Vanessa Carlton: A Thousand Miles To Here
Vanessa Carlton is certainly living up to her debut album's name. Be Not Nobody will be released this Tuesday, April 30th, and marks the end of a long time coming for this ballerina
turned pop star. Vanessa's first single A Thousand Miles is high in Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, and her position there wasn't unexpected, Rolling Stone magazine recently named Vanessa one of the ten artists to watch in 2002.
Vanessa is coming into the music scene at the right time. Pop fans want an edge to their pop stars, and they want them to be genuine musicians at the same time. Vanessa has both qualities; her album boasts an edgy cover of The Rolling Stones' Paint It Black and it doesn't stop there, the rising star spends an entire album singing her own songs at her own piano. Yes people, we can all finally breathe, integrity is back in pop music.
Read below for TeenMusic.com's interview with Interscope Records recording artist, Vanessa Carlton.
TeenMusic: How did your ballet training help you make the transition to a recording artist?
Vanessa: The discipline...nothing's harder than a dance class!
TeenMusic: Why is your album called Be Not Nobody?
Vanessa: It came to me in a dream. It's about constantly pushing yourself.
TeenMusic: I read in your bio that you're attending Columbia University. What are you studying and why did you choose to attend school at this busy time in your life?
Vanessa: At the moment, I have deferred. I do plan to go back as soon as I can.
TeenMusic: Why do you draw/use a horse icon in your message board postings on your web site?
Vanessa: Horses represent freedom and beauty to me...and I just happen to love horses.
TeenMusic: Are you the character in the song "A Thousand Miles"?
Vanessa: Yes. Everything I write about is from personal experience.
TeenMusic: Before you recorded your album you probably had an idea of what it might sound like. How is the finished album the same or different from what you originally intended?
Vanessa: Over the process of making the album, I didn't anticipate growing as an artist as much as I did, but the end results are exactly what I wanted.
TeenMusic: Do you like working in the studio?
Vanessa: Yeah, because of the free fruit!
TeenMusic: What experience do you remember most from recording Be Not Nobody?
Vanessa: In the middle of recording "Twilight," I was playing the song while being backed by a 40 piece orchestra and realized they were all there to play my song.
TeenMusic: Delving into your personality, what interesting quirks do you have? In other words, tell me about yourself.
Vanessa: I have an obsession with sharks...and I think vampires are sexy (laughs).
TeenMusic: What is your nationality?
Vanessa: Half Scandinavian/Half Russian.
TeenMusic: Where did you find that cool piano in the "Thousand Miles" video?
Vanessa: An old woman was throwing it out and they took it.
TeenMusic: Do you use it on tour?
Vanessa: Not yet.
TeenMusic: Your web site says you'll be performing in Texas and San Francisco soon. Will you be embarking on a full-fledged tour in the near future?
Vanessa: Yes, I will be doing lots of radio shows in May and June. I will be on tour this summer in the US.
***
Click on the links below to watch Vanessa Carlton's A Thousand Miles video!
Windows Media users click here
Real Player users click here
