Meet Hannah Wicklund
Hannah Wicklund is a Nashville-based rock guitarist, songwriter, and producer whose 2024 album The Prize, was named the #1 Rock Album of 2024 by Rolling Stone Brasil and landed on The Times’ Best Albums of 2024. A veteran of tours with Joan Jett, Deep Purple, Marcus King, and Greta Van Fleet, and a performer at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, she now steps into a new role as a publisher: through her own imprint, Strawberry Moon Records, she recently launched the Strawberry Moon Tribune, a self-published 112-page print and digital TRIBUNE whose debut volume, War on Women, arrives alongside its companion single on June 29th, as well as a full album on August 28th. The Tribune marks an ambitious expansion of Wicklund’s artistry. She’s an artist building her own platform to publish, not just perform!
You’ve gone from being a musician to becoming a publisher. What inspired you to build your own platform instead of waiting for someone else to tell your story?
I have experienced a tremendous amount of interference over the last decade when it came to sharing my art with the world, so in my rebuild after walking away from that abuse I wanted to provide a platform and a space for my fellow creatives so that their art and their hearts could find a home. The only way I knew to move on from what I had been through was to become as opposite of a force in this world than the one that hurt me. I also was so deeply craving a connection to humans away from the algorithm, and what better than a print magazine to accomplish that?
Your first Strawberry Moon Tribune is titled War on Women. Why was this the story you felt compelled to tell first, and what conversations are you hoping it sparks?
Each volume of the Tribune is named after the correlating track off the album, so with War on Women being the opening song off ‘War on Women; Calling All Good Men’, it also became the first edition of the magazine. It’s a not-so-subtle way to begin, but I think it was important to not mince words or intentions; women have suffered long enough. In a world that prioritizes predators over survivors, I wanted to offer a look into the realities of being a woman amongst this chaos. Ultimately my goal is that this publication sparks a conversation between men and women in which we can start compelling men to stand up and use their voices to inspire each other to be part of the change.
Many artists are told to “stay out of politics” or avoid controversial topics. Do you believe artists have a responsibility to challenge society, or simply reflect it?
I believe each artist is entitled to do and say and act as they feel. Some artists choose to avoid speaking on anything “political” while some choose to confront it head on. I suppose I have been most inspired in my life by the artists that not only use their music to speak truth, but who continue that conversation consistently on and off the stage.
You’ve shared stages with rock legends like Joan Jett, Deep Purple, and Eric Clapton. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about longevity and authenticity from artists who’ve stood the test of time?
Mostly what I have learned is to be unwavering in your pursuit. The longevity of a career comes not from what is handed to you, but rather from what you bring to the table (or to the stage) each time you perform. Truly loving what you do and giving your entire being to it is the best way to ensure a lifetime relationship with your music.
The music industry often encourages artists to fit into a marketable box. Have there been moments when choosing authenticity came at the expense of commercial success?
1000%. I have been in rooms and at dinner tables alongside the artists who happily played the game and kissed all the asses they needed to. Unfortunately, as a woman, playing the game meant giving up autonomy over my songwriting. Men are very often afforded the opportunity and the belief to steer the creative direction of their careers, whereas women are so often told we need to sit in an office building and cowrite a song with a man twice our age to reach success. I chose many times to follow my own heart, and I see now what that gets you in such a corrupt environment. But I would do it all again if it meant keeping my integrity.
In an era dominated by algorithms and 15-second clips, what made you invest in creating a 112-page print publication? Do you think audiences are craving deeper storytelling again?
Humans are so clearly craving something different from what we are being fed. I know that as an almost 30-year-old woman, my life has been ruled by social media, and I’ve witnessed the degradation of social structures at the hands of technology. There are so many young folks who don’t remember a time before the iPhone, and I’m so grateful that I do. We are worthy of real connection with each other, and we deserve to be witnessed in ways other than on a screen. That’s what I hope to provide with this magazine.
Rock music has long been associated with rebellion. What does rebellion look like in 2026, and do you think it’s changed from what it meant decades ago?
Rebellion used to look like getting messed up and using curse words. It used to mean doing what you wanted with your own life whether your parents approved or not. It looked like raising your middle fingers to a society who so badly wanted its young people to conform. Rock N Roll accomplished its original goal. Humans have far more autonomy over their image and their decisions 40 years later and I see the average person walking around with tattoos, piercings, colored hair and crazy outfits and it is no longer a question of whether they can find a job or if they are being accepted by their family or not. So yes, I do think that it has changed. The goals of Rock N Roll now need to adjust with the times. We now need freedom from the corporations, from capitalism and from the patriarchy. We have much bigger fish to fry than in the past and I see more of my peers stepping up to the plate. Rock N Roll can & will save the world.
Owning Strawberry Moon Records gives you complete creative control. What freedoms has independence given you that you don’t think you’d have under a traditional label?
From release strategy to album covers, to being able to launch a magazine alongside my record, every single decision feels like it’s only possible with my freedom. I am eternally grateful to have won back the rights to my catalog and to my future and count my lucky stars to have seen this industry from as many angles as I have.
If someone only knows Hannah Wicklund as a guitarist, what part of your creative identity do you hope they’ll discover through the Strawberry Moon Tribune?
I hope they’ll discover the human behind the music, and the depth in which it comes from. I have been influenced by many modes of thought, philosophies, artists and spiritual practices, and by giving a space for others to share their own thoughts and rituals, I hope that the reader can also learn a lot about themselves. My role in this life has felt a lot like being a mirror to people, and whether it’s my music or my magazine, I hope I can help others reflect on their own life in new and exciting ways.
When people look back at your career decades from now, do you hope they remember you more for the music you created the conversations you started, or the platform you built for others?
Ultimately, I’d love for my art to be remembered. I’d love for the lasting impact of my desire to help humans grow and become their truest selves to be immortalized by the magazine, and for my passion and deep emotions to be felt in my music for decades to come.
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