What
inspires you to write a song?
Life situations.
My songs are always a reflection of my growth and understanding
about my place in life. I write some songs about relationships
but that is not my main theme.
What
is your process for writing a song?
A song is a coming
together of many facets of thought, feeling, musical influence
and experimentation. At a certain point all these elements,
which often seem disparate, fuse into a final expression, a
song.
What
kind of music is this? What do you call it?
After a recent
performance in New Jersey, someone said to me that my performance
style was very diverse. Right now I am still experimenting with
my style, so naming it in a way that the public would immediately
understand is not easy; I would have to hyphenate many different
styles in a long stream of descriptives. Generally you could
call me a contemporary singer/songwriter.
Does
a name for your style matter?
I guess it matters
for marketing purposes, yes. For me now it is more important
to take the time to develop rather than having to define myself
too soon.
What
other artists inspire you?
Because I also
play percussion and recently did a 10-day workshop with some
great percussion players, my inspiration these days comes from
them. People like Glen Velez and Trichy Sank Aran. But I have
also been listening to two jazz singers, Sarah Vaughan and Nina
Simone. They have inspired me a lot. Nina Simone has recorded
some great political songs. I also love to listen to Joni Mitchell.
What
is your goal in writing music?
To play my part in contributing to world peace and the channeling
of positive energy.
Does
music matter in the world?
Music is very important. It can unify people. Help them to feel
that we have common feelings. Music can help create a revolution!
What
are important themes in your music?
Learning to love
yourself, so that you can love and respect others as well. My
music also touches on racism and evolution. And it has a world
music aspect to it too. I play percussion instruments from Africa
and other countries and I am learning about music from different
cultures. Those influences show up in my music. It is important
to me that I don't steal the sounds from other cultures, that
I use them with respect and let people know where the ideas
came from. One of my recent songs is called "Who Made This Drum?"
It incorporates some of these ideas.
Do
you have advice to others who want to go into music?
I would say that
if they feel they must make music, then they should do it. They
will know if that is the path they need to follow. Also, I would
suggest that they learn from many areas-not just music but whatever
they find intriguing-to learn and use it. Take risks; follow
what is interesting and what feels right.
What
are some of the major difficulties with your career in music?
Trusting that I am going at the right pace. Trusting that I
don't have to move more quickly than I am going right now. People
around me often push me to get ahead faster. Make the CD, define
myself better in my PR packages. I'm taking it at a pace I feel
is right, taking time to experiment and not making my first
CD before I feel I have the right way to get my ideas across.
What
would you like people to know about you aside from your music?
That I am also interested in producing videos. (Annabelle's
most recent video, which was self-produced, won an award.)
I'm spending quite a lot of time on that these days. Also, I
am learning as much as I can about electroacoustics. I also
put a lot of emphasis on dance and the use of the body in performance.
Do
you dance and sing at the same time?
No, I have danced
to recorded music in performance. And I have worked with a lot
of dancers who have danced to my music. I don't know how or
if I will incorporate my own dance into my vocal performances.
However, I am really moving toward multimedia performances.
Video, dance and music.
What
is your next step?
I'm going to be recording soon. Doing it in a pleasurable way,
without the stress of having to come out with a completed CD.
If that happens, great. The important thing is to record my
ideas and see how they sound. Then take the next step, which
may be to press CDs.
Can
you make some comments on the music business today?
I think the music business today is terrifying. Huge companies
use talent and then dispose of it. I see that as one part of
what is going on. Then there are the independent companies that
can get a person's music into the world while still showing
respect for the music. And then there are the people who do
it all themselves. But I don't see doing it all alone. I wouldn't
want to take that route. I would hope to sign with a record
company at some point.
Where
would you draw the line in your efforts to become a big-selling
singing artist?
I do want to
reach as many people as I can. I don't really know what my limits
are yet. I will work with people in the industry to make my
music known to a lot of listeners. But I won't compromise my
soul. I read in an interview with Sarah McLaughlin in which
she said she had to compromise quite a lot with her recent music.
She was in debt, something like $400,000, and it sounded as
if she had to make changes in her music to suit the record company
because what she wrote may not have been commercial enough.
And, of course, the company wants a big hit. That kind of thing
troubles me a lot. Singing in a commercial might be okay, though.
I had a friend who did some backup vocals in a Coke commercial;
no one knows it was her. What she got paid lasted her for an
entire year! I think I would do that. It wouldn't reflect on
my own career. No one would know.
 |
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