Neverland magizine features and stuff like that Jillian Ann land

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JILLIAN ANN
The model with a cult following turns to music for pleasure.
by Ken Scrudato
(SOMA MAGAZINE: Vol 17.9: The Obsession Issue)

"YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND THE LIGHT UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND THE DARK"

With bored fashionistas lately seen flocking to London fetish clubs, bondage is now, um...painfully hip. New York-based singer-model Jillian Ann, however, has had a foot in each camp all along, splitting time between mainstream modeling and her primary career as a sort of fetish supermodel. But when she's not in front of the camera, she's in a recording studio, and the result is her startling debut album, Neverland. The music is dark and jittery, and as curiously beautiful as it is unsettling (think This Mortal Coil); and her lyrics evince an austere emotional candor not unlike that of Tori Amos. Most astonishingly, she plays all the instruments herself.
You did the mainstream modeling thing in Milan, but you've said you felt a bit trapped by it.
I did. And frankly, it's a very defined system. The fashion industry is a system; it's very commercial. And you have to do 10 castings a day, which means you spend most of your day going on castings for the first year or two until you really start making money. I had no time for music. And all of these photographers were trying to get me to take my clothes off.
Yeah, those Italian photographers.
I had a good time, but I realized I didn't want to play the game. Now, I'm working with a lot of photographers and designers directly. And in the alternative-fetish modeling industry there's nothing to hide; people are pretty open about things. They're all hyper-intelligent, really creative people.
There's a lyric on your record, "Don't judge my life until you've looked me in the eye." At whom is that directed?
That's directed at people who would say to me, "How can you do that?" Which is very condescending? They're not there, they don't understand it. Some of that attitude even came from the fashion industry. I would think, Let me get this straight. You're going to kick me out because I did some erotic photos, but you have models that are visibly heroin addicts, who have been arrested, and that's acceptable?
Well, drugs and fashion...you know.
But then they wouldn't kick me out. They would slowly let me die. They're still very uptight about it, and it's easier for them to point fingers than to deal with their own issues. And you can't please everybody.
Well, you seem to really openly do battle with emotional demons on the record. Was it easy for you to do that?
It's easy for me to be that frank and open, yes. You can't understand the light until you understand the dark
The record is also really complex sonically. I did it in my bedroom. I've been studying music since I was eleven; I've studied harmonic physics, I've studied the sound of healing, I've studied tonal qualities...
Would you ditch your modeling career for the music?
This is not a side project, the music career. I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too.
Is there a cult of Jillian Ann?
There is a cult. I had a street team of a hundred people before I even had an album.
You mean fans you've contacted through the internet? They went out and promoted your record for you?
Yes, my mailing list is close to ten thousand people.
You've led a fairly bizarre life so far. Has it worked out the way you wanted it to?
It's taken some interesting twists and turns, but it's exactly where I saw it being.

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Recently Midwest BEAT photo editor Niva Bringas had the opportunity to do a photo session with famous model Jillian Ann.
At the "shoot" we grabbed the chance to interview the rising fashion and music star. We discovered a young woman with many moods, methods and thoughts. It quickly became evident that she is much more than another pretty face.
Depth, determination, creativity and complexity are components which make up the persona of this omni-talented artist.
Jillian has an unmistakable devotion to achievement. Her ambitious and creative spirit is quite inspiring. She feels best when composing, performing, or listening to music. It is her driving force. Jillian considers music to be a special language that speaks to the heart and touches the soul. She recalls that even in her early childhood, music had an amazing effect on her life, calming her when she felt restless, it replaced anger or sadness with joy and happiness. As a little girl she felt the calling to become an artist.
Jillian began to develop and sharpen her musical skills by learning and practicing the piano. She regarded her musical ability to be a heavenly gift that must be protected, nurtured, given and shared.
As a young adult, at the age of 18, Jillian had the chance to join the mainstream of the music business. However, she did not accept the offer. At that point, she says, she would have had to compromise herself and her dreams, which would have been too high a price to pay. She feels she would have lost her aspirations as well as her identity as an artist. There is a very ethical artistic approach in Jillian's attitude. This is a very refreshing attribute in today's financially oriented society.
Jillian responded to questions concerning her career choices with considerable maturity. She feels that modeling and music are equally difficult. Modeling, she says, is "very challenging and competitive," although she finds the music industry to be "excessively brutal."
She told how modeling became her stepping-stone into the music world. Modeling afforded her the freedom she needed to develop a music career. Countless hours of work as a fashion, fetish and fine arts model provided Jillian with the funds she needed to purchase expensive music equipment.
After receiving a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts, Jillian was able to dedicate time to song writing. Her music is actually a unique blend of music styles, it contains elements of pop music but also some avant-garde qualities. Jillian says it could be considered avant-pop.
When questioned about musical influences, Jillian responded with a list of several popular performers. Among her favorites are this month's cover artist -- David Bowie -- along with U2, The Cure, Madonna and others not so well known. She says they have often provided her with inspirations to carry on.
Though restricted to just studio work thus far, Jillian plans to perform before a live audience in the very near future; most likely in New York.
Her new CD -- written, performed and co-produced by Jillian -- is titled Neverland. She says the title is a social statement. Seeing all of the negativity that exists in the world today -- terrorism, fighting, war, sickness, and starvation -- she chose an ironic title.
The CD suggests a "special-safe-place feeling" generating a peace, fun, happy mood. Neverland was made possible when opportunity knocked on Jillian's door in the form of an e-mail from Emperor Penguin Records.
When she was assured of having complete creative freedom, she accepted the offer. Soon Jillian's music will be shared with, and enjoyed, by many music enthusiasts.
The "porcelain doll" -- innocent yet deadly -- look will grab her some attention, but Jillian's beauty is only the surface. Her versatile talents are matched only by her passion and vitality.
Though happy with Neverland, Jillian predicts her next CD will be a move toward a more energetic style of music.
Jillian Ann will surely gain a lot of recognition and admiration in the world of music and entertainment once this strong debut album starts getting the attention from the media and public it deserves.
This month, Midwest BEAT readers can get on board at the ground floor with this rising star and win a copy of Neverland.

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Media PLus

{ MPM } Unlike common, commercial music, your methods of merging together melodies and electronic orchestrations seem to yield much more impact, yet they do so within many moments that are strangely, obtusely reserved as well. When you are at the very beginning of the creation process for a new song - what's going on in your head - above and beyond everything else?
{ JA } I tend not to think when I make music. I just let it come as it comes, direct from the heart, the soul, the emotion, and the experience. My music tends to write itself. If anything, I leave the thinking out of it and let the feeling, the sounds, and the creation happen naturally, in as pure of a fashion as possible. I think about music when I am away from it. So the reality of the matter is that I try to keep my head as quiet as I can. The only thoughts that pass through my head are usually about people, love, life, eating, running, and memories. It is more like a movie that I am watching and the music is me, creating a soundtrack.{ MPM } Having a strong message is, without doubt, a factor within the majority of your music. What direct messages are you most interested in conveying to your audience?
{ JA } The message is about many things. It's about love without lies and about truth being worth more than gold. It's about hope for humanity, as well as hope during periods of struggle - because we are always going to struggle in one way or another. It's also about believing in yourself and your own dreams. Plus, hope for all those who feel hopeless, dreams for the dreamless, and love for those who don't feel loved.{ MPM } Your very diverse, modeling and acting careers seem to run parallel at times to your musical career. At key moments, the three ventures jarringly rush together, head-to-head-to-head at intense, multiple crossroads. Which churns out more power for the others? Modeling and acting, giving a boost to your music side - or music filling your modeling and acting slices of life with an extra oomph, that it normally wouldn't have?
{ JA } They all feed each other in a dance that is beautiful and strange at the same time. Modeling and acting allow me to free my mind from intense hours of programming music and sitting in front of computers. Creating my music allows me to use my body as an instrument and music allows me to use my mind. I enjoy creating. I enjoying filling my time with the act of creating. I can't do music all the time and I can't model all the time either, but by doing both it keeps me from getting into trouble.

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Female Persuasion: I recently bought your cd Neverland, it's beautiful & lucid & moody. Who are your influences? What is your creative process like?
Jillian Ann: Thanks for supporting the artist:) It's so strange. No one buys cds anymore. I sometimes wonder how artists will survive if it continues this way. My influences...well, it is people more than bands. There is David Kirby who is the most progressive artist I know. He filled my head with thousands of avant garde and cutting edge amazing artists no one knows. So part of my influence comes from the underworld. Then I think I am haunted by the ghost of Beethoven, which inspires the dark and moody layers of pianos. I often think what would he make now if he was still here? Then, for my more pop influences, I would have to give credit to Brian Sirgutz, who was the most positive and encouraging person from within the industry. He introduced me to and helped me understand the pop and the dark wave worlds. My music is a strange influence of many forms of music and many types of sound. To me, music is an expression, not a formula and so I learned and understand the formula, but I like to bend it to my moods. I have been influenced from everyone from Beethoven to NIN, Massive Attack, Joy Division, The Birthday Massacre, Depeche Mode, Mum, Kate Bush, Portishead, Aphex Twins and anything by WARP records.
FP: What is your creative process like?
JA: I don't stop creating. I am active spiritually. Much of my work comes from dreams, visions, and also insights. Most of my ideas are given to me. I am like a channel. When I am in the process of creating, I tend to spend the majority of my time when I am not creating meditating, walking, doing yoga or day dreaming. I have an inspiration and I sit down in front of my keyboards and pianos and computers and work till it is finished. Then, David Kirby comes in and adds the last touches. Creating is not a problem; stopping is. I composed over a hundred songs. Many are being used for soundtracks and movies now. I am learning that the more I learn, the faster I can create. I have a millions songs in my head. In fact, I feel like I will never get them out. It is like there are tapes playing and as soon as I take one out, another starts. When I am moved, I just channel it.
FP: I noticed you have several links to sound therapy, bioacoustics, etc. Do you apply these studies to your music---is there more in there than meets the ear :) ?
JA: I understand music and sound therapy. I am working on two projects that are centered on that. I did my homework. I understand the power of music and how the energy that goes into a song can alter people's moods and states. In much of my music, the point is to open people up and to transfer energy through sound. You can't heal until you open up and let out whatever you fear. Some of my music is also about opening up and letting emotions out. People who cry and laugh live longer and are healthier. Some call my music dark, but just because something is deep and intense doesn't mean it is bad. I wont tell you about all my subversion because then it would no longer be something to question, but I feel that we live in a world where people need something to make them feel. So much music has little soul. It's like I hear it and under the noise I hear nothing but a vapid emptiness. I feel music no longer has a message, but, rather, it is all image. No one is saying anything anymore. Granted, Neverland was me being soft spoken. My next album will be a bit less soft spoken and a little more assertive.
FP: Other than reaching a slew of people, has the internet influenced your music in a creative fashion?
JA: Yes, the internet has given me freedom. I got a record deal because I was on the internet. I was funded through the internet. I found my street team through the internet. I am doing what the rest of the industry is just starting to catch on to doing. But they are behind. I have been at it for a few years. I believe the future of music involves more than a pretty face and a naked girl or an angry man who likes to yell about how all women are **&^% . Record sales are showing that the public is growing bored and sick of the pop princesses and the rappers who don't talk about anything but seem so upset over everything. I saw the vision of what I could do with the net when I was fourteen or so and then I just worked at making it real. Needless to say, while most of the people I know are flopping around like fish, I am thankful that I saw the door and walked through it even though I only had a vision and continue to as my guide. I never auditioned. I never had to sleep with anyone and I never had to sell out to get somewhere. I always slept with who I wanted, made the music I wanted, and let my heart guide me. I was not told what to do or how to do it. I gathered ideas for years. I have been underground reading, watching and then when I was ready, I came out to play. The internet gives me the ability to create and to control my art and project my vision directly to the fans and it's not created by men in suits telling me how I need to say this or do that. The internet gave me freedom and it gave me a way to reach thousands of people I couldn't have reached without it. The internet is the tool I use to deliver my vision to the world instantly and without any censorship. It is powerful and amazing and I hope more artists wake up and see the power at the touch of their hands to reach the world with their visions for little to no money. he internet was my support system.
FP: You have quite a web following...do you do any of the designs on your extensive site yourself?-
JA: I do everything you see in HTML and I have someone who is an angel who does all the flash. So, yes, I do it myself. Other than the flash. My site is constantly changing!
I am always changing. Life is short so why limit yourself?
FP: How much time daily would you say you spend on your computer?
JA: Between music and the site, emails, writing, editing, building promotion, 8-19 hours per day. Nineteen is when it is super crunch time. If I am not on the computer, I am running, doing yoga, meditating, going to the gym, reading, or in meetings.
FP: Are there any sites out there that rock your world?
JA: Well, I like the strange and unusual. I like the beautiful and odd. There are not many I have seen that blow my mind. So many are so the same, over and over and over. But I like these:
http://www.virtualom.com
http://www.larrycarlson.com
http://www.robertgregorygriffeth.com
I created my website because I was bored with the ones I found. I wanted to see something deep and personal and I never saw one, so I made it. I like yours and I am sure there are others out there I just haven't found them.
FP: Mac or PC?
JA: Both. I have four computers
FP: Part of the fp vision is to continually question the current state of feminism, especially regarding objectification of women, whether we do it ourselves (as in exhibitionism/artistic portrayal on the internet or other) or by society, images we see
frequently in the media, etc. As a current or former model, any thoughts on this?
JA: Current model :) rumors :) I feel the issue is deeper than feminism and objectification. A very large majority of the American cultural bases its worth on either the job, their partner or how attractive they are. We have been programmed to believe this is how and the way we find our identity. Through our jobs or our relationships. In a culture that bases its worth and value on those things, it makes our focus either the way we look or what we have. The media is not helping this but is feeding it for the most part. The more people believe that their worth is based on their status, relationship and/or job, the more they will buy and consume and the more they will focus on those things. The more they focus, the more unworthy they feel and then the cycle continues. As a woman who has learned that it doesn't matter if I have money or a lover or am beautiful internally, I feel the same and if I am not content with who I am without those things, I can never really have or enjoy those things. I believe the best thing a woman can do for herself is to not base her worth on men or jobs or beauty, but, rather, learn that we are all unique and individuals and all are different. It makes me sad and disturbed to see so many women think they are only worth something if they are beautiful and thin. It disturbs me that most men never look past the surface and see women as nothing more than something to use and not to know. But the reason that happens, as I was saying, goes beyond the surface. I see two things on the net -- empowered women who create their art and use their bodies because they want to, and those who do it just to try to please others. I think the ones who do it because they want to are setting a positive example and those who do it to earn the praise of others are just falling into a trap. The media focuses often on the surface and over the last fifty years looks have become more and more of a thing that is valued by our culture. It's sad that we would die for our body but we won't even go through some slight struggle for our spiritual state.
FP: Have you ever seen Natacha Merritt's book "Digital Diaries?" (http://www.digitalgirly.com and http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/books/sex/all/facts/01320.htm)
You remind me a bit of her. Your openness and brazenness with sexuality (the fetish modeling), not to mention how photogenic you are. Do you do any self-portraiture?
JA: Yes, of course, I am aware of her. I do and I am working on a book. I have to replace my camera :) Sexuality is a part of life. I love to do self portraiture because I have ideas and sometimes it's easier to do them than to explain them to others.
FP: How much do you think your imagery and visual influences come into play with your music? What do you dress like on stage?
JA: When I get a concept for a song, I get a vision and I see it. Then, I create it from the vision and then I try to communicate the vision in images and in visual as well.
For my next body of work, I am making visuals to go with the music that tell a story. I am looking to tour Europe over the summer and then come to the States with my next album. But as an artist, I tell stories and for the next album the stories are the stories that seem to be getting censored and covered up. So, along with the music, I am creating the story in visuals with the help of some people in my team. As far as on stage, either a vamp or a school girl or a bit of both. It depends on my mood. I am a bit of a changeling. I tend to morph so it all depends on my state.
FP: Are you ready for fame? And if that happens do you think you will approach your personality on the net any differently?
JA: The deadly question. Yes, I am ready for fame. I am ready because I understand it and I understand myself. I don't want to edit or to stop being real. It's been a battle to this point. My openness offends people and scares them sometimes. I am not commercial and I am not a conformist. If anything, I want to use fame to do things and use it to try to counteract many issues and bring to the attention of the media and the world things it seems they like to ignore that matter or replace with news that has no meaning except distraction. I have never seen the purpose of being famous unless I could do something with it. I could have had it a few times, but if I had gone that way, I wouldn't have been able to do much with it. Money, power, sex and drugs are all things which people seem to think are so important and maybe it is because I have had all of them and had as much as I wanted that I know that in the end no matter how much you have, you're still you and nothing changes. So, now I understand the things that could cause me to end up not doing anything except trying to find my worth in those things. But, back to the net, I will fight to keep my voice and even when I have thought of trying to go another way, I can't. My heart starts acting up and I like being in peace so even if I wanted to, I don't think I can stop. I used to think destiny was something in fairy tales till these last few years and after all I have seen and been through, I know there is more to life than what I see.
FP: Current obsession?
JA: Music, mittens, reading, yoga, energy work, playing out live, coffee, traveling, running, dreaming.

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Neverland -- Interview with WCHRadio

1. Is this your 1st CD?
Neverland is my first solo CD but it is my second CD. I worked with David Kirby on a project called elucido which is a IDM progressive electronic album. The CD we did is called Beta and you can see more about it on my website at http://www.jillianann.com/elucido.html
2. How long have you been in the music industry?
I have been lurking underground and getting my education and making observations for a few years. I am like a cat. I often find a dark corner and watch for some time to see what is going on before I make my moves. I got a bit of a push to move into it by Brian Sirgutz, who was someone who helped me speed up the process of understanding the nature of the industry.3. What inspired you to get into music?
Music to me is the language of the soul. Music is my air and music saved my life. I grew up alone and isolated, but music filled me with hope and understood me. Music was my friend. Music gave me the ability to feel things that the rest of the world was telling me were wrong. Music gave me freedom. I got into music because that is where my heart is and so I had to go.
4. How would you categorize your music?
I would like to create a new category because I am tired of all the old ones. It is emotional and it is human. It is my soul speaking. I am over the mold game, the fit into a label game, and the all music sounding the same. I make music to break rules, not to make them.
5. How did you come up with the name for the band?
It's my name and, well, I got sick of thinking of names and changing names and adding and figuring out who owned it, so I just used my own name.
6. How many poeple are in the band?
It is me, I am like a Trent or a Prince. I do it all and then I bring in David Kirby to do his magic as a producer. He comes in and takes my record and adds icing and candy to it. But I write all the music, the songs, the lyrics and I play all the instruments. I am the band.
7. How did you decide the style of music you wanted to play?
By the way I feel. I can write everything from classical to pop to metal to hip hop. I would rather take elements from all places and make something new than to do what has been done over and over. Brian Sirgutz opened my eyes to pop and why it works. I tend to use the way pop music is structured as a a skeleton for my creations but then as opposed to building things in a usual way, I do what most people would never think of doing. But then again most people have not explored music to the depth or the detail I have, so they do not understand that there are millions of ways to make music, not just the usual standard way which we seem to adopt as a do or die policy.
8. One of my favorite songs is "what?" And how did that come about?
Vapour: I was walking home and thinking of someone I love who has issues with not accepting love, and how it seems that those who seem dark are often the most loving yet the world tends to judge them and put them down. This makes them often feel guilty and ashamed and then they end up feeling no one could love them. I had had a very intense night the night before which involved the person telling me I couldn't love them and it was all a lie, and then I felt myself breaking down because I do love them, but I felt as though it was years of lies and abuse and anger that I was up against caused mainly by people lying, judging and using that person and not loving them. So the song came from the pain and hurt of seeing those I loved and hundreds of people destroyed or harmed to the point that they can't accept love because of people judging them, lying to them, using them.
Little space is also a fave. It is about war and about how if we would give a little more and not take so much we would have much less of it.
9. Why did you go the independent route?
The major labels are in a state of flux. I want to make sure people can get my record. I wanted creative control, and all the A&R people I knew who were artists, supportive and those I trusted lost their jobs. Music to me is my baby. I will let it grow and develop and will pay my dues. There is no rush for me to go to a major. I want to make sure the music gets to the people and doesn't sit on a shelf. When there is someone who understands me and my vision and supports it, who is a gatekeeper at a major and that I trust and see truth and integrity in, then I will go there. But music is like my baby, and I want to make sure the daddy (so to speak) will take care of it and not abuse it.
So I am speaking with and meeting many people. But I would rather feed it myself than put it in the hands of someone I didn't trust 100 percent.
10. Can we expect anything new from you in 2004?
Of course! My next album is in the works. It is darker, more intense, more a reflection of the current state of the world. It deals with many issues and many topics from love to religion, drugs to being controlled. It is a culture commentary and I will be making a full length film/visual to go along with it. I am looking to finish the record this spring or summer. The next album will be heavy and intense, but still beautiful.
I am also working on a film called "life in motion." You can see clips on my website. And for all of you, I am creating an online digital community that will be up in January where artists and fans can all connect and if we all work together, we can create a nice little space to spark a fire from. The website is www.MentalSanctuary.com and it will be open in January, so bookmark it and come back when it is ready. I am also acting and modeling when I can. And dj'ing,. So needless to say I am a very busy thing.
Thank you for asking:)
11. Do you have any advice for new artists or people thinking about getting into the music business?
First and foremost, go get the books Hit Men, All You Need to know about the Music Business, The Artist's Way, and Fit for Life. If you want to continue your education, also check out Artist Management and How to Start and Run Your Own Record Label. Then, go and get books on how to create your own home studio. I highly encourage you as an artist to learn how to write, record, and produce your own music. Also, if you are a singer, invest in a vocal coach. It makes a huge difference. Learn how to make a website, learn how to connect with others and learn everything you can about every aspect of the music business, including the business. If you think you will survive without knowledge, you will find you will become dinner for the first wolf that is hungry. Also, I reccomend putting out an album or two on an indie label to get to know the game and then move up. I believe in understanding something before you do it. Learn the business as well as how to make music inside out first. The labels no longer do artist development, so you need to develop yourself. The books I mentioned above will help you. So will going to music conferences. You can also learn by observing artists like me and others who share not only the art but the process. You will not become a star over night. And having an inflated ego anywhere but on the stage will hurt you in the long run. Remember that everything you do will come around to you so if you show respect, you will earn it.
12. Were you excited by the message from the Grammys? How did you feel about that?
It's funny. I suppose I am not much effected by praise and/or when people tear me down. It was amazing to get that news and I was happy to be recognized. I am really excited about next year. I made the record in my bedroom with no budget and I did it all alone. I even got my own producer to make it to that point. It just makes it easier for me and my art to be taken more seriously. People often assume because I am a former model that I am dumb and that I don't do anything but sing. That's not true. I write, produce and arrange my albums and work with a producer I believe in. That is my secret treasure because he is amazing but wont sell out. It was nice to be up against those who had millions behind them and who are all just creating to sell. It gives me hope that change is in the air and that the industry will open up to more progressive artists and give artists more of a say in their art. If someone like me makes it, I open the door for many others to follow after me. So, getting that far was a spark in my mind and helps me get through when times are tough.
13. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes. That all of you need to keep your ears and eyes open for David Kirby, Brian Sirgutz, Larry Carlson and come join the family in JANUARY and become part of the virtual community at www.MentalSanctuary.com

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Jillian Ann Interview 4/14/04
Intro: Her recording hit me hard. I immediately had to share Jillian Ann's CD "Neverland" with all of my friends and playmates. My girlfriend and I listened to the CD all night long in the warmth of our satin sheets. It was a special evening. Now, I don't even have the disk in my possession. A greedy friend, jealous of its possession has got it all borrowed up and far, far away. I miss that CD already.
Neo: Hello Jillian. How are you?
Good, busy, the usual.
Neo: Are you doing a lot of interviews lately?
Tons of them. You guys have a lot of questions even after I put it all out there on my website :)
Neo: I hope that Neo-Zine is a different kind of audience for you. We cover all extremes of the underground, including the softer side. I feel that they are all connected in a way (at least in a non-conformist spirit.) Do you agree?
I agree completely. It is all connected. Anything that is non-conformist tends to connect in one way or another way. The fetish world, the music world, the art world, and so on.
Neo: Could you please give a stylistic description of your music to the Neo-Fans?
Neverland is an avant-pop record. It is electronic music with classical and avant garde influences. Beta is a progressive electronic album. IDM meets Enigma meets dance. Currently, I am working on two albums. Both are a fusion of a few styles with layers of vocals and violins and pianos. I want to push music into a new place and not just copy what has already been done.
Neo: Is there anything we need to know about Neverland in regards to theme or atmospheric content?
Neverland was created to be a comfort album -- an emotional album, an album to make love to or to be played while creating.
Neo: Is "Neverland" making a splash on the mp3 charts? Are you getting any radio play?
Neverland is doing very well on the mp3 charts as well as on college radio.
Neo: Looking over your web room, I noticed a lot of home equipment in the pictures of your apartment. Do you do a lot of home recording?
I make everything in my loft. All the music is recorded, mixed and mastered in there. Welcome to the year 2004 when you don't need anything but time, love and energy :)
Neo: Speaking of your web room, do you do your own web work? Are you an internet junkie like many of us?
I do the html site and I have someone doing the flash version who is amazing. I am so busy creating that I don't do much surfing anymore. I am always looking to swap links with other sites though.
Neo: Do you prefer working on things from home privately or are you more into the public life you lead as a model and performer?
I enjoy both aspects. I like the solitude of being alone at home, but I thrive on being on the road, shooting and traveling.
Neo: Some of your web pictures include bondage / fetish interests. How do those things impact your careers as a model, actress, and especially a musician?
I enjoy making beautiful things and I think corsets and bondage are beautiful. I enjoy the fetish world in many ways because the people there are very open-minded and very free spirited. The fetish world taught me how to push my art to the edge and not to care what people think and that is something I have to live by because not everyone will like me or my work. But I do what I want to do because I love it and I follow my heart and I learned that lesson in the fetish world. In many ways, I was put down for it, but I learned that people will always put you down and you can't live for other people.
Neo: I disagree with the way that your promotional materials downplay the gothic aspect of your sound. I think that it is one of the things that provide distinction for your sound. What is your opinion?
I agree so the next album I think will be a bit different.
Neo: How do you feel about comparisons to Enya, Kate Bush, Portishead, and Tori Amos?
I see the Kate Bush, the Portishead and Tori Amos, but I don't feel like I sound like any of them.
Neo: I understand that you used to be a b movie queen. Do you have any recommendations for a good b movie?
I never kept up with the scene. I went to shoots, did my work and came home. I didn't even know I was a b-movie queen till it was on the cover of magazines. But there are lots of them out there.
Neo: Tell us about some of your film roles?
I usually am typecast as a vixen, kitten, or vampire. As of late, I have been focusing on music, but I am looking to do more drama and more deep roles. I also enjoy acting and love creating. I am just finishing my own first movie which is all about the alternative worlds and technology.
Neo: Has any soundtrack work gone hand in hand with your acting or modeling?
Yes. Much of it has happened because people know of me through modeling. They find my music and then it gets used.
Neo: Have you had any formal training in music/ acting/ modeling (and can you tell us a little about it?)
I took piano lessons for a few years, but stopped because I didn't feel that I was learning anything new. I was a cocky little girl. Then, I learned all I could about modeling. I have taken ballet and jazz. I have been mentored with music directly from people who make it. I work one on one with people who are better than me, who I learn from. Currently, I work with a vocal coach, I have a media coach, I have a yoga teacher, and I teach the rest to myself. I learn faster on my own which is why I am not in school.
Neo: What projects are you currently working on?
I am working on a new site which will be up soon. I am working on a full length film which will be out soon. I am working on two albums -- my next solo record as well as a project with Sage (www.sagepoet.com , www.sexdrugsandsundayschool.com ) I am working on a live show which will be done and we will be playing out mid-summer. I am also working on building a collective of artists (www.mentalsanctuary.com ) as well as a model and photographers resource website ( www.theblackbookproject.com ) I am also writing papers and essays on sex, drugs and religion for a section on my site called zen baby. I thought about running for president, but i don't know if i have the time. I am painting a series of paintings for a gallery show and I am also shooting here and there.
Neo: Anything else you would like to talk about (free forum)
I discovered these books which changed my life: Fit for Life and The Artist's Way. I turned vegan and haven't been sick in forever and mediation and yoga help me stay nice and balanced. :)
hope all is well. Sending some love and thanks

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Q1. Hi Jillian Ann, you have made a bit of a career change from modeling to music, or maybe not, how long have you been involved with music?
Well, to start, I still model. Modeling still funds many of my projects, but now music takes up all the time that I am not modeling. I began singing as soon as I was old enough to make sounds. I was always singing. When I was 11, I began writing music on the piano. When I was 15, I discovered electronic music and began making music on the computer. Then, when I was 17, I left home and had nothing, so I sang to myself and wrote lots of lyrics for a year and a half. Then, I bought my keyboard and a Triton and started making music at home on my own again. I was modeling a lot because I wanted to move to New York and I built a music studio. I made the Fallen EP which caused me to get an email from Brian Sirgutz, who was with Elementree Records at the time. That lead to David Kirby and I having coffee with him and he inspired us to do an album, so we did one. It was Elucido Beta. Beta was not pop and the industry didn't understand it. So then David returned to Atlanta and I set off on my own. Brian continued to educate me and over the next year, with some guidance, I began to understand many things about the music business as well as making records. I created Neverland, which is a vision that was, I suppose, my first grasp on creating a record that was created with some understanding, a knowledge of music beyond feeling. I have been involved with music my whole life. There isn't a time when I am not listening or making music and my entire life has been that way. I never went to school, so I had hours and hours to listen to music and to create that most people do not have. Now, music is the calling I will follow out of love and dedication. To me, standing in front of a crowd of people and connecting to them and sharing a feeling is the most amazing things in the world. Music is the only way I know where I can share my feelings and emotions and not feel like it is out of place. Music is the language I was born to speak.
Q2. Could you tell me about Neverland ?
Neverland was me facing my fears, and learning how to produce. Neverland was written in response to the war, in response to people who turned cold to the heart. Neverland was me trying to express the love and pain, joy and sorrow that I felt. Neverland is also a reflection of a transformation I was going through emotionally and spiritually. Neverland is an emotional CD because it came from emotions that were evoked by love, by war, by suffering, by walking around and feeling lonely, but understanding that I will always have those feelings at times. Neverland was me also realizing that I write songs and Neverland was where my voice started to come out. Neverland was also about breaking rules. I took things that were not supposed to go together and put them together. I explored things that people don't explore in music. I like to push the limit and music allows me to do that. I keep things simple but then explore the millions of things you can do around it.
Q3. You had a cult following when you were a fetish/fashion model, are your fans following your musical career ?
Yes, they are and now I want to bring the music and the modeling together with film. I am continuing to branch out. Some people assume that because I am a model, my music will be shallow and or not very good. But then when they hear it, they usually are surprised and say, "You did that?" And I always smile and say, "You didn't think it would be like that, did you?" Many people from the fashion and the fetish world are helping me in many ways by interconnecting and putting me in touch with others in the music business.
Q4. How has the Internet helped your musical career?
I wouldn't have one without the internet. I have never gone the usual way. For me, I wanted to focus on creating, not on auditioning and playing the games, so I created and I built my own form of media, my own tv station, my own radio, my own magazine, and in my own world, I also built a communication system and a community with my fans. My fans were the reason I got a record deal. It was my fans who bugged people to listen to my music. It is my fans who help promote me and connect me. I find my fans by going to them digitally. I will never turn down a link exchange or exposure on the internet. The internet gave me a place to develop and to grow. It gave me the tools to expose my music to thousands and thousands of people who may have never heard it if it was not for the internet. The internet has connected me directly with the fans as well as top people in the business. The internet gives me the ability to share my work and my art and my music with them and I don't have to wait. I can make a new track or 50 new tracks and put them up right away. I can stream my music, videos, my behind the scenes videos, and so on all directly. I can connect to my fans directly and can speak to them and communicate. The internet is why I am here. Without it, I don't know how I would have made it. I am a internet baby. I am the only one I have seen so far that has used the internet and crossed over into the mainstream. All because of the internet. I am the first baby of the net to cross over into the masses from the net. I love the internet. It gives me freedom and it also allows me to move much faster and reach more people and I can showcase all my work, not just a fraction of it. It also lets me get my message out and it also allows me to put all my music out, not just ten songs.
Q5. Any plans for the future that you want to share with us?
My next album:)
I will also be dj'ing and doing live performances. Besides making music, I collect it and there is so much amazing music no one has heard and that has to change, so I am going to start dj'ing, not only my own music, but also music no one has heard. I am releasing music videos on my site. There are two there at the moment and more on the way. I am in the middle of making a full length feature called "Life in Motion" which is a crazy behind the scenes look at life through my eyes. I am working on tons of new music which is added to the website every few months. I am working on a site called MENTAL SANCTUARY which will be a digital portal for all artists. I am creating a space which I hope will become one of the largest digital communities for artists. I am creating a place where an artist can join for free and upload images and music and videos and chat and there will be offline meetings and events as well to try to bring together artists and other creative people so that they can work together and encourage each other. There will also be a tour. You know, the usual things. I am also writing a book all about things like spirituality, culture, health and so on. Hmmm the best way to keep up with all of it is at the website.
Thanks so much and check out www.JillianAnn.com ttp://www.emperorpenguinrecordings.com as well as www.mentalsanctuary.com

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7 deadly sins

7 DEADLY QUESTIONS with Jillian Ann
1. Critics sometimes describe your music as somber. However, songs like "Little Space," "Fragile" and "Neverland" are hopeful and optimistic. How would best describe the mood of your music? My music is human and, as a human, I have a full range of emotions -- happy, sad, hopeful, depressed. Needless to say, the mood changes as I change, so that is why the music is that way. I don't listen to critics much. Brian Sirgutz once warned me not to get too caught in the game because some people will love what I do and others will hate it and if I let them influence me, I can lose myself.

2. My favorite song of yours is "The Divine." Could you tell me your inspiration behind the dramatic piano line?
Well, it is about heaven and being inspired by an inner feeling and connecting with something beyond me, something so beautiful and amazing and powerful that nothing else matters. Some days I wonder if I will starve or if I am moving forward or a million other things, but in realty the reason I do music is because it is my calling. It is what my soul tells me to do and the divine is about that and it is about how I have the divine so what can I fear here?

3. What part of making music comes easiest: writing lyrics, arranging beats, playing the piano or singing? It's all the same. The more I do it, the easier it gets. It's all learning and growing and the process.4. Is it harder to play all the music by yourself or to teach other musicians how to perform your songs?
I have never had to teach anyone. When I work with others, I hope they can get it and keep up and vice versa. The reason I do it all myself is because it is often faster to get the vision out and then I bring in others to perfect it, add to it, expand it, etc.5. Was "Neverland" difficult to put together?
Emotionally it was a battle. I knew that people would pull up my pas- and that is the reason I put it all on my website, because at least then if people want to know the story behind it, they will get it. I knew the press would find my flaws as well as my good points and I knew they would connect it all together. I also know it's only going to continue and in many ways facing that was a big deal. Not because I am ashamed, but because people are sheep and when one calls me this or that, they listen and then they join in. Emotionally to be open can cause people to love or hate you. To be direct and honest about my life means some will hate me without cause just because. Writing music from your soul is hard because you feel really naked. It's easy to sing a song and to play along, and it's easy to do what people tell you too. I couldn't do the easy thing. I had to do it the hard way, so with Neverland, it was me alone with ideas, and a big support group that said I could and believed in me. But no one told me what to do. It was all from within, and pulling it out was also a process of facing myself and that is hard as well sometimes.6. When you create a song, which comes first, the music or lyrics?It changes.7. You've written and recorded hundreds of demos. Was it hard to pick only 13 songs for "Neverland?"
Because I write a track or two most days for months just working on sounds and ideas and working on growing and then once I feel I have grown, I do an album. And then I do it again. At some point I will think of releasing others. Right now I really care more about writing and growing and creating than anything.

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Interview with Jillian Ann
by Jeremy Spencer
The following are edited excerpts from an interview with Jillian Ann- an artist in the most pure sense of the word. She lives in New York where she writes, draws, paints, models, and makes music among many other things. Her art graces this issue's cover and her solo debut album entitled "Neverland" was released at the end of this last summer. Musically she is an original, blazing a new trail. Her music is defined as Avant-Pop. I had the pleasure of showing her around Kansas City one day and we hit up all the places she could pimp her new CD. I have nothing but good things to say about Jillian, she is one of the most positive people I have met and she is very driven. As she told me that day, "My entire life is a creative process. Life is art, art is life."
Check out her web-site at www.JillianAnn.com and see what I mean- the amount of shit on her web-site is crazy. Download a song, get a taste of what she has to offer, buy the CD and enjoy the interview:
Who or what are some of your creative influences?
Jillian: People that inspire me, hmm, Beethoven, Percy Bysshe Shelley who is my favorite poet. Um, people that I actually know- David Kirby. He was the first dreamer I actually met, he was the first person I met who was like me. He inspires me because we are constantly challenging each other and he introduces me to all these new artists and new music. Another person who truly inspires me is Brian Surgitz. He was the first person in New York that I met who was another dreamer. At that time, I had thought all the dreamers were dead. Uh, as far as painters, Picasso, Matisse, you know there are so many. I don't know, I mean so many things inspire me. Inspiration comes from everywhere in my life.
When someone listens to your new CD, your music, is there a message…
Jillian: There are lots of messages.
Ok, what is something that you want someone to get from you music?
Jillian: I think when I write music, its like I'm answering some of my own questions. When I look at the world, I tend to look at it and go- ok, so what could be done to help it be a better place? And I guess with my music, I'm trying to answer those questions. Its like we're not going to be able to stop all of the massive destruction and chaos that's going on. So, what can we do in our own daily personal lives to make things better? It's the simple, little things. And I guess the main message is I want people to listen to it and interpret it for themselves. Music is a language. One person might listen and hear some things slightly different than another person because when they hear it, it reminds them of their own experiences. I try to make my music universal and to deal with more soul-full issues. Because I feel like people spend so much time looking at each other's differences, opposed to looking at our similarities. When I create music, I'm just trying to cerate common ground.
Why do you call your music Avant-pop? What does that mean to you?
Jillian: I have one foot connected to what's going on in the pop world, and one foot in the avant-garde world. I love avant-garde music, I think how do they make these sounds. I listen to an Avant album every night. But also every night, I listen to a pop record. Something that's blues or jazz, you know popular music. Whether it's Miles Davis, DePeche Mode or The Cure. As an artist I feel like why do I have to choose a side? Everyone defines them self as pop or avant-garde. It's just another division. So I'm putting them together. I love both worlds.
Ok, two people dead or alive that you could have dinner with. Who would they be?
Jillian: I'd pick Beethoven. I'd like to pick his head. I really would. I also would like to invite Mr. David Bowie, and Bono too. See if you give me twenty, then I'd be cool.
What's wrong with mainstream music today?
Jillian: Artists are afraid to be artists. They are trying to conform to what they think will sell. Every two weeks, I go to Virgin, and listen to every Top 40 album through. And sometimes it kills me because I think this just sounds the exact same as the album from two weeks ago. I want something new and refreshing. The reason why this happens in the music industry is cause of greed. It's the greed that's destroying it. What bothers me is that musicians are idols for all of young teens and the problem is the record industry, instead of developing artists who are real people, they just make them all the same.
How do you want to be remembered?
Jillian: Umm, I want people to just read and observe the work and hopefully pick up the universal message in it. So I don't think it's about me, I don't really care how people remember me. I care about A, in my will which already exists, it says one thing- all of my work has to remain online. And when I die, everything that isn't online that I have, the art and journals, which I keep under my bed, will be put online. My will basically says if I have money it will go to the arts and all of my art has to stay online. I just want all the music and all the writing and all the art to be online forever. That or until the world blows up or whatever. That's what matters to me. I really don't care how I'm remembered.
Where do you see your self in 10 years?
Jillian: You're the second person to ask me that today.
Ok, make it 15 years then. Where do you see your self in 15 years?
Jillian: Ok, 15 years from now, I'm going to be 37. I'm going to have purple hair; I'm going to have a bunch of adopted artist children. And I'll have a big building in New York where everybody can go if you want to make art but you don't know anybody. You go to this building in New York and you find this crazy woman named Jillian and she'll help you find other artists so you don't end up getting your blood sucked out by vampires. In 15 years, I want this building to be a base. So if you want to be an artist and you don't want to sell your soul, go here. That and I want to walk cats.
Walk cats?!?
Jillian: Uh huh, down Avenue A on a leash.
Ok, how many at a time?
Jillian: Uh, four cats. Yea, that would be pretty funny, walking with four cats down Avenue A. They would call me cat woman.

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- Present yourself in 20 words or less.
I am a visionary creator who uses technology to communicate my visions, dreams and creations through various forms of expression from music visuals as well as web creations and communities.
- Why do you think your story is worth telling?
It is about getting back up after falling, not to mention that to my knowledge I am the only one of me on the internet or at least I was one of the first if not the first people to really understand and utilize the capacity to translate art through a digital media.
- Can you sumarize a day in your life in 15 sentences or less?
Wake up, drink a cup of tea, write in my personal journal. Then I say a prayer before going to make music in the studio or going to a photoshoot. After that, it is meetings with people with in the industry. Each day I try to the gym, to run or o do yoga before heading back to working on either music, writing, my websites, answering email or shooting video. It never stops. It is a whirlwind of creation and work.
- Are you going to make it, are you making it or did you already made it?
Making it for me is to do what I love which I do everyday. I don't really care what the world thinks. To some, I made it. To others, I am famous. To even others, I am important. But to me, I am just me.
- Do you consider yourself an ambitious person? Do you think that's a quality or a defect?
No. I don't watch tv. I don't play games with people's emotions in shallow relationships, and I don't drink or do drugs, so that leaves a large amount of time and energy to be productive. Most people have completely forgot that they can do something beyond being a permanent fixture on the couch. We all have the ability to do limitless things. We just often never try.
- Being a beautiful girl has obvious advantages, but it also has a stigma attached to it, do you feel underestimated? Do you feel you have something to prove?
I don't feel I have anything to prove. I don't create to please or win the attention of the world. I create because I love it.
- You're very active in many projects, music, modeling, your website changes constantly, you write in your online journal daily and you're one of the most responsible people I've met when it comes to answer your e-mail. Personally, I don't think it's possible, how to you manage to do all that?
- Do you consider yourself a workaholic?
Thank you, I have someone who does the flash site, an awesome artist and a nice guy from France named JD. Glenn from www.lodgerproductions.com does all my video editing and watches over the site. As far as theblackbookproject.com, I have two people, Whitney and Axel who oversee it. MentalSanctuary.com is watched and maintained by JD as well. I have business manager and assistant, Rob, who is amazing and who I couldn't live without. He takes care of all the mail, bills, and paper work between me and places like BMI and others as well as booking me and handling my schedule. I work from 8 am till 2am on a normal day. I make art all day so it is hardly work.
The Work
- What are your current projects? What's Jillian Ann doing?
I am working on my second solo album which will be out this summer. I am working on a musical collaboration that is very portishead/everything but the girl /moby esque with this amazing artist and poet sage www.sexdrugsandsundayschool.com and www.sagepoet.com. I am working on a new version of JillianAnn.com which will be out in the next few months. I am running an artist collective and community in New York ( www.mentalsanctuary.com) which is also a global portal where I am putting the gathering call out to other artists, dreamers and creators who want to see change and create. I also am working on www.theblackbookproject.com which is a database for models and photographers, but, unlike most modeling portals, we screen the photographers and make sure they are real. I am also working on a live show for this summer which will be on the road. Currently I am working with a film maker and we are finishing up the first feature film that I have done called Alternative Model. I am shooting for fashion magazines and top photographers when I can in New York and around the world. Currently, I am doing a lot of music for films and tv as well. I just finished an hour and a half meditational CD which will be on my website soon.
I am also working on a series of paintings for a gallery show. I am working on a project called Zen Baby which will be a book as well as a section on the site. It's all about things like sex, drugs and God. I am also working on a book about the modeling industry.
Sage and I have a monthly night starting this month at a top club in New York called Pianos where we will be hosting a night of music, poetry and art. We have weekly meetings for Mental Sanctuary in New York which is a rapidly growing and becoming quite a creative and beautiful group. There is more, but at the moment that is what I have my teeth sunk into.
- I know this one will surprise some of the readers; approximately how many pictures of yourself do you have available in your web site? by how many photographers?
At last count, about 4500. Taken by hundreds of photographers.
- Explain The Mental Sanctuary in 20 words or less. What projects are you developing with that?
Mental Sanctuary is about gathering, educating, helping, empowering, and connecting artists without strings attached.
- You have several guides to help people in different areas posted on your web site, pitch them and explain them, I'll include the address.
There is the Modern Models Guide which is the truth about the industry. Considering it was how I survived and lived for over seven years, it is written from experience and tells the hard truths I learned. These articles are not candy, They are not there to make you feel good or tell you it's a box of chocolates. It's real and raw. The guide is at http://www.jillianann.com/MODELGUIDE.html and it is a good read for anyone who is thinking of getting into the business. I am working on this and will develop it into a book over time.
There is a guide on New York City which I will be adding to as well. This has everything from spiritual places to gardens to vegan and vegitarian restrunts. It's the places I go to and the things I do. This is at http://www.jillianann.com/nyc.html
There is the rape and sexual abuse section. I and many I know were raped or sexually abused so this is a section on abuse and recovery as well as resources. We are also working on creating a national directory of centers which offer free counseling and therapy to rape and/or sexual abuse victims.
The For Humans section of my site has many things there that I thought people would enjoy: CD-Junkie is at http://www.jillianann.com/cdjunkie.html and it has
a list of hundreds of artists I listen to. I am a music junkie. Soon it will be thousands because my collection is expanding. Most music on the radio is boring, but this music is stuff I think is good and you may never hear it on commercial radio.
Health and Diet Advice -- now one of the reasons I do everything I do is because I rarely get sick. I also spent years trying to find the way to eat and feel really good and I found it. I have done extensive research on nutrition and this section shows some of the information I found http://www.jillianann.com/body1.html and
http://www.jillianann.com/aDietThatWontKillbutwillHeal.htm
Everyone I know who is on the diet is very happy with it once they got over their fear.
There are also essays on God and sex and so on. This shows what I have learned and also I get people around me to write stuff as well. These can be found at http://www.jillianann.com/essays.html Some of it heavy stuff, so be aware.
About Milan is at http://www.jillianann.com/aboutmilan.html I was in Milan modeling and this section contains an agency list as well as a bit about the city -- its ups and downs and its ins and outs.
The Musician's Guide to the Internet -- Peter Spellman and Berkelee Press were nice enough to let us digitize his book and this is a resource section for anyone who is a musician and who uses the net. Peter Spellman's book and the resources it are amazing. http://www.jillianann.com/PeterSpellmanMusicianResources.html
Sound and healing is a section on what I found about sound and healing
- Do you consider yourself an altruist / philanthropies?
I am aware of the state of the world. I am watching my generation sink fast and I am just trying to stick out a digital hand.
- What's the best gift you've ever gotten from an online fan?
music and money :)
- Do you have a stalker yet?
Not really. And I am not looking for one either :)
- Do you consider you crave for attention? Is that a characteristic of performers in general?
I don't really crave for attention. I just put my art and music out there to be shared with everyone. I enjoy my solitude and in many ways try to hide from the attention.
- I personally think you have a very good chance of becoming a star soon. Are you prepared for it? How do you feel about it?
I am prepared which is why it hasn't happened. I believe that my work, my life, is in divine hands and because of that, there are many things I had to learn and understand before I went anywhere. Becoming a star is being put in a pressure cooker. There is a reason so many kill themselves and/or end up in rehab. It's hard. It's heavy. And it's intense. I am lucky I am around people who are there and have been there who have been teaching me. It will be nice to continue to grow. I am not into the whole game of the industry. I want to make my art and work and create and use what I have to do all I can to help others. I have an amazing team in place and also it would be nice to be able to hire a few people to help out.
- If that happens people will become very interested in your life, do you plan to keep the journal online?
Yes, because I want people to know the truth and that includes the good and bad. The journal is my way of keeping my own press. People can say what they want but my journals go back till I was a kid and it's all there. I will continue because it is my way of keeping in control. The public can read it and form their own opinons.
The Journal
- When and why did the journal started?
When I was a kid, no one understood me so I wrote in a journal. Then my friends would read them and it helped them because they didn't feel alone.
- Do you consider yourself an exhibitionist?
I think people are afraid of themselves and there is no need to be. There is no such thing as a secret, so why hide? Why cover up? Why be anything you're not?
- Has keeping an online journal, a public doorway to your life, caused you any problem?
No, it has helped me because it keeps away those who lie and are two-faced and brings to me those who are real or want to be and who seek truth. Agencies and managers sometimes have problems with it, but that is a part of my art and if they can't dig it, then I move on. I am at a point where I will not compromise my creation to please others or the public. The journal also helps a lot of people. People write me everyd ay to say that it inspires or helps them with their own lives.
- You've has an online journal for years now, why do you think they have became so popular lately?
Because I am all over the place -- magazines, the net, music, radio and so on. Because I talk about everything I am not supposed to from sex, religion, drugs, love, God, politics, art, healing and so on. Because it's real, and there is so little of that.
Because people want to see inside, so why hide it?
Technology and communication
- I your journal you advice people to "unplug their kids", but most of the work you do has to do with sitting in fron of the computer all day. Do you consider you have a love/hate relationship with technology?
I hate computers, but I use them. Again I use them. They don't use me. Ccomputers can be very productive, but trust me -- I wish I didn't have to sit in front of them. Unplugging children is about what I consider to be the weapon of mass destruction in America. At least which is the tv. Poor children are brainwashed into materialism and co-dependent behavior before they get a chance to know themselves.
- Even though some of your music is available to be downloaded or streamed in your web site, I have do ask this. What's your position in the whole The Industry Vs Digital music controversy? What about your label's position.
- Did the Internet, your web site, and having your songs available on line helped you get a record deal?
I will be adding a very large amount of music soon to be streamed. Let's talk truth. The major labels are raping artists. Because they spend far to much money and have to. Then they rape the public by charging 16 dollars for a cd. Here is how it works -- a major label wants you so they give you an advance (loan). Then you make a record and use all that money which you owe back to them. If the record doesn't sell half a million nowadays, you often get canned. So lets see. You make a record and then you owe them money? Sounds a bit messed up. Now, I don't think it is fair for them to take all the artists' money, so my attitude is let them learn not to be so greedy and change the old ways. It's outdated and there is a better way.
As far as piracy goes, my perspective is that if you could download a track for 50-99 cents, I think this is fair. If all or most of the money went to the artists, I think it would be fair. This reality will soon be the new way. It is happening now. Soon the p2p will be full of music, some free and some you need to pay the artist for. I think it is fair to pay the artist as well as the person who funded the music in this way. I don't think it's fair for artists to make records, sell thousands and be starving while the CEOs are driving limos. I have sat in the rooms with the RIAA, the FBI and the people who are the kings of P2P. The reality is that no one is happy and we all want something that is fair for the public, for the artists and for the labels. But we all have to play nice which, when money is involved, isn't always easy. I got my record deal because of the Internet. The head of my label (www.emperorpenguinrecordings.com) is amazing. He is not normal and the label is all about supporting artists and not raping them. He found me because of mp3.com which is now gone thanks to Universal buying them and then shutting it down, which is sad. My label is all about the artists, and its head, Wyatt Perko, is supportive of anything that helps me. He is amazing and so is his label. They are very open and supportive.Music
- I've been reading a lot about the music industry and the deals they give to artist and it doesn't seem fair, no wonder the whole industry is crumbling. What's your take on that?
I feel change has to come and it is coming and no it isn't fair and now the artists don't need to deal with it or need it.
How's your record deal? Can you discuss that?
Amazing. My label is amazing. They are so cool and nice and care so much and let me have complete creative freedom and are not abandoning me:) I am working on my second record.
- Do you think what's happening with the music industry is good or bad for small record labels? Is it a good time to be independent?
It is the perfect time for a small label and it is a great time to be independent. It is the perfect time to be small because there is a new wave coming and if you catch it now, you can fly.
- Do you download music?
I am onto next level stuff so no I don't.
- Why didn't you audition for American Idol?
Because I am an artist, not a singer. And I refuse to be packaged by a bunch of people who only care about if I sell a million records. Not to mention the fact that I don't qualify because I did release a CD.
- What do you think of the whole American Idol phenomenon? Do you like pop music?
I like Depeche Mode and U2. I don't like a lot of the stuff out there at the moment. It's not real.
- Do you have formal musical education?
Some piano and voice lessons and that is all. I am learning more now than ever.
- Do you perform live? Do you have a band?
I will be with the next album. The band will be me, Sage and a bunch of computers.
- Tell us about Neverland and your pre nomination to the Grammies
Neverland was my debut solo album. I learned how to make music, making it so it is like me being in musical kindergarten. It got really good reviews and is becoming a cult classic. It is a bit off, a bit quirky, but it is real and from the soul. It has done well on the radio and in reviews as well as out of thousands, it got in the top few hundred CDs chosen by the Grammy people. Neverland is precious because it is my first creation. It is a very chill, mellow and emotional record.
- What equipment did you use to make Neverland?
Coffee, keyboards, a voice, Sonar, and several plug ins out of hundreds as well as Reason and Absynth.
- Who would you like to remix one of your tracks?
Paul Okenfold, Nick Warren, Goldie, Tricky
- Who would you like to direct one of your videos?
The person who does Bjork's. I cant remember his name. He also did stuff for Aphex Twins.Thats it
:)
Have a good day

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