Amanda's here! we're getting underway!
Please remember, this is a moderated chat, so Amanda cannot answer all your questions. Please feel free to submit as many as you want and we will try to get to as many as possible.
Hi everyone. We are going to get started in about 10 minutes.
Heather: I was wondering. When you came out with your last album you said, "once it hit a certain point that you would get a small snake tattoo. Has it reached this point and did you get the tattoo?
->Amanda Marshall : it did hit that point and, no I didn't get the tattoo mainly becuase I'm a BIG chicken :)
John: What was your inspiration for "I Believe In You" (one of my favourite all time songs)
->Amanda Marshall : In 1997 a friend of mine had two babies and I wound up spending a lot of time with them and it struck me that everyone needs someone in their corner. Anything is possible--all you really need is someone to tell you that you can achieve it.
Krissy82: Hi Amanda, thanks for making this chat happen. Your 'board fans have been waiting for this for so long! We're all very excited you're finally here.Do you ever lurk on your board? How about fansites? Have you ever posted as an anonymous fan? hehehe... ~Krissy, web dudette of the Electric Blue Amanda Room
->Amanda Marshall : Re: posting as an anonymous fan? I'll never tell ;) One of the things that I love the most about the advent of the internet is the opportunity to connect with fans. Message boards, chats like this provide an opportunity to gather direct feedback from the people that we make the music for. It's really one of the only things that I deeply value about technology :)
MichelleinSF: Amanda, have you thought of collaborating with any other artists, or have you already?
->Amanda Marshall : Thought about it? ALL the time! Haven't formally collaborated...yet but, should the opportunity present itself, would love to record a great male/female duet or even a female/female...I just need to find the right song and the right voice.
tammy: Hi Amanda! Who are some of your favorite artists right now? Who would be in your cd player right now?
->Amanda Marshall : I just bought: the new Sting (LOVE!), Gavin Degraw, some old Aimee Mann (REALLY LOVE!), just heard today...new Missy Elliot and on my Christmas Wish List...The Donnas, the new White Stripes, new Outkast and Joss Stone.
Jenny: What's the funniest thing that has ever hapened when you've been performing?
->Amanda Marshall : Where do I start?? :) Split pants while wearing no underwear, fell off stage into lake (thankfully during sound check), but my all time favourite was misreading a cue to come onstage in front of 18,000 people from John Mellencamp which caused me to wander onstage in the middle of a 'blackout' only to have the full stage lights including a white spotlight come on while I was fumbling around doing nothing in particular.
Amanda Marshall : Could not have looked or felt more foolish :(
Jennifer: What made you decide to release a singles album?
->Amanda Marshall : Good question! It might seem a little early...the real reason is that this is my final release for my label of 8 years, Sony Music. My next record (sometime next year) will be for another label. I wanted to wrap up this portion, so far, and wanted to release these two new songs.
SocialWorkerTex: Out of all the singles on this new CD what song is your favorite to perform live? (And please don’t stop performing yet. I haven’t seen you yet. Once I see you perform I can die a happy woman. LOL)
->Amanda Marshall : The great thing about live performance is that you can change the songs to suit your mood on any given night. I am NEVER bored and while songs like Birmingham and Dark Horse and Marry Me hold a particularly special spot, I'm very fortunate to have written or chosen material that never seems to get 'tired'.->Amanda Marshall : The great thing about live performance is that you can change the songs to suit your mood on any given night. I am NEVER bored and while songs like Birmingham and Dark Horse and Marry Me hold a particularly special spot, I'm very fortunate to have written or chosen material that never seems to get 'tired'.
David: How did you feel when you found out that Elton John described you as his favourite new female artist?
->Amanda Marshall : Not as stunned as I was when he called me on the phone to tell me that himself :)
Nigel: Who was your role model when you were growing up?
->Amanda Marshall : Personally, mom and dad. Professionally, Aretha, Janis, Ella, Bessie, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Janis Ian, Simon & Garfunkel...the list is endless!
sloane: My fav song of yours is "Let It Rain". I feel like I can really hear your soul singing in this song. What were you feeling in this song and what message did you want to send to your fans?
->Amanda Marshall : Let It Rain is a song that almost never made it onto an album. It was the last song chosen for my first album and to this day, I'm still not quite certain what it's about. It's one of those lyrics that seems to connect with people (me included) purely because of the emotion that the poetry in it evokes. I love singing it. Great melody. Great hook. Great feeling.
Alina: Do you write all your own songs? In your experienc eup until now, what would yousay was the hardest thing for you to overcome to become "A star"?
->Amanda Marshall : The answer to the first part is...I didn't always but, now I do write all my own songs.
Krissy82: What do you do to get pumped up for a show? Do you have any rituals backstage, any CD's you like to listen to?
->Amanda Marshall : I'll tell you a secret...when I first started touring, I thought that there was some great significance to have a pre-show ritual. I'm fairly superstitious by nature and I developed a ridiculous need to adhere to a routine. Vocal warmups, various significant pieces of 'lucky' clothing, etc. etc. This all changed the moment I watched Whitney Houston step out of her dressing room five minutes before a show, smoke a cigarette, drink a beer, belch, and then walk onstage in front of 25,000 people and give possibly the best vocal performance I have ever had the privilege to witness.Sometimes, it just is...what it is.
Ember: What do you enjoy more, the music or the lyrics?
->Amanda Marshall : A song can have a great hook, a great melody, a great beat, great players but, if it doesn't have anything to 'say', chances are it won't hold my attention for very long. Lyrical content is important on both an intellectual and emotional level and that's why good songs are hard to find...and hard to write.
Dionne: What kind of music (this can be genres or musical artists) did you grow up with when you were a young child or teen?
->Amanda Marshall : As a child...mom had a huge jazz collection and also a huge collection of calypso records from her native Trinidad. Dad was regular white guy...Rock & Roll and R&B fan. Lots of Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc. I was a big pop fan...Madonna, etc. until high school when I discovered Melissa Etheridge, Joan Baez and Sinead O'Connor.
Christy: Are you hooked on any of the reality TV Shows?
->Amanda Marshall : NO!! I hate reality television except for: The Osbornes (which I'm getting tired of now) and an odd and very troubling late night and quite secret addiction to that Nick and Jessica (The Newlyweds). Please don't tell anyone. It will ruin me!! :)
tuesdayschild: what's your favourite "chill time" thing to do?
->Amanda Marshall : Lately it has been driving after three (that's right, I said three!)failed teenage attempts, I have finally decided that it is time to get my drivers license.
MaximaSE: Hi Amanda, which musical instruments can you play, and which one is your favourite?
->Amanda Marshall : I can play two musical instruments. Both at a completely mediocre level...piano, which I've played since the age of 7 and guitar which I play left-handed, upside down, backwards and with two fingers only but both serve me well as songwriting tools.
singin_is_life: Amanda, thank you so much for taking time out for your fans. Iv'e been a fan since I was 7 and i'm now 14 and I have to say youv'e been a big inspiration. I used to pretend I was you when I was young. Do you have any advice for young singers such as myself who want to walk down the path you have??
->Amanda Marshall : Write your own songs. Choose your own path creatively and stick to it. Believe in yourself when all others fail to do so and don't believe that destiny will only find you on television shows like American Idol. Most of all, be involved in every aspect of your career. Learn to develop an appreciation or at least a tolerance for the things that you find less than glamorous or even a little bit boring.
amandafan: Hi Amanda! Do you have a particular place that you go to write music. Is there any particular place that inspires you?
->Amanda Marshall : No. Songs don't know where you are or what you're doing and they come even when I'm asleep.
We're over our time, but Amanda can stay for about 5-10 more minutes. (Yay!)
boston: Do you cook for yourself..and if so what is your favourite food to cook?
->Amanda Marshall : Yes. All the time. I love to cook. Favourites include: spicy garlic shrimp (my specialty!) and all kinds of soups. I'm a soup fanatic.
samiam: Hey Amanda, Do you have a guilty pleasure? What is it?
->Amanda Marshall : I guess you're just joining us...see Nick & Jessica.
Dani: Do you play any sports in your free time?
->Amanda Marshall : No. But, I do work out every day. But, I have to be by myself.
Mara: What was your reaction the first time you heard your music on the radio and do you remember where you were/what you were doing @ the time?
->Amanda Marshall : The first time I heard myself on the radio I was 17 years old and a senior in high school. A local DJ got a hold of a four-song demo and played it. It was a complete surprise and I stood in my parent's living room, jumping up and down and screaming. Hearing yourself on the radio whether it's for the first time or the one hundred and first time...never gets old.
amih79: Hi Amanda! You are absolutely amazing! You have such a powerful voice! When you are on tour how do you keep your voice in tip top shape?
->Amanda Marshall : The advent of in-ear monitors (a recommendation that came from Steven Tyler)has made nightly shows a breeze since I don't have to scream my lungs out over the band anymore. Other than that, I don't really do too much except staying away from the obvious like cigarettes, smokey bars, loud parties, alcohol, drugs, etc.
Amanda has time for one more question...
Thank you for joining us tonight! Stay tuned for more chats in the future. For more Amanda please visit http://www.amandamarshall.com and look for Intermissions in stores everywhere!
Amanda Marshall : I would just like to say that this has been a real pleasure. I'd like to thank the moderator and all of the fabulous people who have brougnt the chat to you. I look forward to seeing as many of the fans as possible in the coming year and I will be logging on again soon when the 'all-new album' is complete and I hope that you enjoy Intermission. It has been a real treat putting it together and thank you all so much for logging on to chat. You made my night! Night night. Bye-bye.
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