There’s No Ceiling in Sight for Hana Eid’s “Moonroof”

There’s no ceiling in sight for Hana Eid’s new single, “Moonroof.” The acoustic release contrasts the singer’s previous indie rock banger “Dancing to The Smiths,” proving that Eid can do it all. The song discusses how hard it is to move on from somebody, and while the track can speak for itself, Twenty Minutes Later recently got the chance to learn more Hana Eid and her latest release. Read our interview below.

"Moonroof" IS MUCH MORE STRIPPED DOWN THAN YOUR LAST RELEASE. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SONG?

It's interesting because I wrote “Moonroof" about a year ago and I wrote 'Dancing to The Smiths" last September, so "Moonroof" I actually wrote way before. In high school, I really only wrote stuff like that— slower, acoustic, indie folk stuff. Once I got to college, I really started to explore rock music. I'd always been inspired by rock, especially classic rock, like Zeppelin, but when I got to school I got a backing band, and I really started to explore more of those rock elements. That's the direction overall that I really want to take—combining the singer-songwriter indie folk feel with rock influences.

YOU WROTE IT A WHILE AGO! DO YOU REMEMBER WRITING THE SONG?

I think I actually have a Google doc that might have been exactly a year ago, give or take a few days. It was mid to late July. The process, which is the same with all my songs, is that I start with guitar. Even the stuff I write now, like "Dancing to The Smiths," I always start with chords, and then build the lyrics and melody off that. I had that little fingerpicking pattern, and then I just wrote the rest of the song around that. It's definitely one of my proudest chord progressions, especially the bridge. I think it's really different.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR?

I've been playing guitar since I was eight or nine years old. I took private lessons until I went to college, but I was taking lessons for electric guitar. I grew up playing all these rock and blues songs. My background is way more in electric guitar. My whole life it's been electric guitar first. The songwriting came secondarily. It was nice because I had a background in guitar and I think I was able to supplement my songwriting a lot better because I had that experience.

IS IT YOU THAT’S PLAYING GUITAR ON "Moonroof?"

It is.

HOW LONG DID THE SONG TAKE YOU TO MAKE FROM START TO FINISH?

I honestly can't remember. I will say one of my horrible flaws is that I rarely revise my lyrics. When I have my first draft done, I'm kind of done. Maybe I'll tweak a small thing, but I always have a tough time revising after I've had the initial idea. Whatever I have as my first written or recorded draft is usually the final song. I think I wrote "Moonroof" in half an hour to an hour. Knowing me, I probably just sat down and was feeling things and it just kind of came out.

I THINK THAT'S A SIGN OF A GOOD SONG. I THINK IF YOU TRY TO FORCE IT, IT NEVER TURNS OUT AS REAL OR AUTHENTIC AS WHEN YOU FIRST GET AN IDEA.

Yeah, I definitely think that's true. All my best songs have been the ones that kind of fell out of me— like didn't really take a ton of effort. It's nice when those moments come because they are few and far between.

WHAT WAS GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU WROTE THE SONG?

I was talking to this guy for maybe a month or two, and then it sort of fell apart. It was a really back and forth kind of thing. He really liked me and then I was like, "Oh, I don't know if I feel that way." And then I liked him and then he was like, "Okay, but I don't really like you anymore." So, it just kind of ended. I was really upset over it, and I hadn't been upset over something to that effect before—especially over something that was so short-term. But what happened was I went on a date with this other guy. It was genuinely one of the best first dates I've ever been on. He was awesome and it was, like, super fun. But the entire time I could not stop comparing everything to the other guy. How I got the name "Moonroof" was that when I was on this date, the guy was telling me about how his mother always called the sunroof the moonroof. I had never heard that before. We were sitting in my car and looking up through what was then coined the moonroof and I just couldn't stop thinking about this other guy because the first time we kissed, we were lying in the back of my car. The song ended up being super reflective and kind of nostalgic. Like, “How am I supposed to move on when everything reminds me of you?”

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PART OF THE SONG?

I think so. My favorite part overall, is probably the bridge, just because I really love the chord changes there. The instrumental part of the song is pretty simple. And then when you get to the bridge, there are all these cool new chords that you haven't heard throughout the rest of the song. Especially with the string parts and all the other production, I think it turned out to be so powerful.

WHAT'S GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD LEADING UP TO THE RELEASE?

There's always nervousness attached to releasing a song. Especially with this song because it is so different from my last release. It's so intimate. It has this raw feel, which I hope translates as "raw and emotional" and not "underdone or unfinished." Also, there's nervousness around being in the social media age, and trying to find ways to promote my music and to make sure it finds the audiences that need it. But one of the things I've been trying to work on is separating myself from the art I create. I'm learning how to recognize that the commercial success of a song I put out isn’t a direct commentary on me as an artist or me as a person or anything like that.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TIKTOK?

Personally, I was never someone that had ever really liked social media in general. A lot of people talk about social media as a community and a way to meet people. Now, I'm really starting to see it as that. I've been able to meet so many people, whether it's a close friend or a musician that I may want to work with in the future, and that part of social media has been super cool and refreshing.

IF YOU COULD COLLABORATE WITH ANYONE, WHO WOULD IT BE?

That's a good question. I really love Lucy Dacus. That would be the first artist that comes to mind. I just think she's so cool. She's such a good writer. And then, I would also say Briston Maroney. He's a Nashville local and everyone loves him. I think he also does a really great job of combining indie rock elements with some of the more feelsy singer-songwriter vibes. I just love him. I think he's awesome.

HAVE YOU GOTTEN TO PLAY ANY LOCAL HOUSE SHOWS IN NASHVILLE?

Most of the shows I've played have been house shows. I love doing them because they're so low stress and so high energy. And people are really supportive. My band and I can always pack the basement and have our friends there and jump around and have a good time.

HAVE YOU PLAYED "Moonroof" LIVE YET?

It gets super quiet and I always feel bad because I feel like I just sucked the air out of the whole room. I'm like, "Did I just ruin someone's night? Hahaha.

THAT'S A GOOD THING! IT MEANS THEY'RE PAYING ATTENTION.

That's what I always try to remind myself!

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE SONG OR YOU AND YOUR MUSIC IN GENERAL?

I just really hope that people are able to connect with it. I'm excited to explore my artistic identity a bit more. One of my big goals is to find more of that balance between tracks like "Moonroof" and then tracks like "Dancing to The Smiths." And I hope that there's an audience that will love both equally.

YOU CAN LISTEN TO “Moonroof” BY Hana Eid ON STREAMING SERVICES LIKE SPOTIFY AND APPLE MUSIC. GO STREAM THE SONG AND MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW @twentyminuteslater TO STAY UPDATED ON FUTURE POSTS.