Hollywood Holland Stays Upbeat in Trying Time

By Vic Gerami | April 21, 2020

Even with two back-to-back hit singles, “Ladies Night” and “Countdown,” Hollywood Holland is still a midwestern girl in a big city. Holland earned the nickname “Hollywood Holland” after packing up everything she owned in her Mercury Cougar and road tripping to California to chase her dreams.

Her lyrics are positive, self-empowering, and fun-focused with a touch of sarcasm and humor, like Holland herself. She mixes energetic pop with hints of country, a nod to the music that influenced her while growing up in Minnesota. Holland’s latest single, “Journey Alone,” drops in time for Pride Month, in June 2020 as a tribute to her LGBTQIA+ fans.

I chatted with Hollywood Holland on the phone in the midst of this global pandemic to see how she is doing, how she is coping with the COVID-19 crisis, about her work and what she is looking forward to after the Coronavirus.

Modesty aside, how would you describe yourself?

I’m down to earth, very friendly, easy to talk to, and welcoming. I’m sweet but can also be sassy. I’m sarcastic, quick witted, and like to joke around a lot. When you get to know me, you’ll find I’m very silly, and crazy, but the good kind of crazy always reliable for a good laugh. People joke that I’m a mixture of Carrie Underwood and Cardi B (Holly B).

Before we get in too deep, I want to know how COVID-19 has impacted you personally and professionally.

Covid-19 has taken an economic hit to me like most people. I feel like it has put me [at] a standstill with my music as I’ve felt an internal loss of motivation to be promoting my music when there is such tragedy going on. However, on the other hand it inspires me to try to be a source of hope and positivity for others to stay strong through my writing and songs. I’m trying to reach out more often to my friends and family which is really nice because a lot of them are so far away from me. It really reiterates what is truly important in life which to me are the connections and bonds you have with your loved ones.

Tell me a bit about your background growing up in Minnesota.

I grew up in the middle-class suburbs, the youngest of 3 children. I was very athletic, involved in many sports such as gymnastics, soccer, basketball, cross-country running, and competition cheerleading ( I was the one they threw up in the air).

My Mom suffered from many medical problems including horrible arthritis which caused her to be unable to work. I had my first job with my siblings having our own paper route as well as working at a local car wash. I really learned the essence of hard work and appreciation at a young age.

My Dad was in a band as a singer and guitarist when he was younger and my Grandma was a professional organist, and I inherited their musical genes. I was in choir, musicals, and voice lessons. At 6 years old I told my Dad I’m going to be a famous singer and move to LA when I turn 18, and kept that belief. I was voted in my graduating high school class of 2,000 students to never return to Minnesota. They all knew that I had bigger dreams than staying in town, getting a 9-5, and starting a family, which was the typical Minnesota lifestyle.

My Dad told me just like his parents told him I don’t want you to be a starving artist, so I had to pursue a college degree first. So, I went to college at San Diego State for 2 years. I would drive every week to take voice lessons in LA, then I transferred to Chicago and completed my 4-year degree in 3 years. They had a program called semester in LA where I was selected along 12 others to study on Raleigh Studios lot in Movie Marketing. I graduated and stayed in LA to pursue my entertainment endeavors. I was quickly distracted with acting and on-camera hosting. Many people told me “you would be so good at it you’re so personable.” However, after pursuing that route for a while I realized that this isn’t my passion and got burned out. I then went on sort of a Eat, Pray, Love route–went to Bali and received my yoga certification and with some soul searching, fell back into music, my true love & passion. Now I’m ready to share my music with the world and inspire them as well to stay true to themselves.

Your last two singles, ‘Ladies Night’ and ‘Countdown’ were both big hits. How would you describe your music?

My music is upbeat, fun, positive, and the lyrics are centered on motivating and inspiring others.

What’s new on your playlist?

Some of my favorite new recent downloads include:

Never Seen The Rain- Tones And I

I Love Me- Demi Lovato

Alive- Klingande

Brave- Don Diablo & Jessie J

So Small- Carrie Underwood

You are very popular with the queer community. Tell me about that.

I have a lot of gay friends and I’ve always just connected with them. I tend to refer to myself as just a fun-crazy gay guy trapped in a straight girl’s body. I tend to find most gay guys I meet to share similar qualities to myself such as sarcasm, sassiness, a love for song and dance and not afraid to break out into it at any time, and also to stay true to yourself regardless of the opinions of others. Not afraid to be so extra!

What is your favorite charity or cause?

My favorite cause is anything supporting mental health. I’ve had my own battles with feelings of anxiety/depression that I’ve overcome and know how important it is to learn the tools to take care of your inner world and live a happy life through self-love and self-care. I also used to work as a yoga therapist at an outpatient rehab center and really feel for those that are struggling with inner demons.

You are about to drop a single inspired by this global pandemic. Can you share any details?

My single is called “Journey Alone.”  The song was created at the end of 2019, but it also relates so perfectly in my opinion during this hard time where we are all sitting in quarantine and practicing social distancing.

The song is about self-care. It’s about removing toxic people from your life and spending some time alone to look within and discover how to create a healthy internal environment for yourself. It’s about creating boundaries. Happiness is an internal job and we are the only person that can heal ourselves and make ourselves feel whole and complete. During this quarantine where we are literally forced to spend a lot of alone time, it’s a great time to learn how to be alone, self-reflect, and think about healthy ways we want to spend our lives and who we want to be in this world when this is all over.

What would you like to share with your fans and others as we go through this crisis?

Going through hard times in the past I’ve learned that tough times don’t last forever, but tough people do! Never give up hope that there will be a brighter future. Although this time is difficult, try to find the positives in this situation such as more time to make connections with those you love even if most of that time is spent talking on the phone.

If you aren’t working use this time to find or work on a hobby, maybe even creating your own business, or on self-improvement including getting in great shape.

Every time you feel like complaining or feeling sorry for yourself think of what you do have to be grateful for. There is always something to be grateful for, it can be even the smallest simplest thing. And when you’re also having negative thoughts think about what you can do to help someone else.

Tell me a secret-a good one!

If I told you then it would no longer be a secret! I’m the type of friend that you can always count on to keep a secret.

What everyone doesn’t know about me is I sleep topless with a baby blanket and one foot out of the covers.

Follow Hollywood Holland on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollandonholiday/