Halestorm

Halestorm performing an acoustic set in 2009

Siblings Arejay (born Terrance Averell Cooper Hale)[13] and Elizabeth "Lzzy" Hale began actively writing and performing original music in 1997 when they were 10 and 13 years old.[14] Lzzy started learning piano at the age of 5; she later progressed to a keytar and Arejay the drums. She took guitar lessons at 16.

In its earliest days, Halestorm was referred to as a Christian rock band,[15] and the theme of their tours focused on encouraging teens to avoid drugs, sex, and violence.[16] The teen siblings were joined on stage with their father, Roger Hale, playing bass,[14] and their shows included Arejay playing a rotating drum kit that would flip upside down. They released two EPs titled Forecast for the Future in 1997 and (Don't Mess With The) Time Man in 1999.[17]

In 2003, Joe Hottinger joined the band, and Josh Smith replaced Roger Hale in 2004.[17] The group signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records on June 28, 2005, and released a live EP titled One and Done on April 28, 2006. The EP, now out of print, featured an early live version of "It's Not You".[17]

Their self-titled debut album was released on April 28, 2009.[17] The song "I Get Off" served as the album's lead single. Both the song and video for their second single, "It's Not You", were released in late November 2009. Singles and videos for "Love/Hate Heartbreak" and "Familiar Taste of Poison" were released in 2010.[18]

On November 16, 2010 Halestorm released a live CD/DVD entitled Live in Philly 2010, which was recorded at The TLA in Philadelphia in early 2010.[19] On March 22, 2011, Halestorm released an EP called ReAnimate containing covers of songs of different genres.

On January 24, 2012, Halestorm released the EP Hello, It's Mz. Hyde. Their second full-length album, The Strange Case Of... was released on April 10, 2012, in the US,[20] April 9 in the UK, and April 17 in Italy. On October 29, 2012 they were announced as the support for Bullet for My Valentine on their UK tour in March 2013.[21]

Their song "Love Bites...(So Do I)" was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Category in 2012.[22] They learned while performing a concert in Madison, Wisconsin in 2012, and the crowd erupted in celebration when Lzzy announced the news from the stage. The entire event was recorded by a fan and posted on YouTube.[23] On February 10, 2013 Halestorm won the award, becoming the first female-fronted band to both be nominated and win in that category.[24]

In April 2013, Halestorm reached the top of the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for the first time with their single "Freak Like Me".[25] On August 6, 2013, the band premiered their video for "Here's to Us",[26] and it had previously been performed by the cast on the television show Glee in 2012.[27]

On October 15, Halestorm released their second covers album entitled Reanimate 2.0.[28]

Halestorm performing in 2015

Halestorm covered the Dio song "Straight Through the Heart" on the tribute album Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life, which was released on March 25, 2014. On March 28, 2014 Halestorm performed a brand new song called The Heartbreaker at the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville, Tennessee.[29] In April, the band released a video on YouTube called A Day in the Life Of Halestorm 2014 (Backstage, Interview & New Song Mayhem).[30]

The band released its third studio album, Into the Wild Life, in April 2015.[31] They had performed over 2,000 live shows together,[32] and, in May 2015 released the photo book To Hale And Back in collaboration with photographer Rob Fenn, which documented the career of Halestorm so far.[33] On January 6, 2017, Halestorm released their third covers album Reanimate 3.0.[34] On May 17, 2017, they released the official music video for the song "Dear Daughter".[35]

In February 2018, the band announced that work on their next album had begun.[36] By May of the same year, Halestorm announced the release of their next album, Vicious on July 27, 2018. The band released the first single from the album, "Uncomfortable"[37] that same day. It was followed by "Black Vultures" on June 22 and "Do Not Disturb" on July 19. The album came out on July 27.

In May 2019, "Chemicals" was released as a B-side single. The song is an "homage to those we've lost and all of us struggling with mental illness".[38]

Halestorm had planned to work on their fifth album in 2020, but it was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concerts being canceled meant that 2020 was the longest time they didn't have a concert since Lzzy and Arejay started the band 17 years earlier.[39] They launched the #RoadieStrong campaign to raise financial support for live entertainment crews during the pandemic.[40] The effort was also supported by Avenged Sevenfold, Shinedown, and other artists.

On August 14, 2020, Halestorm released an EP called Reimagined. It features six songs, with five reworked Halestorm songs, including "Break In", featuring Amy Lee of Evanescence, and a cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You".[41]

In January 2021, Hale announced that they had begun recording their next studio album, with a "socially distant" studio process.[42] On August 17, 2021, the first song from the new album, "Back from the Dead", was released.[43] The album Back from the Dead was released on May 6, 2022.[44] A deluxe edition of the album with seven new songs was released in December 2022.[45]

• Lzzy Hale – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano (1997–present), lead guitar (1997–1999, 2000–2001, 2003), bass (1997–1998, 2002–2003)
• Arejay Hale – drums, backing vocals (1997–present)
• Joe Hottinger – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)
• Josh Smith – bass, keyboards, piano, backing vocals (2004–present)

• Leo Nessinger – lead guitar (1999–2000)
• Nate Myotte – lead guitar (2001–2003)
• Matt Grisco – lead guitar (2003)
• Roger Hale – bass (1998–2002)
• Scootch Frenchek – bass (2002)
• Phil Connolly – bass (2003)
• Dave Hartley – bass (2003–2004)[49]