303 Magazine | Local Listen — Hallie Marie Tells Stories Through Trio of Singles

Author: Emma Jerry

Date: May 22, 2025

Spring has sprung for singer-songwriter Hallie Marie, who’s proactively introducing herself to the local music community with the release of her third single, “Pure (Don’t You Still Remember?).” On Wednesday, the single joined its two predecessors as Marie’s inaugural musical forays, allowing her to bring her artistry to streaming platforms and, soon enough, to live audiences. 303 Magazine spoke with Marie about where the three singles came from, what her intention is with her music, and how she views music as a vital part of humanity.

Marie has been a singer since she was a kid and singing has always been her “first and only dream.” Her parents picked up on her talent, which then led to voice lessons, with her songwriting journey beginning in high school. She eventually moved to Denver to study vocal performance and songwriting and was able to continue practicing and honing her craft. Since then, she’s “been in a couple different bands that have played around Denver, recording with [those] bands” and has been simultaneously working on her solo career. 2025 has already seen her first two singles — “Sanity” and “Indebted” — with “Pure (Don’t You Still Remember?)” rounding out the trio.

Marie’s songwriting is about storytelling at its core. The sorrowful, haunting “Indebted” comes face-to-face with unhealthy coping mechanisms and taking responsibility for your actions. Marie’s lyrics bring listeners to a place of recognition of unhealthy habits and the realization of no longer wanting to engage in them. The more upbeat, piano-forward “Sanity” is essentially about “getting carried away with the night,” with fun and taking it “too far,” Marie explained. The third single is soft-spoken, folky, featuring Marie’s saccharine vocals and touching on a particular romantic experience that mourns a love not just lost, but seemingly vanished.

Of the three, “Pure” is Marie’s personal favorite due in part to its chord progression and changes. The song has a “really simple start with lead vocal and guitar,” Marie said, which then evolves and builds “with harmonies and background vocals.” While she thought long and hard about what kind of instruments she wanted to use in the song and what the production of it might look like, much of the recording process happened in the moment. “The producer just start[ed] recording and we [made] up harmonies on the fly,” Marie said.

While artists like Elton John, Michael Jackson and Lana Del Ray have inspired Marie through their storytelling or their ability to hold a stage, her main source that fuels her songwriting is her feelings. As with any good outlet, her music is how she expresses herself, touching on a human experience that truly speaks to everyone. Naturally, then, her goal is “to make the best art that I can.” She plans to continue growing an audience by creating music that people want to hear for the sole reason that it resonates with them. “I don’t need anything super big and extravagant,” Marie said, rather, just to “help people with whatever they’re going through.”