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Amanda Stott Interview
Some people say that being a singer is like being an actor, but it’s not like that for me. I’ve got to stand behind it 100%. I’ve got to get into it, understand it and be true to it. So says Amanda Stott, 20 years old and the proud owner of one of the most remarkable Canadian voices since Celine Dion. We’re sitting in a restaurant not far from her new digs in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba. She’s looking relaxed and retro-funky in a powder-blue turtleneck sweater and a floppy beige corduroy cap. She could have walked right out of 1972. Except she wasn’t born until ten years later. She’s leaving tomorrow for Toronto where she’ll be spending the next three weeks getting songs ready for her next album. For Amanda, it’s a new stage in creative exploration and growth. Her enthusiasm crackles like static electricity. Growing up, I listened to country music. Reba McEntire is still my idol. I had a chance to meet with her, but I was afraid to it’s almost as if you have a picture in your mind about what this person is like, and you don’t want to meet them and have them be different. But even though so many of my influences are country, I found that when I started writing my own songs, I never wrote country music. She seems almost surprised. That’s something that’s different for this album. I’m writing songs, and it’s not a country album. It’ll be more piano-based and symphonic. We’re trying to write inspirational music, something with a really positive message. She’s teaming up with some of the most impressive writers in the business: Marc Jordan, Stephan Moccio, people who’ve penned hits for Nelly Furtado, Rod Stewart, Cher and Celine Dion. When I ask her if it can be intimidating working with someone like Moccio, who co-wrote the lead single off of Celine Dion’s A New Day, Amanda almost shrugs. They’re all really nice, she says. The fact is when you’re out there on the radio, that’s who you’re competing with: Celine, Faith Hill, whoever. So you have to compete at that level. How does she go about writing? Usually, I’ll come up with a melody, then we’ll add the lyrics later. Sometimes you’ll come up with a chorus or something that works lyrically. Sometimes you can go three months without getting an idea, then you’ll get five songs in five days. There are artists who’ll spend years on a song because they just can’t figure out how to finish it. Lately she’s been listening to Faith Hill’s New CD, but she still looks back fondly on her earlier influences. Michelle Wright was the first concert I ever went to, I bawled and bawled when I got those tickets, she laughs. Celine Dion is also an influence. The way she wrings passion out of every single note is amazing. The only person who comes close to making her star struck is her hero Reba McIntyre. I’ve seen her four times. What’s a day in the life of Amanda Stott? Well, I try to get up by nine. Then I work out for about an hour. Then I answer any e-mail from the website, there’s usually always a few. I’ve got a keyboard in my apartment, so I practice for about an hour, working on my vocals and piano together. I bumped into my neighbour in the hall and he said, Oh, you have a very nice voice. She laughs, I’ve only been living there for a month and I was thinking, oh boy, can he hear me? Amanda also had a chance to perform in Winnipeg for a gala concert for Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee in October 2002. It’s an experience I’ll never forget. At the dinner afterwards, Nia Vardalos (the writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding) was sitting with the Queen. I was sitting with Nia’s family, her dad and her husband (Ian Gomez), who the whole movie was based on. Ian was telling me that he’s premiering a new character on NYPD Blue that night. So that was pretty exciting. I ask her about the difference between the energy of a studio recording as opposed to live performance. If you really believe in what you’re saying, it’ll come through in your performance, and that’s what’s the difference in the studio. In front of an audience, you’re actually talking to someone. With some artists, you’ll hear a song on CD, you’ll think, well that’s an alright tune, then you’ll see them play the same song live and you’ll say Wow! I mention how relaxed she seemed walking out for the sound check for her performance at the Royal Gala. She sat down at the keyboard like it was a living room sofa. I’ve heard somebody say, When you stop getting nervous, you’re not good anymore. So nerves are good. If I go through a song, and I don’t remember singing it, then I didn’t get something out of it and the audience didn’t get something out of it. That’s why I have to commit one hundred percent to the song. When it comes to performance, adrenaline is a huge thing. We needed a lot of adrenaline before performing for the Queen because it was so cold that night, she laughs. And a lot of singing is mental, not just physical. You have to have confidence. But it’s not about being boastful; it’s just knowing you can do it. If you’re worried about hitting a note, you might hit below it. But if you think above the note, you can hit the note. If she sounds confident, it makes sense when you hear the story of how she got her break. It was at the Canadian Country Music Awards in Calgary. They run showcases for new talent, and you can apply to perform, and maybe they’ll accept you. I told my parents, ‘If I don’t get it now, I’m never going to get it.’ They told me to go for it. I practiced really hard, and set up with a band in Calgary and rehearsed once with them the day before. After my showcase, I had a manager, an agency and a record company. And she was how old when she did this? Thirteen, she laughs. My dad’s side of the family was always very musical, and played music together around the house, and at Christmas. My grandparents always loved it. She’s got her Grade 8 in Piano. I didn’t like practicing, but I loved the lessons. I had a great teacher we got along so well when we met that we spent the first half of the lesson just talking and I didn’t learn any music at all. The next couple of months have Amanda on a hectic schedule. Off to Toronto for song writing sessions and a photo shoot, a cross-Canada tour on the Holiday Train, and possible trips to New York, L.A. or Nashville. For Amanda, it’s a journey of self-discovery and delight. I think this is the next step in discovering who I am, and I’m loving it. |
