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Exclusive Interview with Ann-Marita

About Ann-Marita

  • Interview date: July 18, 2011

  • Country: Norway/Sweden/USA/Australia

Why country music ?
~ Growing up, I lived in a little valley squeezed in between the tall Norwegian mountains. No radio signal could really get there, so my options for what music I could listen to were limited. My Dad had a bunch of country music tapes and albums, so I would play those over and over.
Needless to say, it had an effect.

If everything would be possible (waking the dead included) , which two people should sing the ultimate country duet?
~ Ooooh, tough one…! This may sound like an odd coupling, but I think Patsy Cline and Chris Isaak would do an awesome country/blues sultry duet.

What song you ever recorded means the most to you and why?
~ So far, probably "Company Town" off my "Intuition"-album. It’s a song I wrote about my home town in Northern Norway, where the only employment was the mining industry, which was shut down in the late 80’s.
It was a tough place to grow up in a lot of ways, but every summer the hotel in town would book a foreign cover band to come and be the house band for a month, and for that amount of time, there would be partying and dancing and everyone seemed happy…! These bands were the first professional musicians I ever knew, and I wanted to do what they did.

Who would you like to write a song for you?
~ Can I still choose someone alive or dead? If dead, Roger Miller! No question about it. He was brilliant, and way ahead of his time.
Alive? I would say Matraca Berg. She’s got that quirky, witty touch that I absolutely love in contemporary country songwriting.

Whisky wine beer or water?
~ On a daily basis: water! But I love wine. Whiskey and beer too, it just depends on my mood!

What is the question interviewers never asked you while you were always hoping they would. (and give us your answer)?
~Ooooh…who’s my favorite Backstreet Boy? No, just kidding. And definitely not "Who would you say your music sounds like?"! Maybe I’ll steal something from James Lipton’s "Inside the Actor’s Studio": "What
turns you off the most?" Then I will quote John Hurt and say: "Lack of perception."

Describe the ultimate recording studio (not the technique but the facilities)
~ The dream would be a full recording studio in a cabin in a remote mountain location, with fabulous views and complete serenity for at least a week to just record, sleep, go for walks and stay centered and focused. No stress about staying under budget, just live the music and make the best damn album ever.

Johnny or June ?
~ I’ve actually toured a bit as June Carter in a Johnny Cash tribute act, so I’m partial there, but I grew up on Johnny Cash music. I got to see the two of them together live in Washington D.C. when I was seventeen, — at a poetry convention where I had made it to the finals in a poetry contest, of all things! — and I’ll never forget it. The man had such an amazing aura about him, he didn’t have to prove nothing to nobody. I’ll have to say Johnny.

Give us your top 3 country songs ever.
~ Johnny Cash "A Boy Named Sue", Patsy Cline — or Willie Nelson — "Crazy", and hmmm….this is hard. On a Dolly Parton album I had when I was a kid was a song called "Appalachian Memories". I learned it by heart and sang it all day long. When I recently saw Dolly live at the Hollywood Bowl, she sang it — now it was instead titled "Smoky Mountain Memories" — and it made me bawl. That would have to be the third song.

We love to bring our readers exclusive scoops, so what would you like to share with us ?
~ There’s a lot of stuff up in the air right now, a lot of really cool things to be confirmed in the coming weeks for my promotional tour for the upcoming album. I can’t give any specifics at the moment without getting myself in trouble, but there will be some really awesome shows coming up. In the meantime, there will be a brand new single coming out with the rock band I’m part of; The McGrath Project, called "Tarantino Girl". It’s very different from my country music, but it shows a different side of me, so please check it out. My solo album release will be announced soon!

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