Lilly Hiatt Embraces Change and Finds Joy in Music on Forever

A New Chapter for Lilly Hiatt

A lot has changed in the life of singer-songwriter Lilly Hiatt over the past few years. Since the release of her 2021 album, Lately, she has experienced major life shifts—finding love, getting married, adopting a dog, and buying a home. Despite achieving the domestic stability she once dreamed of, Hiatt found herself battling an inner critic that kept her from fully embracing her happiness.

Instead of letting those feelings consume her, she channeled them into music. Working alongside her husband, producer and musician Coley Hinson, Hiatt began shaping the songs that would ultimately form Forever, her latest heartfelt and introspective album.

Writing for Fun and Feeling the Groove

Lyrics like “We make good music here, and our problems, they disappear” from Forever’s track “Evelyn’s House” reflect both Hiatt’s struggles and the solace she found in music. However, this time around, she approached songwriting with a fresh perspective—prioritizing the joy of the creative process rather than overanalyzing every word.

“I was writing with the intention of making something fun for recording,” Hiatt explains. “Of course, there’s always heart in the music, but I also wanted whatever I wrote to sound good in the studio and be a fun experience—something we could experiment with.”

Instead of heading to one of Nashville’s many renowned recording studios, Hiatt opted for a more intimate setting—her and Hinson’s home studio. This wasn’t uncharted territory for them; their self-titled 2023 project, Domestic Bliss, served as a trial run for their musical collaboration and paved the way for Forever to flourish.

“In the city, everything moves fast, and that influences my writing,” she says. “Out here, things are slower. It takes me a little longer to get into a groove, but once I do, I’m deeply focused. It definitely shaped the music.”

A New Sonic Approach: Drop-D Tuning and Electric Exploration

One of the most notable changes on Forever is Hiatt’s decision to experiment with drop-D tuning, a technique she had rarely explored before. This shift added a new dimension to her sound, particularly on tracks like “Ghost Ship” and “Kwik-E-Mart.”

“Playing power chords with the E tuned down to D is really cool,” she shares. “There’s a little bit of sadness in there, but it’s driving. That feeling inspired a different kind of songwriting for me. I usually don’t mess with tunings, so it was fun to explore.”

Hiatt also leaned more heavily into her electric guitar this time, favoring it over her usual acoustic writing process. “If I want to plug in, sing through a mic, and play electric, I can do that here,” she says of her home studio. “That setup really influenced how I wrote this record.”

A Song-by-Song Journey

Rather than crafting the album as a cohesive whole from the outset, Hiatt took a more organic approach—focusing on one song at a time.

“It was kind of a singular approach,” she says. “Just taking it song by song until I had enough to form a record.”

During recording sessions, Hiatt handled guitar and vocals while Hinson played drums and bass. Once they finalized each track, they sent it to veteran producer and mix engineer Paul Q. Kolderie—renowned for his work with Radiohead, Pixies, and Dinosaur Jr.—for the finishing touches.

To expand the album’s sonic landscape, Hiatt enlisted close collaborators. The ethereal pedal steel guitar lines on “Evelyn’s House” and “Man” were contributed by her father-in-law, renowned steel guitarist Steven Hinson, known for his work with country legends like Dolly Parton, George Jones, and Randy Travis. These tracks were also among the few she wrote on acoustic guitar.

The album opens with “Hidden Day,” a song that stands apart from the rest while setting the tone for the journey ahead. Co-written with producer and songwriter Scot Sax, the track introduces a dreamy, introspective theme. Sax also provided drums for the track, while bassist Bear Mitchell laid down a fluid, John Entwistle-inspired groove.

Gear and Production Choices

Despite having access to a variety of gear, Hiatt kept things relatively simple while recording Forever. She relied primarily on her trusted Rickenbacker electric guitar and a Roland Jazz Chorus amp to shape the album’s sound.

“I think the effects are in the hands of the person playing,” she says. “If you tune your ear to working with what you have, you can figure things out. If it can’t sound exactly like something else, maybe it can sound like something new.”

Moving Forward with Love and Intention

At its core, Forever represents Hiatt embracing the present while acknowledging the past. The album reflects lessons learned, growth achieved, and the power of music as a constant companion through life’s ups and downs.

“I’ve been through the young-and-brooding phase,” she reflects. “I’ve done this, I’ve done that, and now I’m here—just trying to navigate it all with love and intention. I hope that comes through in these songs.”

While Forever is deeply personal, Hiatt hopes listeners find their own emotions reflected in her music. “I write about feelings—my relationship, the way I see the world—and I hope that resonates with others,” she says. “At the end of the day, I just want people to feel something when they listen.”