Singer-songwriter Hollow Bastion discusses unexpected success, showcasing her vulnerability and beginnings
June 20, 2022
Illinois-raised, singer-songwriter Teagan, who’s latest music projects can be identified under Hollow Bastion, reaches a rapidly growing audience not only through her music, but also through creating multiplatform content for her fans. As the 19-year-old singer continues to expand and navigate her fanbase, she reminisces on her path to unanticipated stardom.
The Daily Texan sat down with Teagan to discuss her YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers, her massive influx of fans, older creations and her newest EP, Unravel.
DT: You’re known for both your music and your YouTube channel “twooba.” How did you begin making videos, and were they at all connected to your inevitable work as Hollow Bastion?
Teagan: I was still only streaming to 10 people on TikTok. On a whim, I decided to make a video about my guitar pedals on YouTube. There’s not a lot of entertaining guitar content, so I’m guessing people are probably getting a kick out of it. Those two videos started getting a lot of views, so I just kept making guitar-related stuff.
DT: When you started getting attention on your YouTube channel for your guitar-related content, did that motivate you to start promoting your songs under Hollow Bastion?
T: Early on, I was pretty shy about all that shit. It was hard for me to even post it. I don’t even think I was telling people I was posting songs for a while. I first picked up the guitar when I was in seventh grade. My family just had a guitar, and no one was playing it. I was originally playing it in secret, actually. I didn’t want anyone to hear me playing. Then once I could actually play something, I showed (a few people). They thought I could pick it up really quick, but really I (had) been playing for a month.
DT: Were you originally surprised by the reception your first EP got?
T: Yeah, I think so. “When I Meet You” has so many streams, and I’m still confused about it. I don’t know where they’re coming from. It has quite a lot of streams, even more than some of my favorite songs. It’s a very low-fi, shitty recording, but I guess it’s a good song.
DT: It’s a very common musician thing to not like your most popular song, right?
T: One of the most surprising things to me was that people still like (my early songs) even though they’re so low-fi. What always got me was the GarageBand drums. They stick out like a sore thumb to me, but I guess most people don’t really care.
DT: What was the thought process behind creating your latest EP, Unravel?
T: I wasn’t consciously trying to put an EP together. In fact, these songs are all unrelated to each other. Recording-wise, it was mostly the same (process) as I’ve always done, on my phone using GarageBand, only this time, I had better mics and an interface to work with, rather than my Blue Yeti (microphone). I landed on these four songs because they don’t have any typical song structure and are more like journeys. I’m able to write a more straightforward bedroom indie song, but I think these are different and show what I’m capable of. For me, it explores time, existence and healing, which is what led me to choose the name Unravel.
