Jenny Beck - INTERVIEW

Visit Jenny Beck's Website: www.jennybeck.co.uk

MUZN: How do you approach songwriting and What influences you? Do you have a visual image in your mind as the song is composed, or does that come afterwards as a result of the song?

JENNY BECK: For me it's very much a mood thing. I have always used songwriting as a way to get thoughts and feelings out of my system. I never plan to write a song, but every time I pick the guitar up and strum some chords I usually get a song idea in my head. I don't play that often, but when I do I always seem to write a song. I have to be in a certain mood though. I can't be asked to write. I have to really feel inspired and creative and that only happens every ones in a while....especially after watching a concert, reading a book or buying a new CD. I never think at all when I write a song. The melody just comes as I strum the chords and then the words just seem to come naturally...I sometimes write a melody to one of my poems, but that doesn't happen very often. Usually melody and lyrics seem to come to me at the same time, without me really planning what to write about. It's all about state of mind and what you're feeling that very moment. I always write about personal experiences, dreams and feelings. There's always a big part of me in each song. What's good about it though is that most people, at some point in their life, seem to be able to relate to what I'm writing about. I like that. When a song invokes a reaction in someone you feel good, cause it feels as though you've somewhat got your message out and you've reached someone.
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MUZN: What's your philosophy on music today?

JENNY BECK: I think it's become too much about money. It's all become very superficial and shallow. Like, you have to be flawless and perfect...it seems to be much more about your looks, "Pop Star" potential and image than the actual music. That saddens me. For me music has always been "soul candy"...a universal language that everyone understands. In the early days of music it was a lot more about feeling and actual message in your songs than now. Look at all the brilliant Sixties & Seventies artists and bands, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell. Nowadays you get away with repeating the same old lyric line over and over and lyrics aren't as important as they used to be. I mean, I would never write a song with the lyric line "Touch my bum" for instance...(Not artists mentioned ;-)). That, to me is utter rubbish, and yet they make thousands of pounds and people actually buy their records! There's absolutely no soul or feeling in there whatsoever and I'm really disappointed that manufactured bands and artists get a chance before real musicians do. There are so many great musicians and songwriters out there that will never get the chance to prove what they're made of. I personally think, and I know I'm not alone, that the music business is totally messed up at the moment. I'm waiting for the day when people stop buying the crap media throws at us right now and they'll start asking for real, original music and artists. Surely the "Pop Idol" and Fame Academy" craze can only last so long before people start to realize they're missing something.
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MUZN: Tell us about you, when did you begin writing songs ?

JENNY BECK: I have always made up songs. It started very early. Mum would put me on her push bike after picking me up from kindergarten in Sweden and as soon as she'd start pedaling I would start making songs up...mostly about princes and princesses :-), but as I grew older I started to listen to and study the lyrics to the songs I grew up listening to, The Beatles (I used to dance to The Beatles records as a one year old!), The Rolling Stones, Beach Boys (Bet it sound like I am really old (I'm only 25), but the reason I grew up listening to the Sixties bands was because both my parents very crazy about that kind of music) and that developed my lyric writing skills immensely. I wrote my first actual songs at the age of eleven, inspired by my first ever record purchases. I used to like Simply Red, at least their early stuff and I used to play along to their records and study their music along with The Beatles music to try to learn how to write a song. I have only been a songwriter on a serious level and full-time for about two years however. I could never really take my own songwriting serious at first. I thought everything sounded very silly and corny. It's just recently that I've come to terms with it and have realized people actually like my songs and lyrics. The earliest song I can actually remember was a song I wrote at the age of fifteen....a very confusing age. I guess I, instead of partying like most of my friends at that time, found that putting pen to paper and writing songs made adolescent a little bit easier...instead of bottling up all your emotions and thoughts you could actually make people listen and understand you through your music. I lived by the motto: "They won't listen when I talk, perhaps they'll listen when I sing". Music and songwriting became my language of choice from that day on.
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MUZN: What's your long-term goal?

JENNY BECK: I am, like most songwriters I reckon, hoping to be able to live off my music solely and that I will be given the chance to prove what I can do and to work hard on my music. My dream is to write, record and produce my own music full-time for the rest of my life. Life's too short to be doing things that make you miserable and this is all I want to do. It makes me happy. It's what gets me out of bed in the morning. I would like to record an album and find a someone as dedicated and willing to work hard as I am and then really concentrate on my music and the people who like it. I want to take my music places...travel, meet lots of new and interesting people, see different cultures and interact with people who's got the same passion in life as me.
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MUZN: How did you get into music?

JENNY BECK: I was never out of music :-). I was born into a music loving family. My Mum used to play the piano, as did my Nan, and my Dad used to play the guitar and the clarinet. My parents grew up in the "Swinging Sixties" and were kind of hippes and mods during their youth. I was literally fed with Sixties music from day one :-). My family has always been musical and both my parents have always encouraged my musical interest and creativity. I have happy memories of Mum dancing around the kitchen, listening to Sixties music and from when Dad used to let me look through his LP collection and he used to play his all time favorite music. I was encouraged to start playing the flute at the age of seven and took up guitar playing at fifteen when my brother got tired of taking guitar lessons. My granddad used to dislike modern music a lot. He'd only listen to classical music. I grew up with that too since I used to spend all my summer holidays at my grandparent's house. Granddad would teach me about classical music. That's also been a big influence and I think in some of my songs you can probably tell.
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MUZN: How long have you been performing?

JENNY BECK: All my life, more of less, but it's just recently that I have done the real venue thing and not only the lounge floor in front of family and friends :-). I don't do a lot of performances since I am and have been concentrating on writing and recording a lot. I dedicate most of my time to that. I did two showcase performances in London in July. One at the West One Four Club and one at the prestigious The Troubadour. They are two brilliant venues for original artists and I had loads of fun doing the gigs. It's definitely something I enjoy doing and I am looking to do a small promotional tour next year to promote my forthcoming album.
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MUZN: What other artists do you admire? And what bands\artists inspired you the most early on?

JENNY BECK: Too many to mention. How much time and space have you got? (lol). Like I said, Sixties music has always been a huge part of my life, but nowadays I tend to listen to singer/songwriter stuff. People like Joni Mitchell is to me an icon. She represents everything I am trying to do. She's an amazing story teller and songwriter. She can really get her message across. Sting is also a big influence. He is a very intelligent man and a very clever songwriter. I adore his melodies and have always admired the way he manages to make the listener feel what he feels when he sings his songs. I wish I could write lyrics like "Fields Of Gold" and "Fragile", they're real classics. The artist I have been mostly compared with is Suzannne Vega and that's obviously a great compliment. She's got a very special voice and her very own sound. I love that her stuff is guitar based and she's also a very clever lyricist. Some of the chords she uses in her songs are absolutely impossible though! :-D. I also love the more country influenced kind of artists, such as James Taylor, SheDaisy, Shania Twain and Don McLean. I also love Eva Cassidy. She had the voice of an angel. John Lennon has always been a great inspiration. He went his own way after splitting with The Beatles and I admire that he stood up for what he believed in and didn't care what people said and thought. He was a rebel and wrote about things that upset him in the world. I tend to do that too, but in a less obvious way :-).
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MUZN: What do you want out of life?

JENNY BECK: I want to be healthy, happy and for my loved ones to be healthy and happy too. That's the most important thing. I also want to be able to give something to people and hope that I will be able to do that through my music. I think it's important that we try to put back into the world what we've lost through the years....sympathy, compassion, respect and love. One person doesn't make much of a difference, but I hope I can be an inspiration to make people realize what's really important in live. People need to open their eyes to what they've got. I hope I will get the chance to do what I'm doing now, but on a larger scale. At the end of the day, all that matters is that you feel you're doing something that means something to you and that you have people you love around you.
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MUZN: What is the most important lesson you think you have learned so far?

JENNY BECK: My most valuable lesson when it comes to music would probably be to not to be too naive and not to trust absolutely everyone. A lot of people in the music business are just in it for the money and you really should beware. It's like swimming in an ocean full of hungry sharks. When it comes to life my most valuable lesson would probably be to not give up when you truly belive in something.
------------------------------------------------------------- MUZN: Where do you want to be in the future?

JENNY BECK: I want to be a successful recording ariste! Actually, most of all I want to be able to save up enough money to buy myself and my partner a nice house in the country side. My dream is to have the best of both worlds kind of...quiet life in the country and a job that allows you to travel and meet people. I want to be able to go to my country retreat when life gets too hectic and sit by my log fire with a big cup of tea and my guitar and just write songs. I want lots of dogs and a big garden. Like I said before; I want to be able to live off my music and be a singer/songwriter full-time.

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