INTERVIEW: Amanda Marsh Conquering The World

Amanda Lynn Marsh is ready to conquer the music world-clothing world and the world of TV. A beautiful young woman with strong family values has a new country album out, has been chosen to represent Rock Your Fashion and has filmed a pilot of “Anywhere”; I would say she is on her way.

The debut album titled “Love is in the Details” is currently available online and select music stores across America. She took a few moments with me while in Nashville to introduce me to her family and her music and talk about all she has accomplished in such a short time.

Bev: Amanda you’ve had an exciting start to your career; let’s talk about who you are and how you got to this point.

Amanda: I’m from California, grew up on a farm there. I started singing when I was 5 years old and have been writing for about 5 years. I wrote my entire album with my brother we recorded it out of our home studio with some cool producers and very excited to get it out in front of the people and perform the music.

Bev: While at CMA Music Fest did you find it hard to attract people to your booth since you are a new artist? Did you find it sometimes overwhelming or hard to meet the new fans looking for the bigger names?

Amanda: It was overwhelming! Yeah, but I had lines and lines of people and those people were so nice. It was cool because I had a free download in country weekly so most of them brought the country weekly and many knew me from Myspace. I was shocked. I am very thankful.

Bev: Are you big into the facebook, myspace, twitter?

Amanda: Very big. I do it all. I have friends that I’ve met on myspace that drove to Nashville to meet with me and are part of the family now. It’s really awesome the people I’ve met because I’m just sitting on my farm in California and these people know me now!

Bev: What part of California are you from?

Amanda: Ventura Country.

Bev: You were performing all through your school year and being busy with the acting on TV as well, we’re you home schooled?

Amanda: No I wasn’t home schooled. I actually went to Oaks Christian High for High School, but my brother is home schooled because all this started to pick up in the last 5 years. He actually missed his graduation to join me at CMA Music Fest, but we had a chicken wake him up in the morning and give him his diploma at the Hotel. It was really funny.

Bev: What was your best experience during the music festival?

Amanda: Performing was a lot of fun, performing at Cadillac Ranch. I also got to see Wynona Judd, which was amazing. She was walking past me at the convention center greenroom. Simply meeting all the people and having them be so nice and welcoming.

Bev: Have you always been country?

Amanda: Yes, but its country meets Pop/Rock so it’s a little different.

Bev: With a little bit of both genres, do you find differences as far as meeting people in that certain genre?

Amanda: Everyone in Nashville is very nice and welcoming. Everyone is nice in California too, but I’m more at home here because of the country music. There is only one country bar in California that I know of.

Bev: Tell me a little bit about your personal life, hobbies and so forth. What do you enjoy doing?

Amanda: It’s funny because our entire family and our whole life is music. We record and write at our house, but I love to ride horses, wake board, fish and I like to shop of course.

Bev: If you could choose only one part of the whole recording process to do what part would you choose?

Amanda: I’d probably pick performing because I like to see everyone in the audience, but I love to write and I do love recording just to hear the end product.

Bev: Is it safe to say you like the live performance better than working in the studio?

Amanda: I’d have to say I enjoy them equally.

Bev: Do you do everything at home in your studio or do you utilize outside producers?

Amanda: The producers come to our home studio and we get drums and bass from other people, but we always do it out of our home.

Bev: Is there a reason you chose that way or did it just happen?

Amanda: My dad built the studio and we are very thankful because we get to be there all night every night and we take advantage of that.

Bev: Do you get to perform with your brother, or is it he’s his own and act and you having your act?

Amanda: We always perform together, he’ll play guitar for me and we have duets and we always write together.

Bev: Are you going to promote that as a duo?

Amanda: Yes, we are as a duo, but we also have our own separate projects.

Bev: Do you think that you’ll eventually go different directions?

Amanda: Yes probably, but we are in a new show we are both in called Anywhere by the director of Gossip Girl. We are both together on the road then eventually on the show we part.

Bev: Is it based on your story with your brother?

Amanda: Yes it kind of is, but it’s a drama. It’s not about my family, but we share the first names and he’s the rocker and I’m the country girl. I’m the sister and he’s the brother, but other than that it’s a script they wrote for our music and us. It’s very exciting.

Bev: When will we see this project?

Amanda: Right now it’s up on Youtube.com/anywhereweb. Hopefully be picked up by a television network soon.

Bev: Does that take away from your songwriting time?

Amanda: No, actually it helps because I am getting into someone else’s mindset being that character and their life experience. When my brother and I wrote “I Feel” we were in those mindsets. It helped a lot.

Bev: Did you do acting in school?

Amanda: Yes, I did musicals in High School and acting. I started acting when I was very little. I was in a movie with Reba. It was very cool.

Bev: When you were in school did you find that people treated you differently because of the acting and being an artist?

Amanda: I went to a private school so they were very supportive of it because of choir and the musicals.

Bev: Were there any other students that were in the business so that you weren’t the only one?

Amanda: One of my friends was on American Idol, so I wasn’t singled out.

Bev: What did you do in Nashville while you were in town for CMA fest?

Amanda: We had a booth at the convention center so we were busy meeting people and performed on the acoustic stage. I also got to ride in the parade, which was so fun.

Bev: When you write do you have a game plan? Are you someone who has a notebook that you constantly write in?

Amanda: I write in a bunch of different ways. I’ll get with my brother and sit with a piano and we’ll write together; or a producer will send me a track and I’ll write the lyrics and melody to it. I keep a diary and it can come out that way, or sometimes it just comes out.

Bev: Have you performed with a lot of other people?

Amanda: I won a Maverick Music Award and I got to open the show for that and I also performed with a couple other artists.

Bev: Have you been on stage with any big names yet?

Amanda: I sang with Slash for Rock Camp that we did in Las Vegas. “Sweet Child of Mine”.

Bev: Do you have a favorite way that you like to promote your music?

Amanda: I love talking to every one. I am all about meeting people and knowing them as friends.

Bev: When you choose songs, do you like to sing things that you either have experienced, or deeply connected to, or can you sing anything and make it sound real whether you have experienced it or not?

Amanda: Well everything I wrote I’ve experienced, but when you do cover songs I can totally get into that mindset and put it into my life and my relationships.

Bev: When you write it’s very personal?

Amanda: Yes

Bev: Do you ever feel that writing in that way is giving away too much of yourself?

Amanda: You know it’s sometimes it is. I’ll have a boyfriend, break up with him and I’ll write a song and then my mom or dad will be like, “oh” then they’ll really know what happened.

Bev: Have you ever have someone come back to you after the fact and say “why did you put that song out there about me”?

Amanda: Actually yes. My first love. I wrote a song for him and it was called “I Didn’t Miss You Anymore” and he was really hurt over it, but that’s just how it goes sometimes.

Bev: In your family there are three kids, mom and dad correct?

Amanda: Yes. Mom is the manager and they are the most supportive family and I’m so thankful to be in this family.

Bev: So tell me about the other siblings.

Amanda: Nick plays the bass and loves video games and getting in trouble at school. Lexie is the little princess who likes to be the center of attention. She likes to sing too.

Bev: Do you think she’ll pursue music as well?

Amanda: I think so. Whatever she wants to do, but its very much part of our life and our family.

Bev: Do you ever see a family, the whole thing, as she gets older to be like the Osmond’s or do something similar?

Amanda: That would be awesome. My sister would love to do that. We actually just went to her school and all three of us performed for her class. We did “Picture to Burn” and “Time to Breath” one of my songs.

Bev: As you went through the whole CMA Music Fest event, what was the one thing people asked you the most?

Amanda: I was asked “How did you start singing?” and “how did you get into the business”. A lot of people ask that.

Bev: What kind of advice did you give them?

Amanda: Just to never give up and always write and meet as many people as you can. Sing at open mics and play anywhere and everywhere. For every no there is a yes around the corner.

Bev: Have you had anyone in your life that’s been a big inspiration that’s given you advice?

Amanda: My producer Doc Little. My mom is the best mom in the world and my dad is a self-made man. H didn’t go to college and built a business. All are all huge inspirations to me.

Bev: Who is your dream duet partner or artist to perform with, write with?

Amanda: I’d love to do a duet with Taylor Swift. We just went to her concert. I’d love to work with Keith Urban.

Bev: Your album is out right now?

Amanda: Yes. It’s called “Love is in the Details”. It is a collaboration with a Rap artist, because I like to be a little different. We did Country, Rap, and Rock.

Bev: You are promoting it on myspace and such. Do you have any tour dates set up?

Amanda: We have a lot of shows in California and we are getting most of the tour dates set up now.

Bev: What is next?

Amanda: I want to meet as many people as I can, sing as much as I can, set up a tour, get it on the radio. Everything and anything.

Bev: As far as your acting, are you going to just sit with the TV thing for now? Or do you have ambitions to do both?

Amanda: I would love to do both. I would love once our show gets picked up that I could be a singer and an actress.

Bev: You also have something going on with a clothing line. Tell me about that.

Amanda: I am a Rock Your Fashion Artist. I teamed up with Lexi Johnson and I got to host for the Oscars. I was on the Red Carpet. Then I got to go to Las Vegas Fashion week and host for E! and do a lot of cool stuff.

Bev: How did you get hooked up with that?

Amanda: I think someone I knew sent my CD and they picked my brother and me.

Bev: Now they obviously send you clothes. Do you get to pick out your clothes or they just send you what they pick out?

Amanda: Usually whatever they pick out, but I just got a dress made by Cowgirl Heaven and I get to be in her Runway Fashion Show in Beverly Hills California.

Bev: Do you get to pick your hairstyle or do they do it?

Amanda: I usually do it myself.

Bev: What has been one of the most fun things in your career so far?

Amanda: Absolutely the CMA Music Festival. It has been the most amazing time in my life.

Bev: Amanda, I have enjoyed this very much and look forward to seeing you again. I wish you all the success in the world, but it sounds as though you have a pretty good grip on it.

Amanda: Thank you so much I appreciate it very much.

For more information on Amanda visit www.myspace.com/amandamarshmusic