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How was working with John Alagia?
Working with John Alagia was really incredible. I still can’t really believe that he agreed to do the record, but as soon as I had the control to continue making this record (after I left Warner Bros.), John was the first person I wanted to meet with. He is someone who I wanted to sit down and talk about the music with and luckily enough—I mean I heard a lot of great things about him from John Mayer and Rachael who have both worked with him in the past. He really understood the music, what this record meant to me and what needed to be done in the studio. I had 100% faith in him that it would not only be a great working experience, but that it would be fruitful. I knew we would get some good stuff out of it and I would be quite proud. The co-writing situation was sort of the same. I got a chance to work with people that I was a huge fan of and people who I seeked out on my own.
Beautiful Studio. I saw the video on your website. It must have been a dream place to record. New York?
It was in upstate New York—by Woodstock. Rachael had recorded there before and she recommended it to me and said it was isolated and the perfect setting for this record. I wanted to be out of L.A. and New York because I felt I would be distracted in both places. We stayed in a beautiful cabin that was built in the 20’s and it was the greatest experience I ever had.
How long did it take at that studio? How long were you there?
We were there about seven weeks.
So the writing process was done here?
I was done with the writing process before I went into the studio. It was strictly to record and track everything.
Did you meet with the Weepies, Rachael, and Lori prior to that?
Writing with them happened over about a year to a year and a half.
How do you feel about not being on a major label this time around?
I love it.
Pro and cons?
Well I haven’t found out the cons yet and hopefully I won’t. It’s coming out through EMI so it’s kind of the perfect situation. I’m happy to be a guinea pig artist in terms of this particular type of deal in a mainstream sense. I got to have the creative control and I had no suits in the studio telling me what decisions to make. I feel like I got the best of both worlds.
Where do you see yourself at age 30? Marriage? Family? Career?
I don’t know if I see myself married by age 30. I kind of feel I used to want that, but now that I’m older I kind of want more time to myself. I definitely see myself continuing on this path, but also finding time personally to define myself in that arena. I love what I do, but I don’t want the only thing that defines me to be my job.
I read the Elle article. Very good. I’m jealous the guy had the whole day with you at the spa.
(Laughs). We had a great experience getting our hands and feet rubbed.
Well it sounds to me that you are kind of starting over again. It’s like the second life of Mandy Moore. Is that true?
Sure. Definitely musically, but I kind feel that way personally too. Not even necessarily starting over, but maybe being fully aware of everything now.
Well it’s definitely different from your earlier career as far as music.
Musically yes. Even until two years ago, I felt like everything happened in such an order that I really had no time to stop and say, “Okay, how do I feel about everything?
And when I did that it all hit me and I was like, “Wow, this is a lot.” It was a lot to take in and see how all this craziness has shaped me.
Are you concerned with commercial success or are you trying to stay away from expectations?
I want as many people as possible to hear the music, but I’m not expecting to sell ten million records. I mean it would be nice, but I think in this day and age, you have to be realistic with how the music industry is going. I don’t have those kinds of expectations for myself, but I am ready to step up to the plate and say, “I want as many people to hear it as possible and I want to go on a world tour one day.”
How did you decide on the album title, “Wild Hope”?
We threw a dart at a dartboard…(laughs). No no. It was just one of the song titles and it’s was my favorite song on the record. It was the first suggestion and it felt really fitting because there is an overall theme of hope on this album.
What kind of bands do you listen to on a daily basis and what inspires you?
Everything from Jeff Buckley to Jodi Mitchell. It’s the music I listen to and it’s also the music that inspires me.
What are your tour plans?
I would like to go on tour in the early Fall in the US. I want something small and intimate.
I know you are an American Idol Fan.
I have not been watching this season.
Oh Mandy!
I hear I’m not missing much though. Let’s be honest.
I’m voting for the underdog. Blake, I don’t know if you know which one he is. Ok I’m just going to have to ask you this again next year.
I’ll have to brush up. I have just on the road so I haven’t been investing any time into it.
Let’s talk about the paparazzi who happen to outside right now. Have they been getting on your nerves a little lately?
I don’t really like that attention. It makes me uncomfortable.
How has it been the last couple years? Have they been stalking you?
They stalk everybody! In the scheme of things, I get off pretty easy. It doesn’t make you feel special or different from everybody else. If anything, it’s embarrassing. It’s just weird and I understand it’s part of the job, but not when I signed up for the job in 1998 when I got a record deal. The idea of paparazzi was not what it is like today. I just don’t like it. Take my picture on a red carpet—at the right time and place.
Yes, in the right arena.
Exactly.
As far as dating, it seems like famous people date famous people.
I think you can’t help who you have feelings for. You tend to meet people you work with or have some sort of mutual friends with. It’s definitely not an intentional thing to seek out someone in the public eye.
We get a lot of aspiring artists and indie bands at BandNation.com. What advice would you give them?
This is the time for independent music. There are many different avenues in terms of getting discovered. There are different online sites to get your music out there. Now is the time not to pass out any opportunity to gain confidence and exposure or whatever it may be.
What’s next?
Touring and I have a couple movies coming out. “License to Wed” with Robin Williams will be coming out 4th of July and “Dedication” with Billy Crudup comes out in August.
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