Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale recently opened up about the band’s early Christian influences and how they are still perceived in some circles today. She shared her thoughts in an interview on Heavy Stories.
Hale discussed how the band’s Christian rock categorization still follows them. This was sparked by a recent conversation with a friend who discovered Halestorm’s music on a Christian playlist.
“It’s so funny you said that, because for the first time in a while I was reminded of that,” Hale said. “My friend called me up. She’s, like, ‘I just put on Pandora and I’m with a bunch of the moms and the church friends. So I’m, like, ‘Hey, Siri, play Christian music.’ And she said [Halestorm’s] ‘Freak Like Me’ came on. And I’ve known this friend for years. She’s, like, ‘Did you guys use to be a Christian band?’ It is funny how that still follows me around.”
The frontwoman emphasized her acceptance of the band’s faith-influenced past. She also expressed her appreciation for having diverse perspectives.
“I’m not ashamed of that, I’m not denying that,” she continued. “I think that I very much enjoy being able to live on both sides of the coin, in both a religious upbringing and into a spiritual upbringing, in the secular world.”
Hale concluded by reflecting on the positive aspects of her religious background. She also acknowledged potential issues with organized religion.
“And I love having both of those perspectives because I believe that a lot of the things that I learned were very good ideas,” she said. “It’s when man’s hands kind of get all into it and start twisting into greed or gain versus, ‘Hey, loving one another is a really good idea.'”
Hale’s comments shed light on the band’s complex relationship with their religious roots. These roots have followed them throughout their career despite their evolution into mainstream hard rock.
Christian Forums reported that Halestorm originated as a family project in 1997 when siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale began performing together in Red Lion, Pennsylvania. The band started when Lzzy was just 13 and Arejay was 10. Early local media described them as religious due to the siblings’ Christian upbringing. However, the band evolved into hard rock without maintaining faith-based music as their primary focus.
The Hale siblings’ religious background runs deep, as confirmed in various interviews over the years. Songfacts noted that Lzzy told Creeper magazine in an early interview: “We have a Christian background, and we are Christians. But I also write about other stuff going on.” Their early exposure to Christian music included attending Creation festivals during family camping trips. They were familiar with artists like Michael W. Smith, DC Talk, and Newsboys.
Despite their Christian upbringing, Halestorm made a deliberate shift away from being categorized as a faith-based band. Christian Forums explained that while local media pre-2001 labeled them a religious band, Halestorm produces secular hard rock, focusing on personal experiences rather than gospel themes. Lzzy noted in a 2018 interview that they avoid religion and politics in lyrics to prevent misinterpretation. No Halestorm songs promote salvation or redemption—the hallmarks of Christian bands.
The band’s evolution from their faith-influenced beginnings to mainstream success has been remarkable. Wikipedia documented that Halestorm won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 2013, cementing their place in the secular rock world. Today, Lzzy describes her music ironically as “the devil’s music” using “church terminology,” calling it her “new church.” This demonstrates how far the band has traveled from their early religious associations while still acknowledging their roots.
