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Michelle Branch Interview
It's a bit early... "I've been up since 4am but thanks for speaking to me so early. I'm a musician so I'm not used to this time. I don't think I'll ever be a morning person but fortunately my body doesn't know what time zone I'm in so it's going with the flow." It said on your official site that you hoped to take 2003 easy. Is this your idea of a rest? "Oh yeah right! I doubt it. This is going to a crazy, crazy year. It's mad that you can ask a year in advance what you're doing. 'What am I doing in November?' (laughs). It's kinda crazy but I definitely won't be taking it easy. To be honest I'm a workaholic. I'd get bored anyway." Were you prepared for the success of 'The Spirit Room'? "I don't think anyone can prepare you for that. I didn't expect it but even if had, no one can prepare for everything that goes on. It's hard to explain cos you see other people go through it and you think 'I want that' but it's a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes. I enjoy so I can't complain (laughs)." Give us some highs and lows of the last two years? "Some highs would definitely be releasing the album itself and doing the song with Carlos Santana. I've headlined a few tours and travelled the world. I'd say the lows were not being home and not being in my own bed. Also always being on the road and being sick and trying to do shows. Not being able to call your mom and get her to bring you chicken soup." What were you least prepared for? "You see musicians and actors and you think they just do special events and are home the rest of the year but it is not like that. I was prepared to be at home a lot more than I am." What about being a teen idol? "I try not to think about it. A lot of people say 'you're my idol' or 'you're such a good role model for younger girls' but I never want to feel responsible for other people's actions or lives. I hope that everything I do it positive and people see that. Being someone's idol, that's a lot of pressure because people always want to point the finger at people in negative situations." Do you feel lucky having music as an outlet? "I think luck is a big part of what I do especially in the music business. It's all to do with luck and timing and hopefully a little bit of talent in there too. I would definitely say I'm lucky to be able to do what I do and the way I do it." Were you tempted to take an extended break after the first album? "Not really. All through promoting the first album, I kept telling myself 'once this is over I'm gonna take a long vacation' but the second I finished and had time off, I got antsy and stir crazy and too anxious to share songs with other people. I was the first one to say 'nevermind, I want to make a new record' and people were warning me, asking me if I was sure as this was the next two years of my life." Was this album easier to make? "It feels like it went a lot smoother than the first one. I went in with so much more confidence and I had so much more behind me, creative freedom, that every decision was a lot easier and it was a lot more enjoyable." What was different? "The biggest difference was the writing. It was five years since I wrote the first album and I've experienced so much more. I can write better than I did when I was 15. I'm a lot more mature and the music's better. Hopefully other people will think the same." You told MTV you thought people didn't take you seriously enough. "I don't know if I'm that young now but when I came out people did lump me in with the other 'pop' acts. And that was kinda hard cos I was working my ass off and people just went 'whatever, she's gonna be here and gone'. "What they didn't know was that my biggest goal is longevity - I want to be making records to the day I die. So that's important to me. It's getting better now. I guess it's the same for any artist, we all want respect. "Critics weren't taking me seriously because I was writing commercial music and I didn't understand that, I was thinking 'why are they giving me a hard time for writing commercial music at 14 years old?' (laughs) I thought it was pretty cool." You got lumped in the whole 'post-Alanis' crew. Did you mind? "No, it's better than being compared to Britney, I welcome it. Being compared to anyone who is successful is nice cos I know how hard you have to work. Having said that Britney's successful so I can't be too harsh. I can joke but everyone has to work hard." Can you clear up your relationship with Avril Lavigne? "You know, we are friends. I called her when her record came out and told her I loved it. She's a really sweet girl and it'll be interesting to see which path her career takes especially now she's working on her second album and I'm on my third. It'll be interesting to see how we all turn out." Is there a sense of shared camaraderie? "When we see each other we're like 'hey, what's going on?' Other teenage girls would be chatting about what dress they'd wear for the prom and we're like 'how's your single doing at radio?' (laughs) You get to chat about the same experiences." Tell us some more about the new record, any favourite tracks? "'Empty Handed'. I'm really proud of the music but it caught me off guard recording it. We had a 22-piece orchestra come in and it turned out as an incredible song. I'm really proud of it." What expectations do you have for this new album? "I love this record. I think it's so much better than the last one. I hope people like it and I wish for more artist respect after I've released this record." You're a big fan of the internet. "Yeah, when I first started out before I was signed, I had a website and I sold my demo tapes through it. I would go on to other bands message boards that I like and had a similar fanbase and I told them to check out my music. So when I first released a record, the first people to get it were these fans I'd got. It was really helpful. "I think a lot of record companies are afraid of the internet with Napster etc but they should all join up together and realise what an asset it is and an amazing tool for artists. A lot of artists talk about downloads killing music but I download music, I'm of the age of people who are really into the Internet. But I then go out and buy the records afterwards. It's interesting to walk the fence and see both sides." You're touring with the Dixie Chicks in the States. "I'm soo excited. Madison Square Gardens is my dream venue so I'm freaking out a bit. When you get that amount of people it just looks like a backdrop. I'm hoping the record does well enough to come back here to do dates. "Playing live is one of the most important things for me cos people don't expect it from me. I'm really anxious to come back, we're talking about October or November but that depends on if people buy the record. We'll have to sit and wait." And what about your plans for the rest of the year? "Touring, touring, touring. I'm off to Japan, Australia and Asia promoting the album then back headlining in the States. Hopefully something exciting and unknown will happen." |
