GenQ - For the not so straight individual

Singer and Songwriter Adrianne is quickly sweeping up the Indie music scene with with an awarding winning album, ?10,000 Stones? under her belt and has just released a new acoustic recording, ?Down to This?. QueerPlanet interviewed Adrianne about her new release, life on the road and just how dedicated her fans really are!

queerplanet: It looks like you are all across the country right now, touring from the East coast to the West coast. How's the tour going? What's it like traveling every single day between gigs?

Adrianne: It's fun! Sometimes I have to do some long drives, but luckily I love driving almost as much as I love playing! The tour is going amazingly, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing.

QP: Your third album, ?Down to This? was recently released. As a follow up to two very successful CDs, you chose to let your junior album be acoustic. What approach were you hoping to take with this?

Adrianne: Well, I guess I wanted to put something out that was more stripped down, knowing that my next big release is going to be pretty produced, even more so than 10,000 stones I think. I'm really big on songs, and sometimes you have to let them sit by themselves for them to really be seen.

QP: Speaking of successful, you have quite an impressive bio of just awards alone. From being a finalist in the Coca-Cola New Music Award Competition to the grand prizewinner for the USA Songwriting Competition. You also have three songs that will be featured in the film release "EULOGY". Quite remarkable for a singer/songwriter who just released her third album. How has this success been treating you lately?

Adrianne: (-: well, it makes me more and more humble actually. All those things are just ways for me to get my music heard by more people, to hopefully move and inspire more people. That's the goal really. But it is nice to be recognized, don't get me wrong!

QP: You also won ?Outstanding New Recording-Female? for Out Music. As a queer musician, how do you feel queer artists are being presented in today's music scene?

Adrianne: Hmmm, well I think it matters more what you look like than who you sleep with, I think. In the singer/songwriter/pop/rock world we're all a bunch of liberals really. No one is ever surprised nor do they really care. But I also don't make it like a huge issue either. It's just part of who I am. And I think the kind of people that would listen to my music wouldn't care either way. And also, my music is accessible enough to where it surpasses all that stuff anyway- at least that's what I'm always shooting for.

QP: With your debut release, ?For Adeline? and your sophomore release, ?10,000 Stones? which are both studio releases, it must have been a cinch to record the acoustic release, ?Down to This?. Did you encounter any difficulties in the new recording? Did you have any songs that didn't quite make the new release that you wish you did include?

Adrianne: It wasn't easy at all actually, all those songs on there are recorded live, meaning no editing or overdubbing. It's nerve-racking as hell! But actually, I released an ?unofficial? release of the acoustic record, then an official release afterwards through kufala recordings. We changed it up a bit and put some different songs on it.

QP: Your songs are so remarkably honest and just draw the listener in. What approach do you take when writing your songs? Do you feel more inspired to write about love or heartache?

Adrianne: Thanks!! I guess I just always try to be as true as I can be without becoming too self-indulgent. I write best when it's a situation I'm not in anymore, or about someone else's experiences. I don't know why, I just do. I guess I get better perspective that way. I get inspired a lot by heartbreak, only because there's a sense of urgency, desperation and tension-that's what fuels my inspiration. And there's urgency in everything, love, life, etc. so that's where I usually start and I go from there.

QP: I was fortunate enough to catch one of your live shows and noticed you had quite a dedicated fan base. Quite a few of the girls in the audience left with misty eyes over your powerful performance. How close do you feel with your fans when you are on stage? What is the craziest thing a fan has said or done?

Adrianne: Wow, really? That's amazing, I didn't know that! I guess I view performing like sharing an experience with my audience. We're both in this world that's outside any world we know, and it's the only place where complete strangers can connect to the music, the performer and each other. And there's no other feeling like it in the world. The craziest thing a fan has done or said? Wow, I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but the coolest thing was that a fan requested a song and I kept asking her what the lyrics were while I was singing it and she knew them like the back of her hand. That was awesome.

QP: Thank you so much for your time, we wish you even more success with ?Down to This?. Any parting word for our readers?

Adrianne: Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. No, I'm kidding! Well, always be true. The world needs more of that energy!