Lzzy Hale of Halestorm Confirms 22-Year Relationship with Guitarist

On March 5, Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger from Halestorm took the stage at the Grammy Museum’s Clive Davis Theater in Los Angeles. It was an evening that Hale herself called a “pinch me moment.” The event, moderated by veteran rock writer Katherine Turman, covered everything from the making of Halestorm’s latest album “Everest” to what it felt like to perform at Ozzy Osbourne’s monumental “Back To The Beginning” farewell show in Birmingham. But it was what Hale said before launching into “The Silence” – the closing track from 2018′ album “Vicious” – that stopped the room cold. 

Lzzy Hale Reveals Her Relationship With Joe Hottinger

Hale didn’t sugarcoat it. She stood in front of a room full of fans and just… told the truth. Per Blabbermouth, she said: 

“Just to throw another wrench into the works — Joe and I are together, and we have been for 22 years.”

She went on to describe the early days – two people who instantly recognized something rare in each other. The kind of connection where you’re sitting up until four in the morning, not scrolling your phone, but actually talking about your dreams and figuring out how to make them real. That’s rare at any age, but as teenagers building a rock band from the ground up in Central Pennsylvania? That’s almost unbelievable.

Why Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger Almost Didn’t Go There

Hale openly admitted that her first reaction to her feelings was dread. Her words? “Man, it sucks that he’s in the band.” Because she knew the risk. Bandmate relationships have a legendary reputation for going sideway – and she wasn’t wrong to be cautious.

The singer referenced Fleetwood Mac (shorthand in rock circles for romantic chaos turned musical catastrophe) as the cautionary tale. But the model she and Hottinger chose to look at? Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. Married since 1982, still performing together, still clearly in love. That’s the blueprint. She said: 

“We made the decision — if we don’t try this, then we could be losing out on something too.”

That’s not recklessness. That’s maturity dressed up as a leap of faith.

What Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger Built Together

Hottinger joined Halestorm in 2003 — five years after Lzzy and her brother, drummer Arejay, founded the band in middle school. He wasn’t a founding member, but somewhere along the way he became something more important: a partner in every sense of the word.

And the results speak for themselves. Halestorm won a Grammy in 2013 for “Love Bites (So Do I).” They’ve toured relentlessly, played stadiums, shared stages with Iron Maiden, and earned one of the most devoted fanbases in hard rock. Their latest album, “Everest,” released in August 2025, has been widely recognized as the creative peak of their career. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when the people making the music actually care – about the art, and about each other.

The Grammy Museum Performance That Said Everything

After the interview wrapped up and the Q&A concluded, the musicians stripped it all back. Just voice, acoustic guitar, and an audience hanging onto every note.

The setlist for the evening included:

• “Amen“
• “Mz Hyde”
• “Love Bites (So Do I)”
• “Like A Woman Can”
• “The Silence”
• “I Miss The Misery”
• “I Like It Heavy”

There’s something about hearing Halestorm songs without the wall of distortion that forces you to pay attention to the actual songwriting. What you hear is undeniable. These aren’t just rock songs – they’re built from real life experience, real emotion, and apparently, real love.

What Comes Next for Lzzy Hale and Halestorm

The Grammy Museum evening wasn’t just a retrospective, it was a preview of what’s still to come. Halestorm kicks off their 2026 touring season with South American dates, followed by a run through England, and then a full North American slate.

If that’s not enough, Hale and Hottinger are also bringing their intimate Unplugged Sessions to the UK in June 2026. They’re hitting Glasgow, Southampton, London, Dublin, and Belfast. Five shows, stripped back, up close, and personal. If the Grammy Museum performance is any indication, those tickets will go fast.

Singer Hale has always been one of rock’s most compelling voices – on stage and off. But hearing her talk about guitarist Hottinger with that kind of quiet certainty, that mix of vulnerability and conviction? There’s something almost poetic about watching two people who have spent over two decades building a band, a career, and a life together. They talked about all of it like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Because for these two, it kind of is.