetically, and sometimes I can get too involved in metaphor and imagery, which is not always immediately relatable. More recently, I have explored a more conversational style of lyrics, and I’ve gotten good feedback on it. Usually, when people listen to a song, they’re not analyzing it, they’re just looking for an easy-going experience to have fun with, and it’s good to be able to take people on a journey without them having to listen super deeply to hear the message.”

What’s your favourite city or venue to play?

“I played a small festival in Spain near Valencia, that was my favourite. It was a rainbow-gathering sort of event, with a kind of hippie fun vibe, with musical acts as well as bonding exercises, sunset yoga and things like that. It was just a few hundred people listening really intently, surrounded by fruit orchards and enjoying nature and community connection, feeling happy and connected with the music without alcohol. Usually, when you play gigs like in bars or clubs, everyone’s drinking and that’s fun in its own way. But it was really refreshing to play for a group of people who were completely sober, with eyes fastened on you, focused and enjoying really intentionally.”

What’s the most dangerous thing that’s ever happened at one of your shows?

“I fell down on the stage and scraped my knee one time when I was singing ‘Immigrant Song’ on stage in front of maybe 400 people. I was moving around a lot with high energy and I tripped so close to the edge of the stage that if I hadn’t caught myself I could have fallen straight off. At the time I was a little embarrassed even though the adrenaline made it fun. Later a friend said to me, ‘Hey, that’s just rock n’ roll baby,’ and after that, I sort of took it on as a badge of honour. Like ‘Yeah, I injured myself singing Led Zeppelin on stage. I don’t mess around.’”

What’s next for you?

“I plan to focus on recording songs in the studio for the next five or six months and then start playing some shows again later this year. My plan is to release a new song every six weeks for the indefinite future. Some of them will have more of a folk vibe and some will be more rock n’ roll. I’m especially excited about a couple I have coming up that will have kind of a ’60s rock vibe, like The Beatles.”

When you write do you do so with the live setting in mind or do you write a song just for the song’s sake?

“I write because I really enjoy the writing process itself. The rest is a bonus. I find that when I am focused on writing something for the performance value, the song doesn’t come out as well. One thing we can say about art that makes it different from other pursuits is that it is not a means to an end; it exists for the sake of itself. That is the nature of it, and I think it’s best to keep it that way.”