Singer-songwriter Becca Hannah creates music that blends styles of R&B, soul, jazz, and pop to communicate the complexities of human emotion. “Caramel,” the lead single off of her upcoming album “Tonight In My Dreams,” embodies the irresistibly addictive feeling of a new crush. It brings a light-hearted and playful start to the album’s emotional journey. Beyond the music, Hannah shows her passion for supporting children with developmental disabilities and mental health struggles through her work at organizations like Holding Hands. To learn more about Becca Hannah and her upcoming album, read on.

Where are you based?
Los Angeles, but I was raised in Boston.

What inspired you to pursue music?
I’ve been singing around the house since I was three or four years old. I have always felt most present while on stage. Music is a vessel for my processing, reflecting, and self evolution. Art and music communicate the nuances of the human experience in ways that simple conversation cannot. Writing and singing can surpass my ego, and raise my vibration. I feel most centered, present, purposeful, and at peace when I’m on stage and creating moments that bring people together.

Congratulations on your new album “Tonight In My Dreams” coming out January 23. What inspired the creation of this album? What are some things listeners can expect to hear from it?
Ah, thanks so much! I’m super thrilled about it. It’s my debut album, written alongside my close friend and creative collaborator, Tristan. We pieced together a conceptual story inspired by past and present personal experiences from our lives. It’s an exploration of the emotions that shape us—passion, pain, love, anxiety, and the transformation that follows.

How would you describe the music style of this album? Were there any specific inspirations behind how you wanted it to sound?
I would say the musical style is vintage with a blend of R&B, soul, jazz, and pop. We recorded it with a live band, including a three-part horn section, which brought a really raw, timeless, organic energy to the sessions. There’s something about recording live that puts me in this in-between state—it’s immersive, almost meditative.

What do you hope listeners take away from this album?
I hope listeners connect with and find meaning in the layered stories within each track, each in their own way. I want people to find solace in the fact they are never truly alone. I also want listeners to experience the light-heartedness and joy that we felt while recording the album.

The first single off of the album, “Caramel”, is out now! It's a very upbeat and positive song with an addictive quality to it. Can you tell us the story behind this song? Why did you decide to release it as the first single off of the album?
Aw, thanks so much for your support! It is SUCH a fun song to sing and dance to. My entire body lets go when I hear it, and I can’t help but move. A pure sense of joy is consistently evoked. I feel like the majority of my songs so far are a bit more emotionally intense, so it feels nice to lighten things up and bring in some playfulness. We released it as the first track because it symbolizes the lustful beginning of a love story — the dopamine craze of a new crush. But that barely scratches the surface of the entire album.

How does “Caramel” fit in and connect with the rest of the album?
It was inspired by a delicious birthday cake that accidentally got on my new sweater and left its sweet scent behind for days. That moment sparked an idea for Tristan and me—it felt like the perfect metaphor for the kind of irresistible attraction you have toward someone you can’t get out of your head. The craving, the rush, the obsession—it’s intoxicating and so much fun. The rest of the album explores a relationship that grows from this intoxicating crush—and the inevitable challenges that come with love, among other themes.

“Tonight In My Dreams” is your second album. How have you grown and changed with your process of making music since your first album?
My first EP, “Taking Flight,” was recorded in a bedroom with my acoustic guitar between 2018-2020. It’s cute and definitely does represent where I was at that time. “I Lose Track of Time” was recorded with more in-depth production, and I started to lean more into the R&B sound. Both EPs were almost like diary entries of my immediate life in motion. Whereas “Tonight In My Dreams” is a concept album, which tells a made up story inspired by true events. This album was also recorded live with a full band, and with analog equipment, so it’s a significant vibe switch production-wise. I feel like I’ve been able to lean into the fact that with trust and patience, I can turn all song seeds into infinite stories, even if these stories aren’t currently relevant to the events occurring in my present life. The cool thing is that everything we write flows straight from the subconscious—it all stems from real moments we’ve lived. Everything we write and listen to are mirrors to our souls.

Music has always come naturally to you. Why do you think expressing yourself comes easiest to you through music?
Music can access a passageway into the complexities and colors of my emotional experiences that linear communication cannot. I have a million thoughts in my head at all times, and my mind is rarely in an organized state, which is why I love writing and singing. Songwriting enables me to illustrate the non-linear fashion of my internal world. This experience holds space for more in-depth processing and enhanced self awareness. The best part, though, is that music grounds and brings people together, which is so important in our digitally focused world. We need community, and we need to be brought out of our heads and into our bodies.

You are currently working with the organization Holding Hands. Can you tell us about this organization and some of the work you do? How did you get involved with them?
Yes! Holding Hands is an organization that serves children and adults diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They offer a range of services such as counseling, adaptive skills training, social skills training, to name a few!

I’ve been facilitating an adaptive skills intervention for neurodivergent children called Floor Time / DIR. The D stands for developmental, the I stands for individual difference, and the R stands for relationship-based. Floor Time / DIR emphasizes play, creativity, and relationship building as a means to assist individuals with meeting their developmental capacities, which include skills in self-care, communication, social engagement, and play-leisure. We work on attaining these goals in their homes or out in the community through playing, whether it be games, toys, pretend play, or other forms of creative arts. For older children, teens, or adults, this may also look more like talk therapy. This “third thing” (whether it be a therapeutic space, a toy, a game, etc) is what allows us to relate to each other, and it is a canvas for exploring the ways in which we engage with ourselves and the world around us.

This work is part-time, as I’ve been pursuing music full-time. I’ve noticed that this service-based work grounds me and provides a sense of structure — a steady anchor amid the chaos of the music industry.

You do play-based therapy with neurodivergent children at Holding Hands. How do you approach this differently with neurodivergent children?
The play-based therapeutic approach in the Floor Time/DIR model fosters a safe, collaborative space that honors each individual’s unique developmental needs and abilities. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to play, creativity, or connection, making this work accessible to both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals. I let clients take the lead and meet them exactly where they are.

You have volunteered and worked for a lot of organizations dedicated to mental health, developmental education, and so on. What motivated you to get involved? Can you tell us a bit about some of the organizations you have been involved with and the work you have done?
I have always felt passionate about serving others, and making them feel understood regardless of their emotional, cognitive, and developmental abilities or needs.

In high school, I volunteered at a nursing home, playing music for residents with dementia, and also served as a 1:1 volunteer at a Hebrew school serving children on the autism spectrum and with developmental disabilities.

Post college, I started out teaching yoga and art at a nonprofit that serves both children and adults. From there, I worked as a mental health specialist in a locked psychiatric unit at a psychiatric hospital, and later as a developmental educator at a community-based adult day program, where I led mindfulness-based creative arts and yoga groups.

You have your Master’s in Counseling and Expressive Arts Therapy. Can you tell us a little bit about this? What is your approach to therapy and mixing it with art?
Yes! Mental health counseling was always something I wanted to pursue, alongside music. Expressive arts uses all arts-based modalities (music, writing, movement, art, etc) for therapeutic self-exploration. During my training, I interned with adults with dementia using music therapy interventions, and later facilitated both individual and group counseling sessions for adults with severe mental illness, incorporating expressive modalities like music, writing, and meditation. Each artistic modality significantly influences each other, cultivating a transformative, liminal space. A song might move our bodies, which then sparks an image in our minds to draw, and so on. From these images, we can create stories and explore what they reveal to us. Sometimes, photos or visuals offer more accessible ways to express ourselves. By engaging with these creative modalities with the compassionate support of a clinician / facilitator, we can uncover deep insights about our unconscious, subconscious, and overall inner lives. There is no right or wrong way to engage in expressive arts, and there is infinite knowledge and wisdom in all that we create.

What advice do you have for anyone struggling with mental health?
Trust the impermanence of every moment, feeling, and thought. Whatever is present for you right now will inherently shift. It is okay to not feel like your best self. The moments in which you feel lost and overwhelmed will bring you immense growth, and it will happen over a timeline that is most aligned for you. Embrace uncertainty, and trust the ebbs and flows of life. You don’t have to have everything figured out. Life figures itself out for you in time. Nurture relationships with individuals who make you feel emotionally safe and understood. You are stronger than you think, and you are loved!

What advice do you have for young girls wanting to pursue a career in the music industry?
Maintain a self-care practice to ground yourself, and a solid support system, even if it is one individual you can trust. Remind yourself of your worth, and trust your instincts. Not everyone in this industry has your best interest in mind! Stay true to your art, even if that means disappointing others. Tell stories that pique your interest. Honor your challenges while maintaining the awareness that you are powerful.

Are there any upcoming projects you are currently working on that we should be on the lookout for?
I’ll be releasing my next single, Empathy, on November 6th. My third single on the album will be released December 4. Then, my full LP will be out January 23rd!

It has been a rough few years, and we expect at least three more. How have you been staying positive?
I try my best to maintain a consistent mindful practice, whether that be through yoga, meditation, journaling, or art-making. Accessing a space to connect to your mind and body, and engage in some form of creative play, is key to nourishing your spiritual self.

What is your motto in life?
This too shall pass (but to be honest, I should take my own advice more).

To learn more about Becca Hannah, please check out the links below:
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Becca Hannah's Addictive Album