Q&A: Halley Neal Is Writing the Letters We All Wish We’d Sent
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY DANIELLE HOLIAN ☆
Few artists write songs that feel like conversations, but Halley Neal has built her career on doing just that. With a voice that radiates warmth and a songwriting style rooted in intimacy, the New England–based folk singer/songwriter has become one of the most compelling rising artists in the Americana and folk scenes. Her music is equal parts heartfelt storytelling and invitation, an open window into her experiences, relationships, and the small, luminous details that make life worth remembering.
Halley’s latest album, Letter For a Friend, marks her most personal and narrative-driven project to date. Recorded in Nashville, the record is a collection of songs written as letters to the people who have influenced and shaped her life. It’s a concept album that leans into vulnerability, gratitude, and the courage it takes to speak the words often left unsaid. “Every track on the album is written as a letter to someone who has deeply influenced or impacted my life,” Halley shares. “Though deeply personal, the album is universally human, a reminder that connection transforms both the giver and the receiver. Letter For a Friend is an invitation to reach out, to honor the people who’ve changed us, and to never wait for the perfect moment to say what’s in your heart, to just say it now.”
The genesis of the album began with “Emily,” a song Halley wrote for her childhood best friend. That track became the cornerstone of the project, showing her the power of pairing the timeless act of letter writing with the intimacy of song. From there, the album expanded into a series of musical letters to friends, loved ones, strangers, and even to herself. The result is a body of work that feels both deeply introspective and astonishingly relatable.
Halley’s rise in the folk world has been steady but striking. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, she has toured nationally, graced the stages of the Kerrville Folk Festival, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, and Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and opened for Grammy-winning artist Sara Bareilles. That moment with Bareilles, where the two sang together live, unrehearsed, onstage, was more than a career highlight; it was a turning point that affirmed Halley’s artistic voice and presence. Those who have seen her live know the magic she brings to a room: a balance of intimacy and lightness, vulnerability and joy.
Her previous album, Beautiful and Blue (2022), earned critical acclaim and positioned her as a thoughtful songwriter with a gift for connection. But with Letter For a Friend, Halley stretches further into her own voice, exploring the textures of nostalgia, the bravery of gratitude, and the reminder to savor fleeting moments before they pass. Listeners will hear shades of bluegrass and Americana woven into her folk foundation, arrangements that feel familiar yet fresh, and lyrics that strike with the honesty of a conversation across a kitchen table.
Keep reading for a conversation with Halley Neal to discuss passion, growth, and her new album, Letter For a Friend, below.
LUNA: For anyone who isn’t familiar yet, what inspires your artistic style and creative persona?
NEAL: I think my music comes from a deep love of connection — whether that’s connection to a memory, to the people I love, or to the small, beautiful details in the world around me. I’m really inspired by storytelling, and I try to keep my songs as honest and conversational as possible. My artistic style is rooted in folk music, with a little bit of a draw from bluegrass and pop and classic rock. My new record leans into the intimacy of letter-writing, which feels like such a natural way of expressing myself lately.
LUNA: What inspired you to get into making music?
NEAL: I grew up surrounded by music — my parents played records in the house constantly, and I was always singing along. At first, I just loved the idea of performing, of being on stage. I did a ton of theater through middle and high school. As I got older, writing songs became a way to make sense of my life and to hold onto the people and moments I didn’t want to forget. Music was the most natural way for me to process things, and it slowly grew into the center of my world. I totally have my parents to thank for encouraging me to embrace making music and being creative.
LUNA: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest album, Letter For a Friend? What message do you hope fans take away from it?
NEAL: This album is a collection of songs written as letters to the people who have shaped my life — friends, loved ones, even past versions of myself. I wanted it to feel like sitting down at a kitchen table with a cup of tea and pouring your heart out to someone you trust. The biggest message I hope listeners take away is that it’s never too late to tell the people in your life how much they mean to you. Gratitude, spoken out loud, is powerful.
LUNA: Letter For a Friend is built around the idea of writing songs as letters. What inspired you to approach songwriting through this lens?
NEAL: The whole idea really started with the song Emily, which became the first single and the cornerstone for the record. Emily is about my childhood best friend, who was such an important part of me becoming the person I am today. Writing that song for her—and then actually sharing it with her—showed me how powerful it can be to put everything you feel into a song, the same way you would in a letter. That experience opened the door for me to approach the rest of the album in the same way, as a collection of musical letters to the people who’ve shaped my life.
LUNA: The album touches on gratitude, memory, and the courage to speak from the heart. Which of these themes felt most natural to you as a songwriter?
NEAL: Gratitude, definitely. I think I’m always circling back to it. Even in songs that aren’t explicitly about gratitude, there’s usually an undercurrent of it — just taking stock of the people who make life meaningful and the little flashes of beauty that make it worth remembering.
LUNA: How did you balance keeping the songs intimate and personal while also arranging them for an audience to connect with?
NEAL: That was something I thought about a lot while producing the record. I wanted the album to feel really organic and natural, but I also wanted to give listeners a sense of nostalgia—like they’d heard echoes of these sounds before. To get there, I leaned into instruments and progressions that felt comfortable and familiar. For example, on a song called Gabriel, we used an instrument called a Mellotron, which the Beatles used a lot and which instantly brings me back to songs from that era. It created this old, reflective texture that fit perfectly with the song, which is essentially looking back on a past moment or conversation. That balance—keeping the songs raw and intimate, but also giving them a sonic warmth that feels nostalgic—was really at the heart of the production.
LUNA: Some songs are letters to yourself. What’s one message you needed to hear while making this record?
NEAL: The biggest message I needed to hear was to live in the moment. In my song “Twenty-Two,” I’m reflecting on the years I spent in Boston while studying at Berklee. It was such a fleeting time because I knew graduation was coming, and that awareness actually made me really present and grateful for every little moment. That whole song is about savoring those special days and recognizing how beautiful they were, even as they were happening. Now, it’s something I have to remind myself of constantly — that I’m living the dream younger me could’ve never imagined. Instead of dwelling on the stressful parts, I want to lean into the incredible, beautiful parts and be fully in the moment.
LUNA: Do you see Letter For a Friend as more of a personal diary or a universal invitation for listeners?
NEAL: I think it’s both. It’s incredibly personal — it came straight out of my own relationships and experiences — but I’ve been amazed at how universal the response has been. The act of writing a letter is so timeless, and I think everyone has someone they wish they could write to. My hope is that these songs invite listeners to reflect on their own connections.
LUNA: Do you feel writing these songs helped you say things you might not have been able to otherwise?
NEAL: Absolutely. There’s something about writing a song — or even just writing a letter — that gives you permission to be braver and more vulnerable. It felt like a safe way to say things that might feel too big or too tender to say out loud in everyday life.
LUNA: Did you write all of these songs in one concentrated period, or did they come together over time?
NEAL: They came together over time. Some of the songs started as little scraps of melody or notes in a journal years ago, and others were written during one very reflective period when I knew I was making this record. It was like gathering pieces of my past and present and stitching them together into one body of work.
LUNA: Has there been a moment in the studio recently where you thought: Yes, this is exactly what Halley Neal sounds like?
NEAL: Yes — there was a moment recording “Emily,” the lead single. We tracked it mostly live, and when I heard the playback, it sounded exactly like the nostalgic home movie feeling I wanted. It felt like I had finally captured my own voice in a way that was both raw and fully realized.
LUNA: You’ve performed at major folk festivals and even opened for Sara Bareilles. How have those experiences influenced the way you approach your own live shows?
NEAL: Those experiences taught me so much about presence. Watching artists like Sara Bareilles hold a room — not just with her music, but with her openness and storytelling — really shaped how I approach my own shows. I want every performance to feel like a shared experience, where the audience is just as much a part of the night as I am. When I opened for Sara, I had this wild, brave idea to ask her if she would sing one of her own songs with me during her set. She was so cool and laid-back about it — she said yes immediately, with no hesitation. We ended up singing her song Orpheus together, about halfway through her set, with no rehearsal. It was absolutely magical, and afterward she was so kind and complimentary toward me. Sara has been my musical hero for years — I wrote papers about her in college, studied her phrasing and even the way she pronounces vowels, and I was in a Sara Bareilles cover band for a semester. To go from that level of admiration to actually standing beside her and singing a duet was such a surreal manifestation of years of dreaming. That experience taught me that I’m capable of achieving the things I want if I believe in myself and am bold enough to ask for them. It gave me so much confidence moving forward — not just in performing, but in trusting that if I work hard and put myself out there, incredible things can happen.
LUNA: Your music often radiates warmth and peace. How do you translate the vulnerability of this new album into a live setting?
NEAL: I try to keep things really stripped back live. I tell the stories behind the songs, I lean into the quiet moments, and I let there be space — because sometimes the most powerful thing is to play something softly and let the whole room go still with you. At the same time, I love creating a space at my shows that feels inherently vulnerable but also really positive. I’m intentional about what I share, and I balance the heavier or more emotional songs with moments of lightness. I love to tell jokes, make the audience laugh, and remind everyone that joy and vulnerability can exist side by side. By the end of a show, my hope is that people feel like they really know me — and maybe even know themselves a little better too.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career, and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with Luna?
NEAL: I feel really grateful and energized. This album has been such a labor of love, and releasing it feels like a new chapter. The rest of the year, I’ll be touring, sharing these songs in as many rooms as I can, and continuing to connect with people who find themselves in them. It feels like the beginning of something really exciting.
