This week's episode of the Drew Carson show features the tremendous music of the uber talented Ms. Ariel Petrie. I had the pleasure and the great oppertunity to interview Ms. Petrie for this here blog in a segment I like to call "8 ?s With..." and you guessed it folks here is that interview.What age were you when you started to play music?
When I was 8 I begged my parents to get me a piano. After months of me begging, they finally took me seriously and bought me a piano and I started lessons that same week.
Did you know from a young age you wanted to pursue music as your career as well as your passion?
As soon as I started piano I realized I had a passion for music. I'd spend hours a day practicing - not because I had to but because I wanted to. When I was 11 I really got into classical music. I was learning really advanced pieces by then. I thought, at that age, that I wanted to be a composer or play concert piano in an orchestra. It wasn't until I was 13 or 14 that I started writing lyrics and figured out I really wanted to be a singer/songwriter. All that to say, yes. I knew from a young age that I wanted to pursue music but it took years for that passion to evolve into what it is today.
You were on the American version of the X-Factor in 2011 what was that experience like and did it help you to improve as an artist?
Being on The X-Factor was a huge, life changing event in my life. Before that experience I was insecure in my singing abilities. When I passed the producer rounds and went to the celebrity judges I got to sing in front of Simon Cowell, who I loved. I sang an original and he loved it! I went to Pasadena, CA for Boot Camp week, which I didn't pass, but I left feeling confident and good about myself. It definitely pushed me to move forward with my music career.
Your first EP came out after that entitled "Catch 22" how did that come about and what was that experience like to record your own music?
Catch 22 came out soon after leaving The X-Factor. I wrote the single and title track Catch 22 about a specific event that happened on the show. So, during the second round of Boot Camp there was a group performance. Everyone was put into groups the producers felt would be a good fit for everyone. I was put in a group with 14 year old kids. As an 18 year old, engaged to be married adult, singing the song: "We're The Kids In America". I felt so embarrassed and out of place I ended up bombing the performance. Completely screwed it up. At that point I felt I was damned if I succeeded and damned if I lost. I didn't want to be seen as a kid - I already looked really young for my age, but I felt so much older than I was. I had graduated high school at 17 and was already in college. I didn't want to be pegged as this kid anymore. I ended up being eliminated after that performance but I almost felt relieved about it - like I avoided being put in a creative box and had producers decide my image for me.
That said, the experience of creating my first EP was great. I was able to get it done in a professional studio in Normal, IL with a great producer.
You have followed that up with your latest EP "Magic." As a writer myself I am always fascinated by other writers' writing style and how they find their story. What was your writing journey on "Magic" like and is there a song that particularly stands out as having special meaning behind it?
"Magic" was something special from the beginning. If I ever did co-writing in the past it was with my mom, who's a phenomenal writer. I never really got into it with other people. But I met Scott Faircloff and that changed. He has such a strong, creative mind things just started flowing and we just clicked. We co wrote Promises and Through the Clouds together and he produced everything else, changing things here and there to make the songs better. The title track, Magic, was our labor of love. I went to him with this bubble, Sarah Bareilles-style track originally. Really up-beat and bouncy piano-based song. But it was so similar to Queen Scotty wanted to do something completely different. He introduced a lot of electronic instruments, completely changed the tempo and arrangement. It transformed into something really magical. It ended up being our favorite one.
Did the recording and producing side of things differ on the second EP from the first and what can fans of your first EP expect this time around?
The producing side of things on the second EP was completely different than the first EP. The first time around I was in a fancy studio with a producer who wasn't as involved in the creative process or collaborative as Scotty. With Magic, we were working out of Scotty's house. There was a lot of collaborating and co writing. They were both completely different creative experiences. Fans can expect a more unique sound with Magic. Each song is different but pulls similarities from each other. Overall, I think this EP is more polished, well-written, and more professional than the last.
How have you found performing these new tracks so far and have the audiences strongly responded to them?
Since the release, I've only performed these songs once but the reaction has been overwhelmingly great. I played at The Stone Fox in front of family and friends, but also a lot of strangers. I had people I'd never met coming up and getting the CD. It was very encouraging to get such a positive response from fans as well as people who had never hear my name before.
Where can people hear you perform next and what are your goals for 2016 as a whole?
I
have a show at The Basement in Nashville March 14th with Daniel
Rylander. It'll be a fun time! If anyone will be in the area I recommend
coming out. Daniel is a great musician and songwriter and I always like
meeting new people.
My goals for 2016 is to get a song (or more) placed in TV or film.
I've submitted my songs to a couple databases, but it'll be a few weeks
until I find out if they've been accepted. If that pans out, my songs
will be available for major television and
film companies to find them and (hopefully!) use them in their work.
I'd like to thank Ariel for sharing her music with the Drew Carson show Nation, yes I call all of you listeners the DCS Nation I'm weird like that, and for being the first 8?s With... Interviewee. You can hear songs from Ariel's new LP on this week's show along with the interview with Mike Vogel so it should be a great episode.You can find Ariel at:
Website
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