| Carmen
Reece ( click
here to view Carmen's Artist page on PCM )
|
 Carmen
in currently on a radio tour that hits Chicago, Detroit, New
York City, and other locations all along the east and west coast.
Mark J. Feist even hopped on the phone to gush about Carmen
to me. He said he was blown away by Carmen's ability from the
beginning. He described her as possessing the ability of Mariah
and Celine. After reconnecting with her, she sang him one song
and they spent the next 10 days writing and recording 5 songs
together, which all made it onto the album. Mark described her
as 1 in a million.
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Q: How are you feeling
about your U.K. to U.S. crossover?
Carmen Reece: "I'm so excited. I can't
believe it's finally here. I like being over here. The people
I'm working with are amazing."
Q: How exactly where you
discovered by Mark J. Feist?
C.R: "We met each other about 3 years
ago. I know him from just doing a writing trip for a company
back home and they brought me out here. I did 2 days with
Mark in the studio, we had a great time, but when my offer
was up we went our separate ways. Then, we reconnected through
my myspace. Mark contacted me one day, and I really wanted
to get out to L.A. to do some writing. So I came out here,
and the rest is history."
Q: Is there any one city
on your radio tour that you are particularly excited about
going to?
C.R: "I'm particularly excited about
New York. I actually lived there when I was 2 yrs. old,
for just a year with my parents, but I was too young to
remember the city. I'm looking forward to it very much."
Q: What artists influence
you?
C.R: "My biggest influences growing
up were what I call the divas. Which I'm sure everyone calls
Whitney, Mariah, Tony Braxton, Celine. I really love coming
home to any big soulful voice. Also songwriters, as well
as producers I've really taken an interest in, Diane Warren
being one. Then I went off to explore my own avenue."
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Q: What is your
favorite performance/concert that you have done thus far?
C.R: "The showcases I've
done in L.A., they've got to be the best cause that's where
everything started, the choreography, dancers, team, sound,
light, everything. It was a really special moment cause that
was the start of everything really."
Q: How do you think attending
performing arts schools have shaped you differently musically
from other artists?
C.R: "My first school was quite a small
school where music wasn't really a forte, but I thought
at any moment I could be in the piano room writing songs
or be in the school plays. Then I went to The Brit School,
and that was for 2 years. It really did open my eyes to
working with other people who were professional or just
had talent. It really did help structure how you write and
perform. It gives a good basis to everything I'm doing now."
Q: What do you want people
to think/feel when they hear your music?
C.R: "I like to think they can feel
it in the way I do and that Mark does. If any song can move
them when they're going through something, and help them
or just make them feel good and want to dance. I'm a really
big believer in touching people. When I'm singing or recording,
I put energy into the performance, so I hope it can connect."
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Q: If you weren't
a singer, what do you think you would be doing?
C.R: "That's a hard one
because I've never doubted at any moment of doing anything
else or not being in music. If I go back to when I was younger,
the other thing I wanted to do was be a make up artist, so
that would be the only other thing. It's always been music,
but if it was something else it would be slapping a load of
make up on someone's face and making them look pretty."
Q: If you could
collaborate with any artist on a song, who would you be?
C.R: "There's one collaboration
that I would really love and that's with Stevie Wonder. I
don't know if that would ever happen, but he's just amazing.
It used to be when I was growing up that I would love to sing
with Mariah, still that would be an amazing experience too.
Also, Wanya Morris from Boys II Men. I think that would probably
be the top one actually."
Q: What would
you say your debut album, Love in Stereo is mainly about?
C.R: "It goes through a
few different topics and emotions. Some are real club bangers,
if you want to just dance. There's one ballad in particular
called Longer By, a very special song to me. It's one that
everyone can kind of relate to. It's about when you're in
relationship and you've been with that person a long long
time, and you both know it's kinda not right, but because
you've relied on each other for so long, to cut it off would
leave you lost in a way. Basically the relationship has run
its course. I've had a lot of feedback with that song. Everyone
says it kind of gets to them because they can relate to it."
Q: Everyone always
remembers the first time they ever heard their song on the
radio, what thoughts went through your mind during the moment?
C.R: "I really can't describe
it. A lot of jumping up and down, and smiles all around. It's
an amazing rush."
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