Hannah Huston went from preschool teacher to celebrity almost overnight, so, as you can imagine, life has changed dramatically for her.
Since finishing third on the 10th edition of NBC’s “The Voice†in May 2016, Huston’s become as recognizable in and around Lincoln as some football coaches.
People often stop to talk and/or snap pictures with her, and she’s quite OK with it.
“I’m an extrovert,†Huston said in a phone interview to promote her holiday concert at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. “This is a new way for me to meet people. All these strangers are now my friends … The least I can do is shake a hand and take a photo. I don’t mind at all.â€
Never?
“When I take that quick trip to the grocery store and I don’t look so good, then it’s not so fun,†she said.
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Then she laughed.
Huston has a lot to laugh about these days. Since her whirlwind rise to TV stardom, she’s slowly, but surely, been crafting her music career.
On Thursday, backed by a seven-piece orchestra led by pianist and University of Nebraska-Lincoln music professor Tom Larson, she’ll perform holiday songs at the Lied.
“It’s going to be lovely and very interesting,†she said. “It’s my spin on the Christmas classics. It’ll be really fun for me as a singer. I give the songs more of a soulful vibe or a jazz-type feeling to them.â€
The set list will include her takes on “White Christmas,†“Let It Snow,†“The Christmas Song†and arrangements of secular favorites.
“Tom has done a lot of these arrangements,†Huston said. “They are stunning, just stunning.â€
Huston has been performing here and there over the last few months and writing and recording her first album, which she said will be released early next year. She recorded the songs for it in Atlanta, working with producer Nate Washburn.
And not “Voice†coach Pharrell Williams? There had been some talk the two might work together on Huston’s first album. But Huston said it was just talk.
“Pharrell and I are very close, and I keep up with him and listen to him,†Huston said. “But he’s not my producer. … We are two different artists. That’s the reality. We worked well together (on the show), and maybe someday we will again."
Huston did keep Williams apprised of the album's progress.
“I texted him about a month ago and told him we were done writing and recording," she said. "He was really excited for me. He’s been super encouraging to me.â€
Huston, who currently is making Lincoln her home, hasn’t left teaching behind, saying she’s substituted a time or two for Lincoln Public Schools since appearing on the show.
“I miss all (of the kids) very much,†she said.