We recently had the chance to connect with Heath Church and have shared our conversation below.
Heath, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately I’ve been practicing being a good friend to myself. Life has gotten so much brighter in the past year or two because of this. It’s such a great feeling to show up for yourself. It took me a really long time to get the hang of it but I feel like there’s so much more joy in my life now in general.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Heath Church and I’m a singer-songwriter and an artist. More recently, I also enjoy creating zines and visual art as well. I’ve been performing for about fourteen years. I’ve toured the country a good bit, played just about every sort of venue you can think of from dive bars and coffeeshops, to maximum security prisons, old folks homes, art galleries, farmers markets, and listening rooms. I wouldn’t trade these experiences for the world.
Pretty much all of my music is based off of my life. I definitely tend to stick to the “write from what you know” principle. I like to think that what makes my music unique is simplicity and depth. When I’m telling a story, one area where I think I thrive is when it comes to condensing a lot of feeling down into just a few words that stick with you. I also tend to write a lot about heartbreak. Somehow that became my specialty. My friend always says “Nobody does heartbreak like Heath Church” which makes me laugh because – what a hell of thing to be known for but I guess it’s kind of true. Heartbreak inspires me. Whether or losing a loved one, a breakup, or a friend moving away – heartbreak inspires me quite a bit. These moments of reflection are such gifts even though they come wrapped in pain. I have name for my genre of midwestern indie-folk that I call “Midwestern Heartbreak”. We’ll see if it catches on.
To me, music is this magnificent tool for self-reflection and also for connecting with others. The process of writing is how I stay in touch with myself, check in on how I’m doing, and it’s also how I connect with others. Music makes us feel understood and I think is simply amazing. To feel understood is a wonderful sensation. When I play a song for you or when you listen to my music in your car, I hope you feel understood by my songs and I hope that can bring you comfort.
Currently I’m working on a new album. It’s one of my longest albums to date. I really feel that it’s going to be something special. Creating this album represents an important step away from perfectionism for me. The album is a compilation of home recordings, voice notes from my phone, and live recordings. I haven’t done a full length album in years so I’m quite excited for it.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I was twenty-five, I lost my mom cancer. Losing her was a moment of clarity for me. An understanding of Impermanence really set in for me. When I lost her, I was forced to come to terms with the temporary nature of everything in life. This inspired me to make some important changes in my own life. I went to therapy, started taking medication, and just really addressing the underlying mental health issues I’d faced my entire life. It changed everything for me. I’m a huge advocate for getting help if you need it and removing the stigma around getting help.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
Perfectionism. One-thousand percent perfectionism. It’s the enemy of self-acceptance. Without self acceptance, you deny the truly core feelings behind the art and water it down into a form that is far less appealing. The songs that I drive myself into a frenzy with in the process of trying to perfect are the ones that end up scrapping and re-recording. I had to fail a bunch of times to learn that my perfectionism was the problem – not the equalizer settings on my backup vocal bus that I spent hours trying to fix.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Your value and ability as an artist is dictated purely by numbers in the form of Instagram followers and Spotify streams. If you aren’t creating content you don’t matter. Also, the idea that you have to capitalize on your art every step of the way or else it has no value. Capitalism is often the enemy of art. They’re not good friends.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
When I’m either working on a new song, drawing, playing a show, spending time in nature, trying out a new coffeeshop, exploring an antique store, or chatting with friends at my home dive bar. Those are my happy places.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.heath-church.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathchurchmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathchurchofficial
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathchurch
Image Credits
Nikkiana Ramirez
Teri Quinn
Tii Adica
