Pop artist Hollyn has experienced several transitional events within the last two years. She's stepped aside from a major record label and now creates art as a fully indie artist. She's approximately 21 weeks pregnant with her first child. Hollyn and her husband Dillon, recently (June) moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Dallas, Texas. On top of the current pandemic of the past 20 months, much has rested on the mind of Hollyn.
Holy Rebellion, the artist's sophomore album, was released in November 2021. The overall soundscape of her music has evolved as she's matured in her faith, experiences, and her talents as a songwriter. In late October, Hollyn and I held an intimate conversation about life's current landscape, her transition from being a signed artist to live as an independent, and the details of how the new album was handcrafted.
Taking a step back, let’s discuss a timeline of your music career dating back to your first self-titled EP.
I released my first music with Gotee Records in 2015 with the six-track EP. Next, was my debut album One-Way Conversations in 2017. I released a handful of double-sided singles expressing both the emotional and spiritual side of each situation in 2018. That was followed up by her 2019 EP, Bye Sad Girl. Fast forward two more years and we’re releasing my sophomore album independently called Holy Rebellion in early November 2021.
What details did you want to openly discuss about your transition from being signed with Gotee Records to now being an independent artist?
My decision to become an indie artist has been a slow-moving transition lasting the last two or three years. During this time, I was processing my journey related to my voice, music, and comfortable space for those passions to live. Thinking back, I loved and enjoyed working with pop icon TobyMac during my time spent with the label.
However, the natural transition of developing a more mature voice and audience kind of sparked the overall transition to an indie artist. I wanted to process and talk about (sing) about deeper issues than your normal surface-level content found on a pop record. Situations that revolved around real-life pain and struggles and how to heal from each of those spiritually and mentally.
Music, for me, is a therapeutic release. Leaving the label allowed me to begin an adventure of discovering myself. In the end, it was an amazing mutual exchange between Toby and me. We both realized I needed to break free from the structure, pattern, and the audience most fans of Gotee artists’ draw. I realized most of my audience didn’t come from the space as a “Christian” artist doing pop records.
Most people are unfamiliar with who Austin Davis is. He solely produced Holy Rebellion. How did the two of you connect musically?
I started writing music, a few years, ago for a future project without any idea those songs would evolve into what Holy Rebellion is today. Around that time frame, I had a writing session with Nashville artists Daniella Mason and Austin Davis. Last-minute, Mason had to cancel and reschedule. However, Davis opted to stay and write if I was willing.
So, I headed to the studio crossing my fingers and repeating, “God, please let this be a good session!” I’ve had some great artist/producer relationships in the past, but most have been complicated. I’ve had to explain myself to them more than I should ever be required to.
Therefore, I’ve been in prayer for God to connect me to a producer where the partnership felt organic. Connected. Someone that could write with me and connect on an emotional level. Like a friend, someone that wanted to pour into me while helping me learn from a production standpoint.
Before we dive into the tracks included in the album, let’s begin with the title. What’s the meaning of the title, ‘Holy Rebellion’?
I had a different title picked out for nearly a year before finishing the album. Each song meshed together quite well, but simultaneously was uniquely different. We wanted to somehow capture the overall flow generated between the singularity of each track. Since the entire album is solely me throughout, the name has to embody who I am from the heart forward.
For the last couple of years, a bunch of people has been prompting me to find out the meaning behind my name. I was hesitant because my name was pretty basic on the surface. Holly Marie. Holly is a plant, a bush so I don’t know how cool that is. However, I did some research looking at the synonyms of the word Holly and the word “holy” kept popping up. Also, the name Marie means “to rebel against or become bitter.”
Together, Holy Rebellion was the result and there we have it. At this point in my life when I discovered this, what I was being asked by God to do and go forward with was quite outside of what is normal. When I read this interpretation, something clicked. The most transformative and pivotal moments of my life were quite different than expectations of other people and they just felt right to me. They felt holy in line with God’s calling. So, the team decided to go with Holy Rebellion as the title.
You exhibited some pretty crazy dancing during the "Tension" music video. Do you have any roots in expressive dancing or what was the concept behind that?
As a child, I wasn’t extreme into dance. However, I did take dance lessons as most little girls do. However, in my elementary years, I would make up my choreography dances and present them in front of my parents, a performer at heart. Dancing always symbolized freedom in my youth and even now. I felt comfortable in my skin to be expressive physically. Our bodies are meant to move in certain ways to release certain emotions.
For the video, the director Sawyer Skipper thought it was ideal to insert a series of dances to express the tension in our bodies switching from tight to loose and back and forth visualizing the constant struggle our minds and physical self-experience daily. The battle against perfectionism. From being hard on myself and the journey through valleys to accepting one’s myself and celebrating victories. It was the first time I’d danced in quite some time, years.
“Opinions” is up next. You commented on your socials this is your favorite of the project. Why and what decision went behind selecting it as the final single before the official release of the album?
I had an extremely difficult time handpicking which songs would be the singles before the album dropping. Each song could be a single as they all stand on their own beautifully, yet blend as an overall story. Our team was passionate about the visuals we had lined up for this song, so that made it easier for the selection as a single.
Also, I love the lyrical content of “Opinions.” It helped too that the three singles all sort of process in order sharing a similar train of thought. Charlie Ingram is a genius as he does many of our visuals for Spotify and other DSPs as well as the music videos. The fact I fell in love with the video made the decision that much easier.
Personally, another standout track was “Headspace.” Can you dive into the creative process behind that track?
“Headspace” was the last song we wrote finishing it this year. Davis and I were kind of playing around with an R&B concept track because it’s our favorite genre to casually listen to. The sonics reminded us of sort of a mashup between “Mood Swings” and “Maybe.” We were just randomly messing around with melodies and the concept behind “Headspace” came together pretty quickly.
The whole album, except for this song and the second half of the last song, was written in Nashville, Tennessee. “Headspace” was written in Tulsa, Oklahoma where we lived. The content and meaning of the track are quite self-explanatory. However, it was written during the peak of the pandemic. Therefore, writing helped me process many emotions from the time and helped sort of wrap up the overall writing process.
The final track, “Odyssey/Epilogue” reminded me of the standard R&B album where it has an extended closer wrapping up the emotions and overall vibe from the artist. Was it similar for you or what all was poured into the track bringing it to life?
Davis and I truly struggled to create a vocal bridge between the two tracks and we almost left it as just “Odyssey.” However, we questioned if that was enough or if it felt complete. Quite a few questions were raised such as if we should include it on the album, is it enough or does it sound like a fitting end to the project. Another idea popped of possibly doing a stripped-down bridge. So, we removed a lot of the elements we originally had included and left it at one vocal and melody line in “Odyssey.” It sounded organic and beautiful.
Next, I felt like just free-flowing over the line of melody to test the results. The dual-track transitioned from a window of thought being “nothing wasted” to just a spontaneous vocal barrage from me pulling from emotions. Thankfully, it turned out exactly what I was aiming for and that’s how the two tracks came together to close everything out. The album is a journey, an “odyssey” if you may, of my life.
What do you hope is the listener's first takeaway is after consuming the project from start to finish?
I want fans to walk away with a sense of discovery and ask questions. Questions like, “how do I feel?” Those who are surprised by the overall content and sound, I hope they’re at least open to receiving and processing everything. Like any artist, I want fans to connect personally with the content as a means of an outlet.
To connect with how I feel and what I’m expressing may be exactly how they think and feel but do not know how to express such verbally or in a written form. When I listen to music, that’s what I look for. To relate to another artist’s journey and see how it fits within my daily walk, struggles, and victories. That’s all we all want, to feel heard, understood, and relatable.
How can our team at NRT be praying for you?
Just for everything to work out at the right time with the right opportunities. Of course, for a safe and healthy pregnancy for the next four months or so. For Dillon and I to continue to do what we’re called by God to do and for lives to be impacted by such a calling in His way and timing.
Joshua Galla is an audiophile hyped about all forms of art in music, but his passion rests behind CHH and soulful vibes. He's a devout husband, father, and child of God. Concerts are his happy place.
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