A Chat with Carmen Hillary (Part One)

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Carmen Hillary for my blog...so here goes...

PART ONE

[Linton] Hi Carmen, welcome to the interview. Are you excited?

[Carmen] Yes, I am very happy to do this.

[Linton]Great, so speaking of being excited, you've got a new full CD release coming up called "Window Seat". Are you pumped?

[Carmen] Pumped and excited to pump out the music that I have been so excited to share for so long.

[Linton] When is it going to be available and where do we buy it?

[Carmen]We are still in the process of recording. These things always take much longer than you anticipate. We are hoping for a fall release at this point. Definitely by December. We just (my producer and I) want [the CD] to be great, you know? Don't want to rush it. It will be available through my website, Itunes, Myspace and in stores, and of course at live shows. We will always keep the fans up to date on the "What's New" sections of my sites.

[Linton] Can't wait!
So what does this CD represent for you, not just lyrically but artistically? What are people going to get out this album?

[Carmen]For me artistically it represents freedom. I am so tired of people telling me what "an artist" needs to do to be successful. Forget that! In the end, deep down I think industry types want you to tell them they are probably right but you are going to do it your way anyway because that is what feels right for you. If you own that, then the tables are turned and excitement about what you might do next starts to generate. I think fundamentally everyone prefers and/or seeks out something original or unique and you can't deeply and truly attain that kind of individuality without being and living it - A.K.A. by being yourself. So yes, freedom!!

[Linton] So you're not just going to be playing it safe then with a pop album?

[Carmen] I'm doing what I want and I don't care if each song does or doesn't fit into an exact genre or mold. I'm aiming more for a mood and vibe. I think the marketing world often underestimates the audiences ability to mold to different styles of music that are still within the same vibe or style overall on a feeling level. Looks like you've opened a can of worms here. I like to talk about things can you tell?

[Linton] Yes and its okay, it makes my job here easier. Did you have something more to add to that?

[Carmen] Back to your original question, I hope that people who like several different styles of music get into what I am doing because there will be a lot of variety on my album and I think it will all appeal to the same vibe of other artists like Tori, Imogen, Annie L, Sarah M., Enya and Bjork etc…I'm interested in connecting with those audiences. Luckily, I seem to be doing that so far.

[Linton] Did you have a complete vision of what you wanted before going into the studio?

[Carmen] Again, just the overall vibe. Some more electronic influences. Beautiful, enchanting, dark yet inspiring. One radio announcer called it the "noir magical" genre. I think that describes it in a sense. I think something can be dark without being negative. It can be powerful. I don't want to think about it too much. I don't want to censor my direction or be too contrived. I'm just making sure that everything fits into that spectrum of feeling.

[Linton] Have there been any unexpected pitfalls or surprises during the recording?

[Carmen]Usually if anything is important, you end up having to make important decisions. I had to make some really difficult decisions to get this project where I wanted it to go with the means I have access to. I had to let go of something that really matters to me for now in a certain way. I stress, for now. Painting with new brushes for something new for this project.

[Linton] Any advice to give someone going into a studio to make a complete album for the first time?

[Carmen]There are so many different areas I could go into..hmm…well my first suggestions would be to find a producer that loves and produces the exact same style of music you are trying to aim for. Listen to other artists that they have recorded and make sure you're happy with it. That greatly increases the likelihood you'll get what you wanted in your finished product. And make sure the bed track instruments (Drums, bass, guitar, piano) are as tight and grooving as possible before and when recorded because usually, everything else is built up on top of that. You don't want any weak links in the chain there. But keep in mind that the right feel and vibe is way more important than a mechanical tightness.

[Linton] How has the journey been to becoming a successful female Canadian singer/songwriter?

[Carmen]So far? So much work and so much more to do. 90% business 10% talent they say. Seems to be true. Hard. Hard. Hard. Depressingly arduous and then finally enlightening thanks to my fan base!!! They rock!! So loyal. Loyal fans are so wonderful. I feel like I attract people who listen to themselves when it comes to what they like and they don't just go with the flow. Also, my new Marketing and Promotions Manager Melanie Tromp is fantastic!! She is a Godsend because now I can focus more on the music and even occasionally have a bit of a personal life!

[Linton] Do you think it would have been any different had you started off in the U.S., Europe, or the U.K?

[Carmen]Yes. I think I connect more with the UK sound and there are more people in those places.

[Linton] Well I understand your song "After" has already had some international airplay recently. Do you have a battle plan if you happen to become a big sensation in the U.K.?

[Carmen]You'll have to ask Melanie about that. Feels good to delegate (laughs). But yes, I am building some connections in the UK. I've even got a friend shopping my music around by hand, thanks Mark D.!

[Linton] What have been your biggest obstacles toward success so far?

[Carmen] The ever so common yet as sure as death and taxes…time and money. When I've had the time I haven't had the money and vice versa. I still perform additional work to contribute to the cost of my career. The juggle sometimes brings me to the brink of insanity but I have discovered that you get farther with the more money option. So it's worth it even though it slows things down sometimes.

[Linton] Is there anything you would have done differently looking back on your career up to this point?

[Carmen] No. I am where I need to be for me. I had some major potential opportunities a while ago and I am very glad that I did not take them. I was not ready. I am ready now.

[Linton] I'm sure the audiences are ready for you too. Do you enjoy the work in the studio more, or performing live?

[Carmen] I always used to love performing live more and was never nervous, and though in the past I had severe studio fright, I am slowly developing more of a love for the studio. There are things you can do creatively in the studio that you can't play around with live and vice versa.

I've played a lot of bars in the past few years and so I am excited when I can get out of that circuit now. It's impacted my enjoyment of live performance a bit. That's why we're now finally building things more around the cd releases…so there is more purposeful momentum.

[Linton] Is there going to be a tour to accompany the new CD?

[Carmen] Yes, dates will be announced on the sites near the cd release date.

[Linton] What is one of the biggest misconceptions people have about you when they first meet you or see you live?

[Carmen] That I am a snob and come from a wealthy background. I am the polar opposite. As soon as people get to know me they realize that. I am very accepting of people and I don't subscribe to social structures at all. I completely embody the principle that everyone is equal on a fundamental level and I don't feel like I am any better than anyone else. Although on a bad day, sometimes I feel like I am worse than other people…but that is just the evil inner beast talking. I believe that everyone is fully entitled to what they are passionate about and I can't bear to see people unjustly discriminated against. I have a lot in common with the singer Jewel in this area. Why should I sometimes get special treatment just because I can sing, when this man next to me has no food to eat..something like that she said.

[Linton] How do you feel then about the extra attention these days?

[Carmen] Off the stage I am introverted. I don't normally like to be the focus. I don't feel like I deserve it and I don't understand why anyone would be interested in hearing me do, what I feel like, is just normal.

Also, I don't want anyone to use my perceived success as a reason to judge themselves if they are not feeling successful. I have shrinking violet tendencies, but I am enjoying the positive feedback and connecting with my fans. Connecting with people and sharing something together is way more fun than attention. Although, who knows maybe in time that will change and you won't be able to get me off the podium!

[Linton] Do you think that has something to do with your age? Now in your late twenties do you wish sometimes that you had achieved success when you were younger?

[Carmen] No. Only in a small way. Some doors close with age. I was offered to be on Canadian Idol until they found out my age. But I think Oprah, the modern age and internet are changing our perception of age and I have so much more to offer now than I did then.

[Linton] You don't sound particularly hungry for over-the-top-paparazzi-chasing-your-car fame. Some artists would like the recognition for their work but not the crazy fame that comes with it. How will you handle it, or could you handle it?. Or is the media game something you'll try to avoid all together?

[Carmen] I like the Tori Amos or Sarah M. roads or I'd even be happy with the Lisa Gerrard/Enya paths. Don't give me a Britney life please!!! (I used to want that way back before I knew what was involved in that). I think the audience that I attract is strong and independent and I doubt the media would have much to work with. Critisism and scrutiny can be a hard thing, but by the time most people make it (around fifteen years to accomplish high level success apparently) you've probably been so beaten and bloody that a razor couldn't cut your skin.

[Linton] I remember an interview on CBC radio with Chantal Kreviazuk at the beginning of her career, just when things were taking off, and she hoped at that time that fame wouldn't change her. Do you think that it's inevitable that fame makes a person a little jaded, or skews their sense of reality?

[Carmen] Yes. I think everyone must be affected by that at least for awhile in some capacity. Unless maybe they were born into that lifestyle and they don't know any different. Otherwise, we're talking realization of dreams here. That's no small thing. But I feel badly for really young artists who don't seem to realize they are in an illusion. As long as you know none of it is real then I think you keep your feet on the ground ultimately.

Apparently the Dalai Lama said that you can't have something until you don't want it anymore. That is true for sure in my experience. As I move further on my path I definitely feel more like the little Oz behind the curtain than the one on the big screen. I don't get to enjoy the fun of illusion as much as most people because I can see through it so easily. That's a little sad, like a loss of innocence, but it also opens other doors for me.

[Linton] Deep and you managed to squeeze in a W of O reference, and right next to the big DL too. Always good. You seem to have a thoughtful side to you. Many of your lyrics seem incredibly heart-felt and personal, where do you draw the inspiration for your songs and this new album in general?

[Carmen] My personal feelings, observations and experiences. How selfish (chuckles). I guess I feel like if I can understand the reasoning of the inside world I can use it to understand the outside world?

[Linton] Sounds to me like the Dalai Lama might have some competition. Maybe he'd do a duet with you some day. He seems pretty hip, he's even got a website, have you seen it?

[Carmen] Really? Will have to check it out.

{Linton] Ya, it's pretty cool. So with your inspiration being so internal at times does it take a long time to put a song together, or does it all just pop into your head? What is your actual song writing process?

[Carmen] Yes. To finish it completely, yes. Most of it pops into my head but then I have to weed through the ideas and pull out the strengths. Sometimes even throwing out favorite ideas for the betterment of the whole song. Melodies come to me. Lyrics are my struggle. It's very scary to be that honest outloud. It's much easier to carry it in the feeling of the music. I have to constantly bounce my lyrics back to myself and say is this the truth of what I want to say with this song? I often try to cover too many ideas in a song. I constantly have to remind myself to simplify my meaning.

END OF PART I - Pop in again next week for the second part where we'll delve into Carmens opinions of the state of the music industry and get some inside info on Carmen herself just for her fans, well, and you too.