Extended Q&A: Martina McBride
Country music star Martina McBride will perform two Oklahoma shows this weekend: tonight at Thackerville’s WinStar World Casino and Saturday at Miami’s Buffalo Run Casino.
I interviewed the big-voiced singer earlier this week, and we had so much fun chatting I decided to make it Martina McBride Day here on BAM’s Blog.
Here is an extended, though still edited, Q&A taken from our interview:
Q: I heard you just did a tour of the U.K. Was that new for you and how did it go?
A: It went great. We toured over there in ’94 and then I think again in ’95 but haven’t been over there for obviously a really long time. And it was great. The shows were successful and a lot of fun. And we really enjoyed it.
Q: What can people expect from your live show? You’ll be playing a couple of Oklahoma shows this weekend.
A: Well, you know, we do a lot of the hits and we’ll be playing a few songs from the new album “Shine,” kind of showing people what that’s like. And it’s a pretty high-energy show and, you know, it’s a lot of fun.
Q: Talk to me a little about “Shine.” It’s your 10th studio album: What did you do a little bit differently than you had done in the past?
A: Well, I used a new producer, which was a great decision, I think, just because I produced the last two records by myself and I produced the first seven records with a guy named Paul Worley, who we’re still very close. But, you know, when you get to the 10th album, it’s kind of a challenge to figure out how to move it forward and make a record that sounds different and fresh and isn’t like making the same album over and over again. So I worked with Dann Huff (Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire) and it was really great just to have a different perspective. …
Q: To me, it seemed like this album had more of a rock ‘n’ roll sound than some of your other albums. Was that out of your comfort zone or does that fit in well with your musical influences?
A: No, I think that’s pretty comfortable for me. I mean, I grew up like a lot of people my age listening to ’80s rock as well as country music, and you know, the thing about this generation is we were exposed to a lot of different kinds of music. It’s a multimedia generation. I was influenced by a lot of different things, and I think on this record, Dann also has the same kind of rock influences, so that’s really just kind of what came out of our collaboration. …
Q: How do you pick the songs that you record? What criteria do you use? Because you’re known for being particular about the songs you record.
A: You know, really it’s just an instinct. It has to hit me right. You know, I think it’s pretty simple. I just either really love the song or I don’t. You know, we all hear songs every day that we love and that we’re drawn to instinctively or feel a connection to, and then we hear songs every day that we just don’t care for. For me, it’s really just about when I hear a song that I love and I feel like sounds like the truth, sounds like something that I want to say or want to sing. That’s really as simple as it is. I really don’t go looking for anything in particular.
Q: Are you an artist that is willing to wait until you get 10 or 11 or 12 songs that really have that connection to you?
A: Oh, I have to, yeah, I have to wait for that, which is why most records take a long time. Just because finding those songs that fit or that are right for you, it’s like looking at a rack of 450 beautiful dresses. You know, there’s gonna be four or five that fit you just perfectly and that are flattering and that make you feel good when you wear them. So, the other ones are beautiful but they’re not right. If you need 10 dresses and you can only find four out of that first batch, then you have to wait for the next batch of dresses. And you have to wait for somebody to make them and create them. So, it’s really just about waiting for the right fit to come along.
Q: You co-wrote one song on the album, “Sunny Side Up,” and you wrote a few songs on your last album, 2007′s “Waking Up Laughing.” Is that fairly new for you, getting involved with songwriting?
A: Yeah, you know, I’ve written all along, for a long time, but I never really started taking it seriously until before the last album and really just kind of stumbled onto it. The Warren Brothers (Brad and Brett Warren), who I was touring with – they were my opening act, and they’re great writers – they just kept encouraging me to write. So, I just started doing it. And it’s not something that I do every day. You know, I just do it for fun and when it feels like. It’s kind of a new way to express myself, definitely.
Q: I heard a story that Maya Angelou influenced you to write as well. Is that true?
A: Well, she said something like, ‘Sometimes I think we are afraid to do all that we can because we feel like basically the world will expect more of you.’ You kind of hold yourself back because of that fear of commitment, to that expectation of having to do more. So that kind of resonated with me, and I realized that was probably what I was doing.
Q: I think I read somewhere that you were on a radio show together and that’s when you had that conversation. I thought it was an interesting story because what she said sounds so true.
A: Yeah. Yeah.
Q: One of the songs on the new album that connected with me is “Wild Rebel Rose,” which is another song about an abusive situation. Of course, “Independence Day” is a kind of signature for you. Why is domestic abuse such a strong issue for you?
A: I just feel like it’s- oh, what’s the word I’m looking for? – you know, it’s just unfair. And it keeps going on and on and it’s something that I just feel like needs to change. It’s been going on for thousands and thousands of years, and it’s still kind of a secretive thing. I think just bringing more awareness to it and making people realize that they’re not alone and there’s a way out or a way to get help is important.
Q: How do you balance the work and family aspects of your life? You’ve been married for about 20 years and have three daughters ages 14, 11 and 4. Your husband, John, is a sound man and works on your albums, but do they also go out with you on the road?
A: They do go with us on the road. I mean, it gets a little harder as they’re getting older. For instance, this weekend, the two older ones will stay home because they have volleyball tryouts and the freshman retreat and different things that they have to do for school. So, as their school life becomes more and more important and they become more involved, it’s harder for us to get out and tour definitely.
Q: So, it is challenging. Is there anything in particular that you do, any one guideline or tip that you follow, to keep connected when everyone gets scattered?
A: We just really love to be together. I told you we just came back from the U.K. and just had three and half weeks of being together every day with no distractions. We probably spend more time together than a lot of families, and I think that comes from the fact that since the kids were little we’ve taken them with us and they’ve been very involved. …
One thing that is a priority for us is eating dinner together most every night. And I was just noticing last night we sat down to dinner and we were all talking and my 4-year-old started telling a story while one of the other girls was telling a story. And I told her, ‘Just wait a minute; it’s not your turn.’ So, she waited and then after the story was finished, she said, ‘Is it my turn?’ Really, my kids are very able to carry on a conversation in any kind of situation, and I feel like a lot of that comes from sitting down as a family and really connecting in that way every day. …
Q: You had a birthday in July, and I noticed that the month you had your 43rd birthday, you were in a bikini on the cover of Shape magazine, along with Julianne Hough and LeAnn Rimes. Was that nerve-wracking, to pose for a magazine cover in a bikini?
A: Yeah, I mean, it was just something that they asked me to do. I stay in pretty good shape, but I’m not in bikini shape all the time by any means, so I worked a little extra hard. It’ll probably be my one and only bikini cover. (laughs) Because, I don’t know, I really wasn’t aware there was going to be a bikini cover ’til I got there. It was just something kind of challenging to do, you know.
Q: (With the recent vocal rest and concert cancellations Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles went through,) there’s been a lot of attention given lately to how singers take care of their voices, and you’re known for having such a great, huge singing voice. How do you care for your voice?
A: You know, I’m really lucky. The voice is obviously such a physical instrument that a lot of it I just think is the way you’re made up. So, I’m really lucky that I don’t have to do a lot. So, really all I can do is try to take care of myself. The thing is your voice is a reflection of your overall health, right, because it’s not like a guitar you can pick up and put in a case. It’s like an athlete, I guess, it’s part of your physical makeup. So you have to keep healthy, so I just try to drink lots of water and eat healthy, get plenty of rest. It’s just really as simple as that.
Q: So it’s really a matter of following the same tips for good overall physical health?
A: Yeah.
Q: Does scheduling play a part in that, making sure you don’t have too much touring and recording overlapping?
A: I’ve been pretty lucky that working really doesn’t hurt my voice. I feel like the more I sing the stronger it is. The only thing that ever really gets me is, you know, like a cold. I’ve only had to really cancel really one show or postpone one show because of not being able to sing. I mean, I’ve gone out and sang when I probably shouldn’t have. (laughs) The audience was probably like, ‘OK, maybe you should have just taken the day off.’ But I try to put on a show no matter what. The only time I’ve really been affected is if I have a cold or if I have laryngitis, something like that.
Q: So it seems like staying in practice helps you?
A: It really does, yeah. It’s just like an athlete: If you’re a runner and you stop running, it’s going to be hard to get back out there and do it at first, and then the more you do it, the more in shape you get. It’s a muscle.
Q: Is there anything else you wanted to add?
A: I’m excited to be touring and to have this 10th record out and it’s doing well. So, everything’s good.
Q: You seem like you’re a very positive person. How do you stay so positive?
A: Well, the alternative really sucks. (laughs) Being negative isn’t very much fun. I mean, I have to work at it like everybody else, you know, but I just try to see the upside or the positive side. But I’m kind of a realist, so sometimes I can be pretty negative.
Q: “Shine” certainly is a very positive album. Much of your music is very positive; songs like “Don’t Cost a Dime” and “Sunny Side Up,” just make you feel good.
A: I think we hear enough negativity. We don’t need to have a whole album full of it. I look to music to lift me up, so that’s kind of what I want to do with my music.
-BAM
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[...] full of it. I look to music to lift me up, so that’s kind of what I want to do with my music. ● – – I’m gonna guess that Martina McBride rarely hangs out with Chris Knight, quoted [...]