From Montreal to New York City, singer-songwriter and recording artist Karine Hannah releases another soulful and unique cover with Journey's smash hit, "Separate Ways."
Karine Hannah began creating covers after Eddie Van Halen's passing, in which she commemorated the legendary rocker through a compelling and emotional cover of Van Halen's "Jump." Creating the cover led Hannah to slowly build an album that's yet to be released.
Stripping away the standard eighties synths and driving guitars, Karine Hannah's cover of Journey's "Separate Ways" is a raw, emotional piano ballad that allows her smokey and powerful vocals to shine through. Hannah perfectly enhances the song's initial theme of lost love through her soulful and mesmerizing performance, serenading us with angelic harmonies and roars of emotion.
Expanding on Karine Hannah's rendition of "Separate Ways," the song opens with angelic vocals that sing Perry's lyrics of lost love and loneliness. Alongside the tender and delicate piano melodies, Karine Hannah moves over to the pre-hook and perfectly matches Perry's authentic and recognizable vocal tones with her unique raspiness and power. Reaching the chilling hook, Karine Hannah gives it her all and belts the song's passionate lyricism with the utmost emotion and soul.
We're incredibly impressed with Hannah's ability to take such an anthemic, bold, and lively tune and transform it into this heart-wrenching and haunting ballad. There's such power behind Hannah's voice; her timeless tone is the perfect way to represent classic hits from the past while reimagining them in her own unique way.
Experience Karine Hannah's cinematic and deeply emotional cover of Journey's "Separate Ways," available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Karine Hannah. We're truly in awe of the emotion and power within your cover of Journey's "Separate Ways." What inspired you to cover this classic Journey hit?
Thank you so much! I chose separate ways because it's my favorite Journey song; the lyrics mean so much to me, and I knew it would be an excellent choice for me vocally.
Did you work entirely solo when reworking "Separate Ways" and putting your own spin on it? What was that creative process like?
First, I consult with my pianist, who sets the tone and the arrangement for the song. He knows my vocal style and understands that I like everything to have a lot of drama. Scott Chasolen, who was playing piano and made the arrangement separately, sends me an initial sketch, and then I give him tweaks and adjustments. For example, I decide on the tempo, where I want pauses and in this version, I didn't want the second verse to come in the same way as the original, I envisioned a piano solo before leading into the second verse, and then how I wanted a breakdown after a massive chorus to end the song tenderly. Once I am happy with the arrangement, I lay my vocal on just the piano track. After I record all my vocals and do all the backgrounds and harmonies, I'll send it off to my producer Josh Harris, who then puts the final treatment on the song & mixes it. It's a three-way collaboration, and we make a great team.
When creating a cover, are there certain criteria you look for in a song? What must the original song have in order for you to cover it?
That's a great question. The first thing that I look for in a cover is whether or not it can be reimagined. There are certain songs that don't lend to making it your own, and that's not what my objective is with this project. The last component to choosing great covers to record is choosing songs that haven't been overdone. Sometimes I end up picking something that has been done many times before, but if I feel strongly about it, and I know that I can put my own twist on it, then I will do it, but generally, it has to be something more unexpected.
Is the entire project made up of covers for the album you're currently working on? Can you drop some hints as to what we should expect?
Yes, the album is called "Inspired," and it's all reimagined covers. This album series has four categories: rock, 80s, In-Pop ( current trendy pop hits), and classics. There will be at least 10 reimagined covers from each category, so eventually, my fans can collect the whole series and enjoy songs they already know, but done in a fresh new way that makes it almost like a new song. And all the productions lean towards ethereal, over-the-top, drippy slow jams.
What is one of your goals with your music for this year?
One of my goals is to complete the rest of the album, and two finalize and get a show on the road to promote this project and perform live for my fans.