Eighteen-year-old Will Hahn of New Palestine is a new author, having recently published his first book through Kindle Digital Publishing. He’s also self-published a song that can be heard on streaming platforms worldwide.
Shelley Swift | Daily Reporter
NEW PALESTINE — He’s only 18, but Will Hahn is already a self-published author and musician.
The recent New Palestine High School graduate has self-published his first book and released his first song on streaming platforms worldwide.
He has accomplished both while managing a busy schedule in high school, where he earned an honors diploma, played volleyball and tennis and ran cross country and track.
His book — “You Are The Music When The Music Dies” — was released July 20 through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.com.
His debut song — “Another Way” — was released on streaming platforms worldwide in February, through a self-publishing company called CD Baby.
Hahn says his creative pursuits are part of a journey of self-reflection he started around the time he was a freshman in high school.
“I realized one day I was kind of going through the motions, just living life but not really doing much,” he said. “I had a desire to want to do something more, so I wrote down all these goals — kind of like a bucket list — to be more intentional in working towards those things, and I’ve worked on them little by little.”
Among those goals was recording and publishing an original song, “Another Way,” a romantic, mellow tune he wrote for his longtime girlfriend.
“She loves it,” Hahn said with a grin.
“It’s about this feeling you have when you’re with somebody and you wouldn’t change a thing and just want to be in the moment,” he said, “and everything else fades away all around you.”
Classmate Aynslee Dellacca, who wrote about Hahn’s musical debut for the high school newspaper, commended the beauty of his “strumming guitar chords and beautiful piano melodies,” which invoke “the idea of indie love songs and late-night drives.”
Hahn is a self-taught musician who sings vocals and plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, violin, piano and drums on his debut track. He also digitally added other instruments like the cello for a layered, nuanced sound.
He records his music in a spare bedroom in his family’s New Palestine home.
Since hitting streaming platforms five months ago, “Another Way” had over 11,500 listens on Spotify as of July 20.
“It’s been super-exciting and incredibly humbling,” said Hahn.
Shortly after releasing the song to positive praise, he felt motivated to complete the book he’d been working on for over two years.
The book consists of three chapters titled Me, Them and Him.
Hahn said the book was about those times in life that seem to lack meaning, and finding meaning within the void.
“It’s more like a collection of poems and stories and things I’ve learned. I’m super-excited for it to be out in the world,” he said.
His mom, Debbie Hahn, a teacher at New Palestine Elementary School, said her eldest son has always been a passionate kid with a wide variety of interests.
“I love his creativity and how he has done a variety of things,” she said. “I’m thankful for his creative gifts and can’t wait to see how God uses them in the future.”
Hahn said his Christian faith plays a huge role in his creative pursuits. About twice a month, he plays music during services at Fountaintown Christian Church, where his dad Josh is the pastor.
The third chapter of his book, titled “Him” — speaks on his relationship with Jesus.
“I hope it forces a response (in readers), whether it’s a response on their own life somehow, a desire or purpose or passion they want to pursue,” he said. “Or if it’s a relationship with Jesus that would be great…whatever way is most personal to them and suits them best.”
Hahn plans to live with a Christian fraternity this fall when he starts classes at Purdue University, where he’ll study finance. He hopes to become a finance professor someday.
He plans to bring along his guitar and continue his creative pursuits while in college.
“A few people have already reached out about starting a band,” he said.
Hahn started songwriting and teaching himself guitar his freshman year in high school. He found he had a gift for picking up chords, and eventually taught himself how to play electric guitar, piano, ukulele and violin.
Despite a busy schedule, he credits his ability to excel at music to being intentional with his time.
“A lot of people my age will spend hours on their phones or watching TV. While I do do some of those things, I try to keep that to a minimum and replace it with doing something I love, like learning instruments or writing songs or writing this book,” he said.
“Early on in high school, I was over-consuming (with excessive screen time), but when I started getting into music and started creating, I started realizing how much more I enjoyed that. You can create something that will last instead of watching a video that you won’t remember in five minutes,” said the ambitious teen.
He started researching online how to self-publish books and music, and set his sights on doing both.
It took him about two years to complete his book, writing off and on until honing in on writing and editing daily over the last six months.
He hopes to continue producing music and possibly write another book someday.
Hahn said he’s always loved people and communicating with others, and his music and writing are two ways to do that artistically.
“I want to do something that has meaning and purpose and give back to people,” he said.
