Meet Hana Kahn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hana Kahn.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When I was five, I knew I wanted to be a singer on a stage. That dream carried with me into adulthood, and here we are, with me living it and pursuing it!

It wasn’t until I was eighteen that I delved fully into songwriting (before that, I was Broadway bound!). Initially, I just wanted to share my music, but after a domestic-violence-ridden relationship in my early 20s, I knew it was time to use my voice – not just for music, but for advocacy.

I launched a blog where I publicly spoke of my experiences as a Survivor, Domestic Violence Warrior, and Mental Illness Warrior. The more I shared, and the more I poured that piece of my story into my music, the more I connected with people, and the more I saw how much our culture has stigmatized these issues.

While sharing my story was powerful, the real shift happened when I began my journey of self-love. The more love I poured into myself, the more I felt strong, felt like my dreams were possible, felt like I had begun fully living. I spent years thinking I could never fully recover from my experiences, and self-love changed that outlook.

Now, I aim to spread that self-love through my music and to cast a light on what it’s like to live with PTSD and mental illness. We all deserve to live just as we are, and I hope my music and message continue to convey that.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road definitely hasn’t been smooth, and I think it’s rare that it is for any artist or entrepreneur! Working through my PTSD and regulating my bipolar have been the biggest struggles for me. As much as I believed in my ability to be successful as an artist, I also had that nasty negative self-talk we all get sometimes – and for a long time, mine was constant.

Instead of telling her, “Hey, thanks for your opinion, but I’m gonna catch my dreams anyway,” I found myself thinking, “Yup, you’re right. I’m sick, and I’ve been through too much.” Giving in to that voice led to hurdles in my life that cause me to have to put my musical dreams on hold.

I won’t say that I’ve fully conquered that voice now because she’ll always be there – that voice is part of being human! My journey now is about sending that voice love, and acknowledging that our self-doubt comes from good intentions: Our self-doubt intends to protect us.

Now, when I hear that voice, I work through it and live alongside it, instead of letting it keep me from living my full life!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Oh gosh, I do so many things. Where to begin! I’d say music is my number one. I’m a songwriter, vocalist, keyboardist, and performer. I’ve also been a business coach, manager, promoter, and booker for fellow artists, and am a model, photographer, and blogger.

What sets me apart from others is my transparency about both my past experiences and my current day-to-day life. In this day and age of social media, I think it is so important to have representations of real life (as much as that’s possible to convey over media) because it can be so easy to get lost in each other’s perfect and beautiful portfolios.

I’m most proud of making my voice heard, of knowing my purpose and sticking to it, and of not listening to anybody who said, “Be realistic and get a job,” or “Have a plan B.” I’m a dream pursuer through and through.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I LOVE the Boston music scene! I would absolutely recommend someone start in Boston. There are so many communities and styles of music throughout the boroughs of Boston, so there are a lot of opportunities to develop artistry here and to integrate into different genres. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the competition is really minimal. This is the scene I started in, and I felt only support from the performers around me.

The one piece of the music scene I think needs improving is a promotion. Booking venues takes so much effort, promoting our shows takes so much effort – and of course, we’re happy to put it in! But that effort rarely feels reciprocated by the venues. It’s tough to see so many artists putting the work into their shows and still having to play to an empty room on a Monday night. I think there’s work to be done here.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.hanakahn.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hanakahnofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hanakahnofficial

Image Credit:
Hear and There Photography, Coleman Rogers Photo, Jaina Cipriano, Emily Stamp Photography, Savannah Daras

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