Stacie
Orrico never asked to be a star. Stardom, with all its glittering promises,
found her. She was discovered at 12, released a gold-selling debut album at 14,
and travelled the globe to support her internationally best-selling follow-up at
17. By the age of 18, Stacie had sold more than 3.4 million albums worldwide.
After the huge success of her last album, Stacie took some time to reflect with her friends and family to decide what she wanted to do next and in the mean time live a life away from the music industry and its obligations. That being said, she is now back and stronger than ever with an album of well written and produced R&B/pop tracks that anyone can relate to. Her lyrical and music content has definitely matured and her experiences of growing up has helped to achieve that. I met with Stacie, one on one, at a hotel in Kensington, the sun was shining and you could tell that she was relaxed and happy to have an in depth conversation about beautiful awakenings, relationships and her personal development.
What did your time out of the spotlight teach you?
I've learned so much, I think some of the biggest things have just been the value of who I am as an individual outside my career. I've lived so long with the music industry defining me because that's where I've grown up. Being able to take time away to rebuild my foundation with my family and friends has been so valuable so now it affects my music, the content of my music, the way I interact with people, it feels very different. My best friend and I worked in a fish and chip shop. It was so great to have a job to interact with people in a different setting to the music industry.
How do you think taking time out has inspired your new album?
It's allowed me to create music out of freedom and expression of what I've been going through rather than it being an obligation and 10 people standing over my shoulder telling me to make a record. It's affected the style of the music so much; it's much more organic and mellow.
What kind of people are you trying to reach out to with the new tracks?
I think the beautiful thing about music is that it crosses so many boundaries. People ask me if this record is for Christians or not due to my Christian radio background but my record is for anyone who gets it. I hope that Christians, atheists, Buddhists, black people, white people, Mexican people, Asian people and your mom likes and buys the record. I always usually write from my own personal experiences and I think you can hear the development of that and I think my music will always relate to people.
How has being Christian influenced your music?
It affects my music so deeply and I feel like people can’t even understand the depth of that. A lot of people see it as that it’s a title I put on myself and gave me the ability to sign to a Christian label. My faith and relationship with God completely affects everything from the bottom up and He’s the reason why I’m here and what I’ve been created for. It’s what inspires me and leads me to want to do things the way I do them in my career; it’s the foundation of my life.
How do you feel being a role model for so many young girls out there?
It’s a huge responsibility but one that I enjoy although I’m not always gonna do things perfectly I would hope that I don’t abuse the position. It’s amazing to be in a position where I can raise awareness and set a new trend…it’s an honour and something that I take very seriously.
Do you think that there is less focus on the music and more on how the artist looks these days?
One of my biggest goals on this record was to make a record where it’s just about the music. It’s such a crazy thing because today you have to have your celebrity boyfriend and reality show and be out partying with Paris Hilton, but I really don’t. I love to go out and have fun with my friends not a bunch of strangers to look cool next to. It doesn’t add credibility at all, it just adds chaos to what you’re doing.
What’s the idea behind the title Beautiful Awakening, what have you been awakened to?
It’s kind of just waking up to a brand new day and being able to communicate hope and fresh starts. There was a time when I felt I was at the end of my rope and didn’t know whether I would be able to come back and do this again or really enjoy it and be happy. For every dark night you have to walk through there’s another dawn and sunny afternoon. You appreciate the bright times so much more when you’ve been through the bad times because you see the value of that which is a beautiful awakening.
Do you think it’s important for an artist to write their own lyrics and have creative control?
If someone has something creative to say and do then they definitely should. There are a lot of artists who would love to be involved but they don’t really have any vision for what they’re doing. For me it’s so valuable because as much as I feel like I’m passionate about singing and music I feel like I want to tell stories and communicate with people. If I wasn’t a part of the writing I don’t know how I would be able to communicate something that would be honest. I have sung songs in the past that I didn’t write and it’s hard to talk about them and express what was in your mind when you sung it when it wasn’t written by you.
What made you write I’m Not Missing You, is it about anyone in particular?
Yeah it is it’s about a relationship that I was in. What makes that song unique is that it is a break up song but it’s not negative it’s the positive side of breaking up. I think a lot of times you’ll break up with somebody and still hold on and think, “Oh my gosh I’m so used to talking to him will that habit ever go away, will I ever be able to listen to the radio and not think about him?.” It’s kind of amazing when you wake up one day and realise you’re over it. It’s a really freeing, liberating thing that I wanted to sing about.
Now that you’re back on the scene do you think you’ll have time for relationships?
I think if the right guy comes along then you always have time for relationships, I always have time for the people I love and care about. It’s one thing that I’ve learned that’s really important to me. At the moment I’m not dating anybody and I don’t feel the need to date casually to keep myself entertained. I have plenty of other stuff going on so if I am going to put my time and energy into a relationship it’s gonna be someone really special.
Would you rather perform live or record in the studio?
They are two totally different things. I love being in the studio and stripped down performances with the acoustics where it feels like I'm a singer in a night club, those are my favourites. I love the stadiums too but it's not the same I like the more intimate performances. I never get nervous before going on stage because I've been performing since I was 5 years old; it seems like the most natural place for me to be.
If you could work with anyone in the world who would it be?
I would wanna do something with Louis Armstrong his singing and trumpet playing and whole demeanour was so enchanting to me. He did this duets record with Ella Fitzgerald which was so cool, I think it would be a jazz record.
If you could have written any song in the world which one would it be?
I would have loved to have written the Lauryn Hill song, Ex-Factor, I think that's the greatest song. There's also another song which she does with Bob Marley called Turn the Lights Down Low. If I wrote that song I would be the proudest person ever!
What's the best thing about being famous?
Probably just the fact that you're given the opportunity to try so many different things like in the last 2 weeks I was in Germany while the soccer was going on so I was part of all that, then in Amsterdam I'm working there but still get to take boat trips along the canal. I get to try different foods and stay in different environments which are things I really like.
You're a couple of years older than me, what would you say to someone my age who wants to become a singer?
There are so many artists and people who have musical talent but very few who have something that sets them apart so whether it's something in your content or style or in the vision that you have just really find yourself before you put all your energy trying to get a record deal.
The single I'm Not Missing You released 21st August
The album Beautiful Awakening released 28th August
http://www.stacieorrico.com
www.myspace.com/stacieorrico
By Rashmi Shastri - Jul 2006