Q&A with singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton will be playing at The Carolina Theatre on Dec. 14. She will be performing the majority of songs from her new album, Liberman. Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor Ryan Schocket spoke with Carlton about her new sound, getting advice from Stevie Nicks and "A Thousand Miles" being a drunk favorite. 

The Daily Tar Heel: What inspired this album?

Vanessa Carlton: That's a very broad question.

DTH: Musically, sonically?

VC: I’ve been building a mood board for a year or so before I went to the studio. I wanted to create something that was very cohesive and very dreamlike and beautiful. I was working with an amazing artist, named Steve Osbourne, who I worked with on my previous record called Rabbits on the Run, and we did this one song on the record, called "Hear the Bells," that really made me very curious about what would happen if I went further down the path sonically. We wanted to create a dream record.

DTH: What’s your personal favorite song on your new album? And your personal favorite of yours of all time?

VC: On the record, it changes from night to night. I think I really love “Take It Easy.” I don’t have one favorite. Any musician you ask, they’re going to favor their newest stuff — I really love playing the song “River" live. 

 

DTH: Like so many, my friends and I like to sing “A Thousand Miles” and “White Houses” when we’re drunk. How does it feel that more than a decade later, these songs are still party favorites?

VC: I don’t know. I’m not there, so I have no idea. What’s been great, is that people come to the shows. People come to hear the body of work…It really feels good — the support — that people are here to hear the new record and the entire body of work.

DTH: What was the hardest part about writing this album?

VC: Finishing it — because of the logistics. I recorded most of it in England. I was hesitant to take trips to the UK, and I wasn’t able to finish the entire record. Planning wise, getting it done was the hardest aspect of it. Everything else, creatively, it was very clear what we were trying to do. That wasn’t difficult in that sense.

 DTH: 

What are you proudest of in your career?

VC: The journey of changing, the journey of evolution is really important to any artist. You have to nourish that and grow and explore new territory. I definitely enjoy that. I’m really proud of it, because that’s the only way to move forward for me.

DTH: Are you still in contact with your mentor, Stevie Nicks?

VC: Yep. She helps me with sequences on album. I’ll send her the music and say, ‘What’s your favorite order?’ On this one she didn’t have any changes. 

DTH: 

What can fans expect at your live shows?

VC: It’s different than people expect. It’s not traditional singer-songwriter show. We’re creating Liberman on the stage. If you listen to the album, there’s a lot of sounds going on. It’s not just piano. We’re recording loops live on stage, and we create layers of sounds, like you’re listening to the record. It’s a bit trippy to be honest.

DTH: Why should UNC students come to your show?

VC: If they like the new record, they should come because most of the show is the new album.

DTH: What’s something no one knows about Vanessa Carlton?

VC: There are many things people don’t know. I do reveal a little bit more about myself at the show.

@RyanSchocket

arts@dailytarheel.com