Celebrity Access: Vanessa Amorosi

Completely retuned and revamped, Vanessa Amorosi is focused and inspired amidst the hype of her already successful new album, Somewhere in the Real World. Yvette at Bellaboo was able to sit down with Vanessa to chat about life, success and, of course, her hot new sound!

Congratulations on your first album! Your film clip is so different from what you have done previously, tell us about that!
It is completely different from what I have done and I think it had to be. It was set in the desert, and it was completely over-glammed and I was over-dressed for the part. My intention was to show that I was stripping away all the things that people, and young girls in particular, think is glamorous. I mean it's all great to dress-up but it's also cool to be casual. I know a lot of girls don't leave the house unless they have makeup on and that scares me.

I always struggled with trying to look perfect and be a certain way. I grew up trying to compete alongside Britney Spears, with the little mini skirts, crop tops and I became conscious with the whole taking your clothes off and miming thing. I have just always been strong since I was little to stay true to my music, and that is what I do. I make music that makes me feel content with myself. I mean, if I want to wear a dress I will, but I won't be told to wear it just to sell records. It is important for girls these days to know that if you want to wear revealing and flesh bearing things, that's fine but make sure you are wearing it for the right reasons!

What would you say to teen girls who do have a false sense of what they should be?
I think that they need to search for what it is about them that is attractive. For example, some of my girlfriends who cover up all the time are extremely beautiful not just for their looks but their personality, so I guess girls need to express themselves that way.

It is more your personality than anything and the older you get the more you realise that.you could be the best looking person but the biggest ice queen! If you are shy, embrace that and move forward to things that are more important in life and that is your health! If you're healthy you don't have much else to worry about!

Vanessa, you were voted by Bellaboo members as a role model so in terms of pressure what stresses you out?
Oh, there is always pressure to do things, there still is now! I mean if I was put up on those revealing mags like FHM I would feel pretty pressured. I don't think it is me and I don't think it should associate with my music.

Your new single Somewhere in the Real World, is doing great things already. What do you think about it so far?
It's awesome. I was actually so conscious about making the album about the now! The stories in the songs actually explain where I went and why I was down for a while. It sums up the majority of my life and that's what I was kinda hoping to do with the song, I just hope it connects well with my fans.

I hope that people can really embrace me and accept the songs on the album for what they are. I concentrated on making it count to everyday people, so they can rock out to them in their cars or just listen anytime. I hope they love it as much as I do!

You actually wrote so many songs in anticipation of this album, was it hundreds?
Yes, it was actually more like thousands that I wrote in a back catalogue. I have been working in the studio for many years now, so there was a lot of stuff to sort through and determine if it was right for me, which is where I am now as a person and an artist! I just always tell myself that hits and great songs are hard to come by.

Tell us about what you did while you sat back from performing and your last album?
Well, I actually had a lot of success overseas in Europe, so I went over there for about two years and did what I did here. I started touring with Joe Cocker, a rock legend and was stuck in that world for a long time. When I came home I got straight into doing what I started off doing before I began the first album. So I went into producing and writing songs for other people, really doing the whole behind the scenes gig. I started to really miss being on the stage and being apart of the vocals. I was always like "hey do you need a hand there? I will do some vocals for ya!". I suppose I had an itch, which was the whole reason I thought to myself, wow, I haven't said what I needed to say yet and I haven't completely done what I wanted to do, musically.

So you went into the new album I suppose organically?
Yes it really just came organically, I didn't want to be pushed into it. I wanted to be around the right people and the right team. Almost always, when you do have success there are a lot of clingers and fake people, who often don't bring you back down to earth and say "Oi, this is what's really going on, pull your head in!" I think back to my last album success as a kid and realise I needed the time to experience life.

I came to realise that what I was doing as a job was not a life. I mean, you can't meet people, you can't go out, you can't go and drink and you can't do what you would normally do as an everyday human being. Especially as you are scrutinised and analysed by the media to the point where you don't seem normal to people. People know you but you don't know them. So I guess, to be good lyrically you have to have life experiences to produce the music you do.

It must have been amazing to be touring and hanging out with Joe Cocker?
Oh, it was really amazing and so surreal. A lot of these people are people I loved listening to growing up. It feels too good to be true to meet them in real life. I have that perception with my fave artists as does everyone else. You think they're famous, they're going to be weird and mean and they aren't going to want to talk to you, but I really loved them.

I have come to realise that we are all human. If someone is nasty don't take it personally, you just need to put it down to their bad character!

What would you say about the reality of the music and entertainment industry?
Oh, I love this industry; I would not have come back if I didn't. I mean it is so addictive.

Do you write differently for yourself then you do for another artist?
No, it is basically the same, but it's just difficult to capture a magic. If the other artist doesn't like a song I find it hard to alter it to suit them, whilst still being true to my original emotion.

When I sit down with a writer I always ask things like; what are you about? What's been going on? What about your relationships? Where are you at the moment? So then I can make the lyric relate to them. There is no point singing a song you don't understand so ultimately I start it off how I would write it for myself.

Did you have a concept at the beginning of designing your album on what you wanted it to sound like?
I did have a concept; I just wanted a different tune as it is all about who I am now. As far as a song goes, you try and pick the sound that relates to people, it may be great to me but some people don't necessarily have to agree. So I give it all out to the people and have them say: yeah, love that bit and hate that! I tried to have other influences and fresh ears giving me feedback.

And you have said your manager relates to that?
Yes, definitely a reason why I wanted to be with Ralph as he is brutally honest and yet such a motivator. If I said to him I want to climb that mountain and someone said we couldn't do it, he'd be like "yes we are climbing that mountain, who wants to do it?" He is just so enthusiastic and there is nothing he can't do. I can call him and say, "We need to break down this brick wall", and man, he will charge it until it comes down! That is what I really needed at that time. I needed someone who would enable me to do the impossible. It was always a race between us; we challenged each other to do things better and quicker.

When playing him my music he gives me a completely different opinion. I suppose you can say he throws the spanner in the works.

Who do you look up to as a good role model?
Reese Witherspoon from Legally Blonde is absolutely awesome! She is a top chick and girls should really look up to her as well. I remember listening to an interview with her and she was saying that she hated when people refer to blondes as dumb. She said that she is highly intelligent and she was never going to dumb herself down to get opportunities. She said a lot of young girls come across as being flirtatious to get specific roles and that you don't have to do that shit! Reese Witherspoon as we can tell strives purely on talent and doesn't lower herself to gain respect. It teaches us all that if we have to, we should work twice as hard to reach our goals with dignity and flair.

What's next?
I am doing a tour in two months! For now though, I am concentrating on the album..