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feel fortunate to be able to have these two different careers that I really enjoy, and they ultimately
create balance for me. Working as a social worker has given me a lot of insight into the
experiences of others and this has shown up in my songs in various ways. For example, the songs
‘Food On the Table’ and ‘Throwaway Child’ both have a direct connection to working with
struggling single mom’s and street youth. I do enjoy working with other artists in a counseling
role and feel like I can support them in a different way being a musician and artist myself.

LL: What was the global pandemic like for you?

DC: The pandemic was such a
challenging, difficult and often confusing
time for me and for so many of us. I felt
a lot of anxiety and fear going on around
me and it was hard to keep up with the
constantly changing information as
understanding about the virus evolved.
It was incredibly sad that we lost so
many people to COVID around the
world, and I think we will be dealing
with this aftermath for a while. There
was also so much polarization here in
the US about many issues including how
to deal with the virus and racial justice
uprisings. This created a really unsettled
feeling at times. I had bought a new
home in the fall of 2019, and it needed
some work and fixing up in places. So,
while the world was in an uproar all
around me, I kind of relished the down
time to paint, scrape, fix things in my
home and have more time to read and
be with my family. Taking a break from performing live was really strange but also the slowing
down and gaining perspective was really helpful for me. When I returned it was with a little
more clarity about what I wanted from my music life, and I felt more energized and appreciative
of it.

LL: What can your fans look forward to coming up from Deb Callahan?

DC: That’s a good question! I have been so busy with getting this latest album out, scheduling
gigs and promotion and marketing that I haven’t been in future planning mode. I hope to get
back into a writing phase soon and record some new music in the next year or so. I also would
love to do some touring and perform at festivals in Europe so would like to start working on this!
Thanks for the interview !

~ © Lawrence Lebo 2023

Lawrence Lebo is an award winning, critically acclaimed Blues recording artist living in
Northeast Ohio, USA. She can be found on the web at www.lawrencelebo.com