Junior Savannah Hail started singing at a young age at Park Cities School of Music.
“My mom was originally pushing me to do a lot of things from a very young age, so I could find my passion really [quickly],” Hail said.
Her mom, Stacey Hail, enrolled her in lots of extracurricular activities at a young age including piano, ballet and dance.
“I thought that she was going to do piano, and next thing I know, she enrolled herself in singing lessons,” Stacey said. “I just thought that singing would be a fun hobby, but it turns out that it’s her passion.”
Everything soon clicked as Savannah found her passion for singing and songwriting. Savannah partnered with producer Marc Williams after he heard her performing one day.
“I started working with Savannah in 2021 after I discovered her at a talent competition,” Williams said. “She was skilled and very confident on stage for her age and I was certain there was a lot of raw talent there that could be developed.”
After Willimas started working with Savannah, they worked on what kind of music she wanted to produce. They discussed what genre she liked and how she would like to perform. They decided that the concept behind Savannah’s single, “Every Hour,” would be derived from a vintage vibe.
“She was trying to combine some of her vintage style from the 1940s,” Stacey said. “She likes a lot of those kinds of artists from the ‘old master’ so to speak.”
Savannah has many inspirations that influenced her to create music with this vintage style, but her biggest inspiration is Amy Winehouse.
“‘Every Hour’ was heavily inspired by Amy Winehouse, especially ‘Back to Black,’” Savannah said. “I love the crooner type of music.”
The production process of “Every Hour” took a total of four months, including the concept development, track production and rehearsal.
“After she felt extremely confident with the song, she came [to] Los Angeles to record it in the studio with the team,” Williams said.
After showing success on Apple Music and Spotify, the song convinced the team to release a music video.
“The first video, we were going around to different sets and seeing what all we could film during a day,” Savannah said. “It took a lot of effort from me and I did throw up. It was really scary.”
Stacey went along with Savannah to Los Angeles and watched the film process as well.
“All of a sudden we are at a music studio and I look up and I can see the Hollywood sign and it just felt surreal,” she said.
Since Savannah has been more involved in the music industry, she’s slowly started to discover its darker side, feeling that some people look down on those pursuing music. Stacey, aware of stigma and pressures, was hesitant to allow her to go into the music industry full time because of the dangers that many young artists face, but she eventually let her daughter go into the industry.
“As long as I feel like she keeps a good head on her shoulders and proceeds carefully, then I would love to see her continue in this endeavor,” Stacey said.
As Savannah learns more about the music industry, she is trying to embrace herself and create her own brand.
“At this stage, I am still developing and it is about growing up and finding out who I am and what kind of singer I want to be,” Savannah said.
The next step for Savannah is going out and performing live.
“Without performing live and promoting yourself, you can’t ever get to the point of being a professional,” Savannah said. “So, the goal is to perform in front of a big audience someday. In the past, I have sung in places like Six Flags, farmers’ markets and the mall. The school will give you any opportunity and you take it, even if it doesn’t sound like it will get you anywhere.”
Savannah has a new song coming out in October or November called “Rule.” The song is about going against societal norms and proving that she can be something great.
“For myself, I want to feel the motivation to be a more outspoken version of myself,” Savannah said. “I hope it reaches people who go against the grain.”
