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The 'I'm Like A Bird' singer's new music isn't like anything you've heard from her before.

 

I have spoken to a number of pop singers across the spectrum, and some people are really interested in simply creating the art of the moment, while others focus on the fact that it’s a product they're putting out into the world. When you were coming into this album, did you think at all about crafting a "hit," or did you just want to create?

That's a great question. I've had a lot of highs and lows in my career commercially, so I've seen both sides. I've seen the power of a ubiquitous hit, but I've also seen the power of a longer-lasting hit that stays with fans and resonates when you sing it live, and I think both are valuable. When I was writing this album, I was writing with what you could call "hitmakers." I wrote a song with two of the ladies that co-wrote "You Belong with Me" by Taylor Swift — Liz Rose, and Natalie Hemby — but it was an organic experience. I also wrote "Phoenix" with Mark Taylor and Paul Barry, and Paul Barry co-wrote "Let it Go" for James Bay, so these are big songwriters.

It's hard when you classify it as pop music to never think about the "hit song." I have to say, it's definitely a presence, but that kind of melted away when I chose the producer John Congleton, because John Congleton had never worked with pop artists, and I met him through the alternative artist St. Vincent, and he works out of Dallas, so I flew alone and I found myself in his studio, which is literally a converted funeral home. This already didn’t feel very commercial or corporate. It felt very unhinged, very artistic, and he's only worked with alternative and punk artists, and nothing he does is for commercial gain.

He really focuses on the art. Sometimes there are happy accidents, and something will also do well commercially, but he's really quite focused on making sure... He really wanted to make sure that this album made a mark for me, artistically. That was our number one goal. He said, "You know, if we do this right, this could really cement you as an artist for the rest of your career." I think when you've had the more ubiquitous hits, and you've done the arena tours, and all those things, it's nice to have songs people know you for, but at the same time, it's also nice to have something deeper than that, because I really would like to still be performing in some capacity as I age.

I mean, I'm already, I guess, in a different category. I've been doing this a long time. How do I say this? It's nice having, I guess... It sounds silly, but... I feel like because I've been doing this so long, I'm kind of already moving into... I don't want to use the word heritage, but I feel like you become a heritage artist when you look into your audience and there is grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter at your show. You have three generations, right? What are you? Okay, you've got some songs people love. I would never shy away from those songs. I love them, too, but at the end of the day, I also want to keep creating.

What's interesting is in the last years I've been collaborating with a lot of independent artists like Blood Orange, for instance. They have a whole other audience, and some of them are new fans that I haven't been exposed to before, and even through working with somebody like John Congleton, you start to draw in a lot of tastemakers and different types of independent-minded people that maybe weren't at the party before, but who maybe respect you because of the longevity you've had, or the fact that you're still making music with your nose to the ground.

That has been an interesting byproduct of me following my creative leanings. Making new fans along the way, and I've also recorded in Spanish, so I did an entire album in Spanish, and that was actually independent, as well. It was distributed through Universal Latino, but I controlled all the creative, I funded the album, collaborated with a bunch of Latin artists, toured in South America, tried to get my Spanish to a level where I could do all my interviews in Spanish, so I don't know. I feel lucky. I've seen a lot of different sides.

Of course it's not so easy being a bankable entertainer when you have such a widespread, quirky audience of all ages, and every ilk, but for me, it keeps me happy, and I feel like it keeps me very grounded, because the people I meet, I think their lives are also complicated. You know what I mean? Their lives aren't branded, you know?

Yeah.

They see me and say, "There's this other quirky person just getting through life and making stuff she feels like making. I can relate with that." The connection's quite strong, even though I would say it's not as commercially predictable. I mean, but really nothing's commercially predictable, because even people with solid brands also sometimes, well...

Don't work out.

Yeah.

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