Her Campus talks crowd-surfing, Kansas, and 2 Chainz with the platinum blonde with the beautiful voice.
HC: So tell me a little bit about yourself. How did you hear about Bowdoin? MH: “I heard about Bowdoin when I was reading one of those big college books that you get in your junior year of high school. I just knew that I wanted to go to school on the East Coast because I had never lived there before; I had lived in the Midwest and on the West Coast. I was reading that Bowdoin was outdoorsy and cozy and artistic. There were some really great reviews about it. I missed pronounced the name for like 3 weeks and then they flew me out here to try to convince me to come. And then I was like, ‘Yes! Bowdoin!'”
HC: Where are you from originally?MH: “Well I was born in Delaware, but I went to high school in Kansas, and I grew up pre-high-school in Washington state and California.”
HC: Which place do you like the most? MH: “Maine! But I also have a special place in my heart for Seattle and California just because they’re beautiful. West Coast is the best coast.”
HC: How do you like Bowdoin so far? MH: “I love Bowdoin – it’s my favorite place in the world!”
HC: What’s your favorite part? MH: “The people. They make [Bowdoin] what it is. They’re all pursuing different things in different ways, and they think differently in everything that they do. I am so inspired by every person that I meet. They’re so supportive, kind, and open. I’m in love with this place and these people.”
HC: You’ve made a presence around campus as a singer-songwriter. Is that something you’ve always been into? MH: “Actually, no. I was really shy about performing my songs, especially the ones I had written all throughout high school. I just sang them to my very close friends and family. I only started performing open mics around senior year after graduation. A big part of that was that in Seattle and in downtown Kansas – there were a lot of little places you could go and sing, and that was really fun and terrifying. I liked it so much because in a stage setting, when you are singing to a crowd of people, you feel so empowered. When was in Seattle, I didn’t have anything to do for the summer because all my friends were back in Kansas, so I started street performing in Pike Place Market. It’s really cool and anyone can sign up. You perform and, like, thousands of tourists walk by. It’s a little calming because you know you’re never going to see these people again. But it’s also terrifying because they don’t know who you are. I did it kind of as a bravery test – if I can sing in front of these people, then I can totally sing in front of a cute guy and not freak out! It was really nice. You connect with people that you’ve never seen. Sometimes I wonder, ‘Well, what if I because famous and I sing at a huge venue,’ and I don’t think I would like that as much as I like street performing.”
HC: Who are some of your musical influences? MH: “I really like female singer songwriters. I really like Brandi Carlile, but the people that are the closest to my heart are definitely Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. I grew up listening to Taylor Swift a lot, despite all the stigma attached to her. She did something which I think deserves respect; she just sang about what she wanted to sing about. I really dislike people who are judgmental about music, because I think that if music speaks to you, then it is worthwhile and should be respected. So if someone really finds emotional validation in 2 Chainz, then all the power to them! Plus it’s really fun to take songs that aren’t thought of as acoustic and soulful and sing them in an acoustic and soulful way. But also there is so much to be said about the amount of thought that goes into a Bon Iver or a Fleet Foxes song. There’s a whole spectrum from singing [something like] ‘I like your face’ to ‘you are the antithesis to the synchronization of the moon and stars.’ It spans. But I listen to a lot of different music. I love The Mowgli’s, Imagine Dragons, The Beatles, Neil Diamond, and Alt-J. Oh, and I LOVE the Black Keys. They’re cool. Actually there’s this funny thing I just remembered. Do you know the popular song by AWOLNATION? So I went to this musical festival, and that song was playing. I was really close to the front, and AWOLNATION goes, ‘I want all the ladies in the crowd to crowd surf!’ And I was like, ‘THIS IS MY MOMENT!'”
HC: Did you do it? MH: “Yeah! I had never crowed surfed before. I was very well behaved.”
HC: Was it weird having strangers touch your body? MH: “It’s actually magical, like you’re on top of the world. You feel like you’re defying physics because you’re like, ‘I don’t know these people! They have no reason to hoist a woman over their heads.’ But they all did, and it’s awesome. It’s the weirdest, most exhilarating feeling.”
HC: Any other thoughts for your fans? MH: “Come and talk to me! I love talking to people, but I don’t think I’m a celebrity at all!”