{"id":3211,"date":"2010-09-07T23:15:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-07T23:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/?p=3211"},"modified":"2025-05-07T23:19:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T23:19:47","slug":"corinne-puts-her-record-on-and-lets-her-hair-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/2010\/09\/07\/corinne-puts-her-record-on-and-lets-her-hair-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Corinne Puts Her Record On and Lets Her Hair Down"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Corinne Bailey Rae \u2013 The \u201cLive from the Artists Den\u201d Interview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corinne Jacqueline Bailey was born in Leeds, England on February 26, 1979, the eldest of three girls to bless the union of her British mother and Caribbean father from St. Kitts. As a child, she studied classical violin at school, and only sang in the church choir, until she formed an all-female rock band at the age of 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corrine went on to major in English at the University of Leeds, and after graduating in 2000, took a job as a hat check girl at a local jazz club. It was there, while sitting in with various bands that she developed the sultry, soulful vocal style which would become her trademark. It was also at the pub that she met saxophonist Jason Rae, the love whose last name she would take when they married the very next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2006, she released her self-titled debut CD containing such hits as \u201cLike a Star\u201d and \u201cPut Your Records On\u201d to rave reviews, earning Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year (\u201cPut Your Records On\u201d) and Best New Artist. Sadly, tragedy struck a couple years later, when her husband passed away unexpectedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A period of withdrawal from the public eye to grieve ended when Corinne reemerged in 2010 upon the release of her second album, \u201cThe Sea,\u201d a relatively-sober CD in comparison to the light and breezy collection of melodies on her initial offering. Recently, she reflected with me about her life and her career, in celebration of her PBS special, \u201cLive from the Artists Den,\u201d a concert recorded at the Hiro Ballroom in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(See http:\/\/www.theartistsden.com\/episodes\/baileyrae.shtml<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kam Williams:<\/strong> Thanks so much for the time, Corinne. I\u2019m honored to be speaking with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corinne Bailey Rae:<\/strong> Thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Did you have fun shooting the \u201cLive from the Artists Den\u201d concert in New York?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> I really enjoyed recording it, yeah. I had great time in front of a really appreciative audience. The way that it was recorded was really unobtrusive, so we really kind of got lost in the moment. So, yeah, I loved it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Do you have a special affinity for New York?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Yes, New York was definitely one of the first gigs we did in America. And that was also my first chance to get to New York. So, the first time I ever saw it I was playing there. It\u2019s all tied up for me, playing in America for the first time, being in New York, experiencing this different culture, and finding this cool place to hang out. So, I always love coming back to New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Children\u2019s book author Irene Smalls asks, \u201cWho were your musical influences?\u201d Let me guess, Billie Holiday and Al Green. You remind me of a combination of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Wow! I definitely love Al Green\u2019s singing, how vulnerable and delicate it is, and how there\u2019s a lot of texture to his voice. And similarly, Billie Holiday has a great deal of texture in his voice. She was an amazing find for me at 11 or 12 when me mum started playing her records for me. I remember being a little annoyed that I hadn\u2019t discovered her voice before, because I always had so much texture in my voice, and always loved singing, but never really considered myself a singer because of that croakiness which I\u2019d never heard in another singer. So, I was always trying to get rid of that croakiness. Then, Billie Holiday arrived like a real lightning bolt letting me know that there was a place for me. In fact, there\u2019d been a place for me all along. And later I appreciated singers like Bjork, who was really special to me, and Macy Gray and Erykah Badu. They were all influences in the sense that they give you more confidence in your abilities. I also love Sly and the Family Stone and Jimi Hendrix. Jimi singing\u2019s so casual, and his phrases amaze me. And when I was a teenager, I loved Nirvana\u2019s kind of homemade music, and Belly and the female indie scene. It was amazing to me how their songs could be dainty and small, yet still have value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> When you say \u201chomemade\u201d music, it makes me think of your Grammy-nominated debut album, a masterpiece which you managed to make on a shoestring budget. How did you achieve that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Wow! Thank you very much. I guess we worked on it a lot, did a lot of the playing ourselves, did a lot of layering, and we called in a lot of favors. For instance, we\u2019d ask a friend to come over and play bass on a few songs. And we couldn\u2019t afford drummers, so we began trolling for different drums sounds, and we kind of intricately pieced them together. So, it was really time consuming, but in a way it was good because you had a great deal of control over what was happening in all the different sections. Yeah, if you have the time to make a record like that, I think it\u2019s a good way to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> By contrast, I found it interesting to hear you on stage say that you sort oof just found yourself singing the songs that you put on your new album, \u201cThe Sea,\u201d that that\u2019s how they came to you, rather than by composing them in a conventional manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Yeah, it was weird. I felt with this record I wanted to work on my own. I was sort of making it up, as I went along. I wasn\u2019t trying so hard. When I was playing the chords, I was just kind of singing things out, sometimes recording it, but sometimes not, and just singing along. And it\u2019s the stuff that stuck that I felt the song was meant to be. Other times, I\u2019d be walking around the house singing something new, and say to myself, \u201cNow, what was that?\u201d And it eventually ended up on the album. I think because other people weren\u2019t involved, it was a much less conscious process. It was just me in a room playing my guitar, and with all this stuff coming out\u2026 trying to sing words without thinking about what they meant or putting a filter on them. That was really an important part of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> That\u2019s funny, because the first album sounded so effortless, while the new one has so much emotional depth, I would have guessed that the second was the result of a more work-intensive process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Yeah, when you write breezy melodies, you really have to think about it. I love melodic music, but it\u2019s definitely more of an effort for me. It\u2019s a skill I\u2019d like to develop further, maybe for my next record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Larry Greenberg says, \u201cI am completely mesmerized by the beauty of your new album. I know you studied the violin but you don\u2019t play it anymore. Is there any chance I might get to hear you play the violin in the future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> It\u2019s a hard instrument, especially to get the intonation right, if you haven\u2019t played it in a long time. It\u2019s a completely different discipline, but yeah, I would love one day to mess about, sit and write some string parts and sort of layer them up. And if my playing were good enough, I would be really happy to play violin on a record. But I haven\u2019t played for so long, I don\u2019t know how good I would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> What age were you when you studied violin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> I started when I was about 6, and I studied it until I was 16. I played in youth orchestras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Were you good at it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Maybe the first 5 years or so I was really good for my age, and stood out. But then it started too catch up with me, and I started to struggle, because I never could afford private lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Larry also mentioned that you were on tour in August with Norah Jones. He wants to know what\u2019s your favorite flavor of Chex Mix, because Norah sang a song about that cereal.\u2028CBR: I like Frosties. We don\u2019t have Chex Mix in England. We have Frosties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Yale Grad Tommy Russell asks, \u201cDo you think the music industry suffered an irreparable period from Napster and other online downloading sites, and from the music industry\u2019s obsession with appearance over substance, or do you think there\u2019s hope for hearing more and more creative musicians like yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> I think the industry really suffered from music being available online because it made young people feel, \u201cwhy should you pay for music, if it\u2019s so readily available for free?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks, \u201cDo you prefer performing in a large stadium or in front of a small audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR<\/strong>: I guess I\u2019ve played a few massive gigs, and they\u2019re a thrill if they go well. But I mostly prefer to play more intimate venues where you can see everyone and everyone can see you. I recently did a concert in Switzerland, where they actually had a couple of huge screens on either side of the stage. It was strange, because when you look out into the audience, no one\u2019s looking at you. Everyone\u2019s looking to the far left or to the far right. I found it quite disconcerting. So, I much prefer when everyone can see me and vice-versa, up to 3,000 or 4,000 people. After that, it gets too big.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Nothing springs to mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Yeah, we were driving back from a festival on a tour bus the other day, when we felt this sort of really hard brake, and we all sort of slid down in our bunks to the bottom. Things like that are scary, that brief moment when you think, \u201cOh no, we\u2019re in a car crash.\u201d It was a relief to be able to escape safely. But things like that which are out of your control can be shocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> That\u2019s a very good question, actually. It\u2019s kind of sad that I can\u2019t remember when. I haven\u2019t a real, proper abandoned laughing fit for a while. Yeah, I haven\u2019t fallen out laughing on the floor for ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> When you look in the mirror, what do you see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> I always think it\u2019s weird when you see yourself in mirrors. I try not to look in mirrors. I think people can overanalyze how they look. When I do look in the mirror, I feel like I didn\u2019t think I looked like that. I don\u2019t like looking at myself so much. I\u2019m not one of those people who poses in front of the mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> My earliest childhood memory is of a really hot morning when I was about 3. I was living with my parents in this fifth-floor flat where one of the walls was all windows. The sun was just beating in, and I remember a friend coming around, and he brought me a box-toy present in a plastic bag. Out of it came a stuffed penguin. It always stuck with me, so I must have liked the penguin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> You\u2019re from Leeds. Also from your hometown is Mel B of the Spice Girls. Have you ever met her?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> I\u2019ve never met her. But I have met her sister, Danielle a few times, because she attended the same acting school as my sister, Rhea Bailey, who is also an actress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> \u201cThe History of White People\u201d by Nell Irvin Painter. It\u2019s a really, really interesting book which goes through history examining where this idea of different people came from. http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0393049345?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0393049345<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> I\u2019ve interviewed Nell. She used to teach here in Princeton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Really. I\u2019d like to meet her. I also recently read \u201cThe Long Song,\u201d a novel by a British writer name Andrea Levy. It\u2019s sort of a fictionalized slave narrative. http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0374192170?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0374192170<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The music maven Heather Covington question: What music are you listening to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> I\u2019m listening to Erykah Badu\u2019s new record. I really like that. We went to a listening party for that, and I just love it. I\u2019ve got it on vinyl, which is a real pain, because we\u2019re sort of in and out of airports, and I have to pack it in my suitcase. http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B003597ORA?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003597ORA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also listen Fresh, the Young Natives, and to an American singer named John Grant,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> What is your favorite dish to cook?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> I like to cook stews and things, dishes where the heat does all the work. So, it\u2019s just like chopping and flaving. Veggie chili would be my favorite thing to cook because it\u2019s really great but not much work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> I really like Stella McCartney, and what Marc Jacobs is doing. It would be like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Lanvin, Stella and Miu-Miu. She\u2019s always got great ideas that are really fun, really cool, and really different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> For increased tolerance of individuality among people. It\u2019s all of our world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> The Tavis Smiley question: What do you want your legacy to be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Professionally, writing good songs. Personally, I\u2019m not sure yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KW:<\/strong> Corinne, thanks again for the interview, and best of luck with the album and the tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBR:<\/strong> Oh, thank you very much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To see Corinne Bailey Rae perform several songs on \u201cLive from the Artists Den,\u201d visit: http:\/\/www.hulu.com\/watch\/123035\/live-from-the-artists-den-corinne-bailey-rae#s-p2-sr-i0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corinne\u2019s and other stars\u2019 \u201cLive from the Artists Den\u201d episodes continue to air weekly on public television. Check local listings or HYPERLINK \u201chttp:\/\/www.wnet.org\/artistsden<\/a>\u201d \\t \u201c_blank\u201d wnet.org\/artistsden<\/a> for the schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To order a copy of Corinne\u2019s debut album, \u201cCorinne Bailey Rae,\u201d visit: http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B000HBK3MM?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000HBK3MM<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To order a copy of Corinne\u2019s new album, \u201cThe Sea,\u201d visit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B002X78CB2?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002X78CB2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To see a video of Corinne singing \u201cPut Your Records On,\u201d visit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IkBXJ7sprIs&feature=fvw<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corrine Bailey Rae\u2019s Upcoming Shows: http:\/\/events.myspace.com\/40238419\/Events\/1<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Corinne Bailey Rae \u2013 The \u201cLive from the Artists Den\u201d Interview Corinne Jacqueline Bailey was born in Leeds, England on February 26, 1979, the eldest of three girls to bless the union of her British mother and Caribbean father from St. Kitts. As a child, she studied classical violin at school, and only sang in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[2195,2196,2197],"class_list":["post-3211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-corinne-bailey-rae","tag-grammy-nomination","tag-university-of-leeds","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3211"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3212,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211\/revisions\/3212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}