Irish Times Interview (May 7, 2014)

Out on the road, the audiences bring so much energy to it, and then that energy gets put into other thoughts and ideas. So it’s a continuous thing, almost like how the solar system exists. It’s a rotational creative life, if that makes any sense; they all send off light and energy to each other.

In the run-up to Tori’s two nights at The Olympia in Dublin, the Irish Times’ Lauren Murphy chats with Tori about the crucible in which the songs on Unrepentant Geraldines were forged, Cezanne’s influence on her work, the impact of turning 50, and the reality of the music industry for people just starting out.

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Huffington Post Interview (May 5, 2014)

We all have egos, there’s a place for that, but it’s understanding that it’s human but it can’t be driving the car. This takes conversations. It takes discipline. But if we talk about some of the master painters, they were devoted to their art. It doesn’t mean they weren’t competitive. Am I competitive? You bet your sweet ass I am! But competitive against what? Not necessarily against another female artist — not now. Not at my age. I want to be in a place of compassion. No one can take anything from anyone else. I’ll give it away!

The ever-insightful Noah Michelson interviewed Tori for The Huffington Post and, as is often the case when he talks with her, all sorts of unexpected and delightful conversation spills forth.

In this case, starting from a question about Taylor Swift with respect to Sady Doyle’s Buzzfeed piece about Tori’s place in musical history, the discussion moves on to intention in art, the responsibility of being an idol, egos and legacies, the seduction of fame, and…menopause. Not a bad trajectory at all! They also touch on some of the talking points from more conventional interviews, such as The Light Princess cast recording, but with a noticeably different and refreshing tone.

Definitely required reading! Thanks to Jennifer for the tip!

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Radio.com Interview (May 5, 2014)

While Tori spilled the beans about the production of the The Light Princess’ original cast recording on Fubar Radio back in April and added more details of its status and the hope for bringing it to the States sometimes in future on Soundcheck last week, she opened up more about on-going life of the project in an interview with Radio.com.

The interview addresses everything from the the production process — the album is being recorded and produced her her crew during the tour — to the dream of bringing the musical to Broadway to the hope of some fans to hear Tori’s take on the songs from the musical. She also ruminates on the freedom the National Theatre proffered and encouraged during the development of the production.

Definitely a good read — many thanks to Butch for bringing it to our attention!

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All The Things We Meant To Post Last Weekend

Last weekend, a number of new interviews, reviews and radio appearances all came and went. Unfortunately, all three of us were unable to work on the site at the time and none of them were posted — although we did manage to keep our Twitter and Facebook up-to-date, thanks to those fancy smartphones we all pay so dearly for. Adding insult to injury, between the day jobs and keeping up with the redhead in New York City this past week, none of that stuff made it up either.

We will get it all posted but here’s a quick rundown to make sure none of you missed anything before the tour starts tomorrow! (!!!)

Radio

• Andy Potter interview on BBC Radio Derby (April 24, 2014). Episode no longer available on iPlayer but a clip is available for UK listeners.
• Laura Rawlings interview on BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Somerset. Episode no longer available on iPlayer but a clip is available for all listeners.

Interviews

• A Heart Is A Spade (April 25, 2014)
• The Independent (April 25, 2014) (Also, don’t miss these out-takes from the photo shoot from which the photo in The Independent is taken.)
• The Age (April 26, 2014)
• Metro (April 28, 2014)
• JustMusic.fr (English translation via Google)

Unrepentant Geraldines Reviews

• Trebuchet Magazine
• Hot Press

Evening Standard Magazine Interview (May 2, 2014)

Before heading off to New York City earlier this week, Tori chatted about London to Sam Fishwick for The London Evening Standard. The results appeared in this weekend’s ES Magazine and were posted on the web yesterday. Not a lot of pull quotes so just dive right in!

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IOL Interview (March 26, 2014)

It’s the first record I have done in a few years without an orchestra. I have written the songs over a few years and explored different styles of music. For the past few years I have worked with masses of people. With this album I wrote the songs in secret. It’s not a diary of my life, as that wouldn’t make sense. It’s sort of snapshots of my life.

While the South African leg of the Unrepentant Geraldines tour is several months out, South Africa’s Independent Online brings us a new interview with fresh comments about the forthcoming record, as well as some thoughts on returning to South Africa to perform live.

Saying that she was inspired by a drawing of a repentant Magdalena, she described the album as a collection of secret songs that are snapshots of her life and individual stories, each with their own sound. She also added a little insight about the way in which the recording was done before touching on her thoughts about South Africa. Finally, of great interest to many: she states that the shows will change from night to night and because she is playing alone. While she may be referring to just the South African shows in her response, this does seem to point to this tour being a solo outing!

Thanks to mike h for the link!

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Daily Mail Interview (January 4, 2014)

[My biggest achievement is] getting big boy record executives to see the piano wasn’t just for piano bars or for playing classical music or jazz standards.

With one month left for The Light Princess’ run at The National Theatre, Tori’s keeping herself in the news with this quirky little interview in this weekend’s Daily Mail where she fields a series of oddball questions about herself ranging from best and worst character traits to secrets to biggest regrets.

Thanks to @ToriAmosJP for bringing it to our attention!

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Time Out London Interview (September 17, 2013)

I realised that I had become something that when I was five years old I would never have believed I could become. I went to a friend’s house and played the piano and felt as if I’d completely lost my soul. And so, in that moment I made a commitment to music and art and I would never compromise that never. Not for musical theatre, not for anything, not for anyone. Nobody.

Time Out London, which recently declare The Light Princess the top theatre prospect for the coming season, featured this interview in this week’s edition of the free weekly. In it, Tori and Jonny Ensall discuss the musical and her work on it and link it back to parenting and musical integrity.

The feature also includes three new, lovely photographs by Jean Goldsmith. One adorns this post — check out the other two in the article on Time Out London’s website.

Thanks to tom and mkgtweety for the link!

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The Observer Interview (September 14, 2013)

I will say women have sexualised themselves and made great art, which they may get flak for, but it’s powerful. But if you sexualise yourself and you’re not making art, you are just sexualising yourself. Everyone’s embarrassed. It’s not very good, is it? You’re just pooping on yourself.

Tim Teeman interviewed Tori for The Observer and while the piece is certainly a result of the upcoming opening for The Light Princess, he asked about quite a few other topics as well including her upbringing, her family life, reaching the 50 year milestone, and her next record and tour.

Thanks to @substandardnerd, Mario and mkgtweety for the link!

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Early Light Princess Press

The Light Princess is just under a month away, with preview performances starting on September 25th and the press night on October 9th. Unsurprisingly, the media has taken note and articles about the production are starting to appear both on the web and on the printed page.

The Independent profiled the musical and, while offering no new details, it was good to see word spread. However, if you are looking for more meaty material to chew on while waiting, check out Alex Ramon’s interview with playwright Samuel Adamson that appeared on Ramon’s Boycotting Trends blog and this article in the London Evening Standard.

If you’re at all looking forward to this production, both reads will wet the whistle — and if you aren’t, take consolation in the mention at the end of the Evening standard article that Tori’s next project is a new record.