Hannah has performed at Merlefest (North Carolina), Ozark Folk Centre (Arkansas), Club Passim (Massachusetts), Northern Lights Festival Boreal (Sudbury, ON), Summerfolk (Owensound, ON), Blue Skies Folk Festival (Perth, ON) Full Circle Festival (Newport, NS), and Harrison Festival of the Arts (Harrison Hot Springs, BC).

Hannah says that growing up, music was a given. Naiman’s parents are both musicians; and, as a child, they brought her to folk music festivals and traditional music and dance camps that remained constants in her life. Eventually, Hannah took ownership or those experiences, and began to lead songs and dances, contribute to them, and create them.

Hannah says that from the first time she stole her father’s banjo, she intuitively understood how it worked. She found the instrument to be a natural fit and wrote her first song within weeks of picking it up.

The music Hannah writes borrows stories, images, and language from traditional Appalachian music. She plays a style of banjo called “clawhammer,” which is based in syncopated rhythms. Hannah says these rhythms and phrases naturally drive her songwriting towards a traditional style.

With an Ontario Arts Council creation grant, Hannah has again used this approach to develop songsfor her upcoming record, “Wheels Won’t Go.” These most recent songs are reflective of the challenges of new motherhood, cold winters in northern Ontario, and the coronavirus pandemic – including hersingle, “Vinegar Pie,” which capturesthe struggle, and powerlessness of waiting. Hannah says these new songs are not candy coated, but they are honest and authentic. And there’s a love song in there, too, plus a spirited tribute to her daughter.

Hannah also records and performs as a children’s musician. Hannah’s kids’ albums include Savez-Vous Planter des Choux (2001), which was distributed through the Ontario Government’s literacy program from 2001-2003, Here We Go Zodeo (2012) (winner of Parent’s Choice Gold), and, It’s a Beautiful Day/C’est une Belle Journée (2017).