Hana

Hana Gabrielle Pestle was born on July 11, 1989, in Atlanta, Georgia. She later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, at age six, and then to Billings, Montana, at age eight. Hana received her first guitar and piano around fifth grade and began performing live at fourteen in local cafés, bookstores, and farmers’ markets in Billings. Her early career, under the name Hana Pestle, focused on acoustic-based music. In 2005, producers Ben Moody and Michael “Fish” Herring discovered her through a performance video. She began working with them on her debut album in April 2006, while still in high school, contributing backing vocals to Céline Dion’s 2007 album, “Taking Chances.” In May 2008, Hana released her debut extended play, “Hana Pestle,” through FNR Records, a label specifically created by Ben Moody for her. This EP included original songs like “These Two Hands” and a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

In 2008, Hana was featured on a new version of Ben Moody’s song “Everything Burns” and provided backing vocals for all tracks on his 2009 debut album, “All for This.” Her debut single, “Need,” was released in June 2009, accompanied by a music video directed by Norwood Cheek. The album “This Way” followed in September 2009, featuring string arrangements by David Campbell. In 2011, Hana won a contest held by the American rock band Incubus, which led to her performing with band members Mike Einziger and Chris Kilmore. She released her third EP, “For the Sky,” in September 2011, comprising five original songs. From 2008 to 2012, Hana also released various covers on YouTube and SoundCloud.

A significant turning point occurred in 2013 when Hana met producer BloodPop. Dissatisfied with her earlier work and seeking more creative control, she decided to take a break from recording to learn music production, rebranding herself under the mononym Hana. She removed most of her previous music from the internet to start with a clean slate. In 2015, she re-emerged with the synth-oriented pop single “Clay,” which received praise from fellow artists Grimes and Lorde. Hana extensively toured with Grimes, opening for her on the AC!D Reign Tour in Europe in 2016 and later performing as a backing vocalist and band member on Grimes’ March of the Pugs Tour. In March 2016, she released her self-titled EP, “HANA,” featuring tracks like “Underwater,” “Chimera,” and “Avalanche.” HANA has collaborated with artists such as Grimes, LP Giobbi, and Tchami, and has gained recognition as a pioneer in live streaming, notably creating her album “Hanadriel” over four weeks on Twitch in 2019.