Amy Grant
a.k.a.
Amy Lee Grant
SIMPLE CELEBRATION Amy Grant's Latest Commemorates 25 Years in Music
It's been six years since Amy Grant released a pop record, and while the self-imposed exile kept the Christian pop star off the radio, she certainly hasn't been out of the public eye. Between a much-publicized divorce -- which made things difficult in CCM circles -- followed by her marriage to country star Vince Gill and the birth of a new baby, her personal life provided more than enough tabloid fodder. Grant filled the creative gaps with specialty projects -- 2002's Legacy...Hymns & Faith was a charming return to her church roots -- but now she's is back in the popular music fold with Simple Things. The light-pop collection brings listeners up to date with Grant, offering a positive message of forgiveness and healing. Grant spoke with Barnes & Noble.com's Lisa Zhito about her long hiatus and her perspective on the Simple life.
Barnes & Noble.com: You've recorded albums and had babies before, so really -- what took so long?
Amy Grant: I think I was distracted by the rest of life! I think, also, on the heels of going through a divorce, I lost my confidence in all areas of my life, my sense of belonging and maybe my sense of place. It took a while to get back in gear.
B&N.com: How did that affect you creatively?
AG: Well, probably one of the biggest things was, What is it I would like to say? What's the point of going through anything in life if you don't have anything meaningful and respectful to say on the other side? I guess it was that more than the confidence thing...I think I really worked through the personal confidence thing working through the Hymns record.
B&N.com: It doesn't sound like you really missed the limelight at all.
AG: No -- in fact, I've had so much fun enjoying being a part of Vince's music experience. Any involvement in music in the past that I did was always something I generated: my tour, my this, and my that. It's only fun some of the time to be the center of attention, because then you are responsible. But it's been fun for me to be a part of his tour. I'm not the center of attention, so I can relax and watch the show.
B&N.com: You just celebrated 25 years in the music industry. Does the music life ever get old to you? Do you get tired of it?
AG: Well, I love being part of the music community. It's a great connection I feel, like a great soul connection. It doesn't matter if you are center stage or a sideman or sitting next to the monitor man watching your friends play, it's a great connection.
B&N.com: Simple Things has a nice, relaxed feel to it, a less polished California sound. Is that where you are musically now?
AG: Well, thank you. It's weird for me to look at it from that perspective. I'm not sure that we went into this with a specific sound in mind. I think we all know each other really well, and the process was very respectful, so maybe that's it. None of us was working with strangers, and so maybe the record sounds like it is more reflective of that friendship.
B&N.com: Sure, but at some point someone has to say, this is the feel we're going for, right?
AG: Well, yeah. As an example, the last song on the record, "After the Fire," was a song that we produced, and I think we cut three different tracks to it. And then every one of them just seemed too polished. I said, "Hey, can we just do guitar and vocals on this please? This is really what I do!" It was a welcome release. And if every other song on the record were highly polished but ended with something stripped down like that, I would have been happy.
B&N.com: What do you think about still making music 25 years later?
AG: I remember when I was in my 20s and Tina Turner had her Private Dancer record come out. And I remember flippantly saying, "If I'm 40 and still singing, someone get the hook and take me off the stage!" That was the presumption of youth saying it's only viable if you're still young. Everyone wants to have music that says in a meaningful way what they are feeling and going through. I went to hear Cheryl Wheeler at the Bluebird Cafe in May, and I didn't know she was still making records. I was so knocked out, she was brilliant, and I was just so glad she was still doing it!! It was like returning to an old friend. So I may be that way for somebody.
B&N.com: I expected more celebration marking your 25th anniversary in the Christian music industry, and I for one was a little disappointed. What's up with that?
AG: I thought about it; we had so many plans, and they didn't materialize. We thought about box sets, we thought about a lot of things. Really, getting inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame this year was the thing for me. It gave me a venue to stand up before a lot of people whom I had known for a long time, and I got to say thank you publicly, in a way that mattered to me. That was enough -- it was more than enough to mark those 25 years.
B&N.com: All right. But as a fan, I'm still disappointed.
AG: Well, I guess I look at the people at the record company now, and most everybody was hired long after I was singing, and they don't have any vested interest in those 25 years. The people those 25 years really mattered to, celebrated it.
B&N.com: But I wanted a box set!
AG: You know, life goes on. To me it's like the other bookend, and we're in the process of gearing for a really exciting record release here.
B&N.com: Right, your career is far from over. Are you ready to get back in the thick of things, take a shot at the pop charts again?
AG: Well, chances seem very slim that I would have a No. 1 record again! All of us enjoy hearing the next new thing, but you don't ever know. I felt like [1997's] Behind the Eyes was a great record, and A&M completely derailed and Word Records derailed, and when you have the heads of record labels changing and the entire staff rolling over…. You could have the all-time legendary album coming out to the public, and if you don't have the record company behind it, you can kiss it good-bye. We all worked really hard on this record, but it's really a crapshoot!
August, 2003
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