With a unique blend of raw emotion and storytelling, Liverpool based singer songwriter, Luke O'Hanlon captivates listeners through his lyrics and soulful melodies.
Luke O'Hanlon © 2025
GHR:Â Luke, it is very great to have you here. What inspired you to start writing music?
Luke O'Hanlon: Thank you for having me! I’ve always been drawn to storytelling, and music felt like the most natural way to express that. Growing up in Liverpool, there was always this deep connection to songwriting—it’s in the air here. I started out just playing around with words and melodies, and over time, it became a way to process emotions, observations, and experiences.
For me, writing is like yoga, meditation, or prayer is for other people — just a way of stilling my brain. I’ve always been fascinated by lyrics, ever since the first time I heard Leonard Cohen in the back of my mum’s car. I remember thinking it was the voice of God. Then I got home, looked at the LP sleeve, and saw this guy who looked exactly like Mr. Spock, and I think I sort of thought he was, and that Leonard Cohen got his break on Star Trek. That really confused me. But that moment stuck with me—how words and music could be so powerful, almost mystical. That’s what drew me in, and it’s why I still write today.
GHR:Â Can you tell us more about your experience performing live at gigs and what was the most memorable experience you had?
Luke O'Hanlon: If I'm honest, my favourite times playing have always been at kitchen tables or campfires or whatever. There’s something about the intimacy of those settings that makes music feel like a conversation rather than a performance. You can see every reaction, feel every breath, and it becomes this shared, unfiltered moment. But the bigger the stage, the further away you feel. I can’t imagine a lonelier place than an arena stage—just you, miles away from the people you’re trying to connect with, surrounded by darkness and phone screens.
That being said, I’ve played some incredible gigs over the years—some in packed venues where the energy was electric, others where it was just me and a handful of people in a dimly lit bar, and both had their magic. For a while I played banjo with The Loose Moose String Band. I am the worst banjo player in the world, but that was so much fun. Until I got the nod that it was my turn to solo and I’d just stink up the bar. Good times.
GHR:Â How is your process of songwriting set around?
Luke O'Hanlon: I used to have Moleskine notebooks full of ideas—scraps of lyrics, random thoughts, half-finished verses. Now, they’re all on my phone in voice notes and messages. I’m not sure it’s progress, but there you are.
For me, the important thing is not to catch yourself writing—to let yourself be surprised. The best songs feel like they arrive fully formed, like they were just waiting to be found. But that only happens when you can put yourself to the side enough to let the song come through, and that’s the hard part.
GHR:Â What motivates you to create music and bring awareness to different situations through your songs?
Luke O'Hanlon: Honestly, I don’t know—I just know I’d be a loon without it. When I don’t write, I get grumpy. It’s less about trying to bring awareness to anything and more about making sense of things for myself. Sometimes that overlaps with bigger themes, but I never set out to write about something. The songs tend to tell me what they’re about after they’re written.
Music is one of the few things that can make people feel less alone. I write because I want to capture those moments—whether it’s personal experiences, things I’ve witnessed, or just a mood that feels worth exploring. I think a lot of people struggle with the weight of things they can’t always put into words, and if one of my songs can articulate that for someone, then it’s done its job.
GHR:Â Could you share some insights into your next projects?
Luke O'Hanlon: I’ve got an album coming out in April 2025 called The River Only Flows One Way. It’s a collection of songs about time, memory, and those points in life where everything shifts, sometimes in ways you don’t expect. The first single Alcohol and Sodium is out this month. It’s all about those little battles we all fight. The next single, The Parrots of Lark Lane, is out after that, and I’m excited for people to hear it. Lark Lane is a well-known spot in Liverpool, and the song captures something of its strange, in-between magic. I’m also working on getting my music onto more playlists and reaching new listeners. The goal is to build something that lasts. I’m old and social media is strange to me. But I do have a massive following of sad dads hanging out on MSN Messenger. I’m thinking about getting into Myspace(!).
Big thanks to Luke O'Hanlon for being here and sharing his insights with us. Make sure to follow him on Instagram and presave his upcoming single, Alcohol and Sodium, here: Presave on DistroKid.