Juliana Hatfield: Still Fiercely Independent

Juliana Hatfield.

Courtesy of the artist

Before I went back and delved into Juliana Hatfield's work with Blake Babies, The Lemonheads and the trio that shares her name, I knew her simply as "Emma," the most beautiful lunch lady I had ever seen. You see, Hatfield isn't just a musician, but also a prominent player in projects such as TV's My So-Called Life and The Adventures of Pete & Pete, on which she played the aforementioned "Emma."

But those moments are really just footnotes to a musical career that spans more than 20 years and nearly as many albums, with a fiercely independent streak running through all of her work. I had the privilege of sitting down for a conversation with Hatfield to discuss her new album (How to Walk Away), her first venture into publishing with a recent memoir, and what it means to own an independent record label in this ever-changing music-industry landscape. Uncompromising, inspiring and sincere, Hatfield is the genuine article.

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