About That Song: Hilary Yoder of Wren + Wilde
About That Song #93
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
In the 93rd edition of this series, I got to talk to Hilary Yoder! Alongside Beth Olivares, she fronts Americana band Wren + Wilde. Rich in harmonies and detailed lyricism, the 5-piece band leans into smoldering grooves for a sound they’ve called “Smoke Folk.” We dug into her musical past to find out about the songs and experiences that helped make her the songwriter she is today.
Hilary Yoder of Wren + Wilde. Photo credit: @no_aesthetic_stills (Sammie Jean Cohen).
Sarah: Hi Hilary Yoder!! First off, ooh I love that you call Wren + Wilde’s sound “Smoke Folk”!
Since releasing your debut single in May, you’ve spent the summer performing at festivals and favorite venues around Minnesota. You’re set to drop a brand new single in the coming year, and you’re celebrating a fantastic 2025 with a show at Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul. This feels like the perfect time to ask you About That Song! Do you remember the song you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Hilary: Oh my goodness… There are so many songs that have inspired me, but if we’re talking the first song that made me want to write … I’d have to say “I’m Sensitive” by Jewel. Her debut album, Pieces of You, came out when I was 10 years old, and I would sit in my room—lights out, candles lit—listening to the record on repeat. (What can I say, I was a deep-feeling kiddo!)
Sarah: Also, this feels like the truest way to listen to that album!
Hilary: The way she bared her soul for the world to see really captured me. I felt seen in her music and wanted to be just. Like. Her. The first song I ever performed in public (around that time) was “I’m Sensitive,” which was a B-side track from that album. It has the refrain “Please be careful with me, I’m sensitive, and I’d like to stay that way.” (Did I mention I was a deep-feeler?) Its production is really simple, which made it especially intimate and accessible. The song concludes with the line “I have this theory that if we’re told we’re bad, then that’s the only idea we’ll ever have. But maybe if we are surrounded in beauty someday, we will become what we see.” That felt true to me then and still does now. I’ve since surrounded myself with beautiful songs in hopes that someday I’ll write a few beauties of my own.
Sarah: What a line! And what an aim! I think it’s an exquisite idea—let’s surround ourselves with beauty when possible. And as a mother, I want to surround our kiddos with beauty, too.
Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it—was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
Hilary: There are days I still don’t feel like a writer! Writing is such an exercise of faith. We present ourselves to a blank page with a pen in hand and hope that it will result in something beautiful—it’s a brave thing… and yet I’ve written plenty of sinkers—songs that set off from shore only to sink to the bottom of the lake and never see the light of a stage.
Sarah: That is such a lovely way to honor those songs. I have plenty of sinkers, though I would guess I’ve called them by names that were … less kind? More disparaging, maybe? I’m here for “sinkers.”
Hilary: The first tune that felt like it held water was a song I wrote for my dad called “Bag of Bones.” This was back in the recession of 2008, while I was studying songwriting in Tennessee. My dad had just been laid off by his employer of 30 years and was faced with finding a new job in a labor-intensive field that would not look kindly on a man of his age. It was the first song I wrote that felt really true. The kind that would make a person feel seen. The chorus “there’s still time, there’s still time / your old bag of bones can learn to fly”—though not entirely flattering—was an encouragement he took to heart. He ended up switching careers entirely and worked in personal care before retiring. It was a tender time for him, and I was so proud to see him spreading his wings in uncharted skies.
Sarah: It sounds like that song was a gift to you both. “What if we said out loud all of the thoughts that have been crashing around this house / would it knock us out” … the opening line to Wren + Wilde’s debut single “The Ring” is such a bold invitation. Can you tell us about that song?
Hilary: I’m so glad you called it an invitation! That is exactly how I see this song. Behind the edgy metaphor of the boxing ring is really an invitation to be vulnerable. “The Ring” was born out of personal experience. My husband and I both have a tendency to be conflict-avoidant. It often feels safer to bite our tongues than to engage in a fight. But there’s a big difference between keeping the peace and making peace. Real peace takes work—it asks us to roll up our sleeves and step into the hard conversations that actually make a relationship stronger. For me, “The Ring” is a call to say the quiet thing out loud, trusting that we can hold the truth together. Honesty has its own way of healing. Funny enough, it’s one of the only songs I’ve ever written for my husband. Nothing says romance like conflict resolution.
Sarah: I’m a fan of what I call “adult love songs” and for me, conflict resolution is part of adult love. And thus, romantic! Over the last year, I’ve had the good fortune to write alongside you in an online songwriting group. It’s been a joy to hear you week after week and think, WHOA THERE HOW DID YOU WRITE THAT SO FAST! One song I remember being particularly done in by is “Luella.” I’m wondering if you can tell us about that song?
Hilary: “Luella” is such a special song for me—written for my eldest daughter. She’s a tender-hearted, old soul of a girl—more interested in nature and meditating than dolls or princesses. Her interests include rock collecting, sewing, and cats. She’s pretty stinkin’ amazing if you ask me. But my mama’s heart worries for her because the world can be cruel to the tender and leaves little space to be different. More than anything, I want my girlie to know her worth. That the special way she shines is significant and needed. That the world needs her to be exactly who she is. So when our songwriting prompt was “significant,” I knew it was time to write her song.
The refrain “Luella, my bella” was something I hummed to her as a baby. A sweet little waltz that feels familiar and old-timey, just like my Lu. So all in all, you could say it took me 8 years to write it—not as fast as it seems online! A lot of my songs take their time swimming around in my mind before they’re birthed on the page. Sometimes our songwriting prompts provide just the right nudge to bring it forth into the world. My hope is that “Luella” would assure other tender hearts of their worth and encourage them to take up space. Maybe it’s an encouragement for my own heart as well.
Hilary Yoder & Beth Olivares of Wren + Wilde. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah: Songs tend to work that way for me—I’ll write a song for someone, and then realize, AH I NEED IT, TOO. Wren + Wilde is currently working on a new single, “Chasing Time,” set to release on January 9th, 2026. In it, you sing about the kind of regret one might feel when they realize they’ve invested years, days, and moments into someone that ultimately turns out to be a “dead end.” Can you tell us about THAT song?
Hilary: Oh, “Chasing Time” … the regret, the remorse … ooof. I think it was Kierkegaard who penned “The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly the one you’ll never have.” “Chasing Time” is about just that. It rose from my journey with songwriting. I’ve always battled self-doubt as an artist. To the point that I set songwriting aside for over a decade because I believed I didn’t have what it takes. Instead, I poured my creativity into safer spaces—covering other artists, staying just close enough to music without risking too much of myself. When I finally returned to writing my own songs, I was hit with this wave of what-ifs. What if I’d kept going? How much further along would I be by now?
But the truth is, regret doesn’t move us forward. We can neither rewind time nor fast-forward to the version of ourselves we wish we were. We only have the here and now. So here I am now, writing again and attempting to stay in the moment!
Sarah: And I’m so glad you are—here and now, writing and singing. Do you have any upcoming Midwest shows where we might hear you sing that song?
Hilary: Yes! We’ll be at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall on Thursday, December 4th, with the full band in tow!
Sarah: That’s TOMORROW, reader!
Hilary: The incredible Sammie Jean will be opening up the night for us with her crew. Rumor has it Jackie Rae Daniels will be joining in on the fun as well!! Looking further ahead, we’ll be at the oh so cozy Aster Cafe on February 6th with the wise and wonderfully talented Matthew French. It’ll be such a treat to share the night with him and his soulful tunes!
Sarah: Both shows feature just fantastic lineups. Thank you so much for stopping by About That Song. Congrats on such a creatively fulfilling 2025, and cheers to a brilliant 2026!
It’s not too late to get your tickets for Wren + Wilde (with openers Sammie Jean and Jackie Rae Daniels) at the Amsterdam in St. Paul on Thursday, Dec. 4! Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7 pm. All ages!
Listen to “The Ring”
“The Ring” Single Credits
Written by: Hilary Yoder
Produced and Engineered by: Corey Yoder
Featuring; Hilary Yoder (vocals, acoustic guitar), Bethany Olivares (vocals), Corey Yoder (drums, keyboard), André DeSautel (electric guitar), George Mitchell Jones (bass)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
