We recently had the chance to connect with Nora Hale and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nora, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I got married to the love of my life on September 21st and it was the proudest and best day of my life. So much hard work and collaboration went into the planning of this day – it’s been 2 years in the making and my husband and I have been together for almost 10 years so it was a long time coming. It made me so proud of the life we’ve built – to see everyone we love all gathered in the same room to celebrate with us was truly the most surreal feeling. It’s something you can’t quite describe with words, it has to be experienced to understand the full scale of what it’s really like. It was pure joy and fun.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a singer/songwriter and pianist originally from Marblehead, Massachusetts. I grew up in a loving household with parents who always supported my passions – mostly singing. Though I was somewhat forced to take piano lessons as a kid, as many of us were, I’m so grateful for that time in my life because I completely fell in love with the piano and continued to play on my own after I stopped taking lessons. I’ve been singing basically since I could talk. From the time I was in 3rd grade, I sang in my church choir, school choir, school a cappella, plays, musicals, national and regional honors choirs, and eventually went on to be accepted to Berklee College of Music, which I attended from 2014 to 2018. I’m always inspired by strong female artists such as Carole King, Sara Bareilles, Joni Mitchell, Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson, Maggie Rogers, Adele – these women have all had a profound influence on my music. I strive to be authentic in my music and to carry that authenticity over into my brand – I currently have several unreleased songs that I’m hoping to record this winter and put out as a full project sometime in 2026. I’m also working on booking more shows as a solo and possibly a duo as well for 2026.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I really believe my mom always saw the potential I had when I couldn’t see it myself. She has always pushed me to do more things, to go after the things I want even when they scare me. She encouraged me through all of my auditions throughout high school for various choirs, roles in plays and singing groups. She and my stepdad were the ones who encouraged me to audition for Berklee and helped me every step of the way. I know that I would never have seen my own potential or had the guts to chase my dreams if it wasn’t for them.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Life and outside influences are hard enough on all of us, and we deserve to treat ourselves kindly, even when we’re dealing with difficult circumstances. I would tell myself that someday, I would be able to channel all of the painful and complicated feelings I had as a teenager into art – into something that other people would be able to relate to and connect with. I would also tell myself that everyone goes through trials and tribulations in life, no matter how great and flawless their life may seem on the surface. Growing up in the age of social media made us millennials have a false perception of reality vs. what we saw on platforms like Facebook and Instagram – people only posted about their highlight reels and rarely about the challenges they faced in their lives, especially during high school.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I think my closest friends would say that honesty, loyalty and quality time really matter to me. My friends are the heartbeat of my life – I truly value and treasure the friendships I’ve made throughout my life, especially as an adult. Adult friendships take a lot more work to nurture and maintain because life gets so busy and we all get pulled in different directions. It can be really difficult to navigate priorities as an adult between your career, your partner, your friendships – life can get overwhelming and it’s easy to get sucked into a less social routine. What I’ve found is that staying honest and loyal to your friends makes a huge difference – sometimes that means planning to meet up weeks in advance just to make sure it will really happen. I find that I can’t be as spontaneous as I was in my early 20s. Meeting up and spending time with friends requires more effort and advance notice as an adult, but it’s something I value and always put effort into because I love my friends and spending time with your community is so important. Adult friendships make life so much more tolerable and more full of love.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What light inside you have you been dimming?
I think I have been dimmimg my creative light recently. I have not been writing songs as frequently or spending as much time in my studio as I used to. Work can be overwhelming and draining and it’s often hard for me to get myself to get into the creative groove during my free time. I really hope to change that this year and find a way to get back to writing and playing music consistently.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.noratirrellmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noratirrellhale/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nora-tirrell-110946106/
- Twitter: https://x.com/ntirrell18
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nora.hale.tirrell
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@noratirrell7360
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ntmusic-2
