Christina Martin
In Canada she's been awarded the Nova Scotia Music Award for 'Female Recording of the Year', and she's being hailed as one of the most exciting rising stars of the present day.
We got the chance to chat to Christina Martin about her beginnings, career in the industry so far and females in music.
Has music always been something that's appealed to you?
A career path in music did not always appeal to me, but I was always interested in learning how to play music when I was a child. I took piano lessons when I was really young, and had a really cool teacher who took me to her synthesizer room to learn Rock N Roll halfway through my lessons. Then we moved and I didn’t enjoy lessons after that, and absolutely hated recitals. I remember writing songs on the piano when I was very young, but I preferred music to be part of my ‘private universe’ as a child. I quit piano lessons at age 10. We moved after my dad commited bank fraud and dissapeard, and we could not keep the piano after that. Then there was too much going on in my family life for me to really think about music. I began journaling around age eleven. I remember being obsessed with certain Pop and Rock icons, and transfixed by the music videos, artists like Tom Petty, Tori Amos, Eurythmics, and Tina Turner.
How would you describe yourself as an artist?
I often see stories visually in my mind as I’m developing them, and rhythm plays a big role in my songwriting (how I speak/sing/deliver each line). From the beginning of a new song or project it is critical to have something important to say. The voice in my head is usually asking ‘Is this really important? Will anyone else give a shit about this, or am I wasting my breath here?’. There is nothing flashy about me as an artist, I don’t mean to come across as sounding boring, but I’m a bit of a Luddite in the sense that I still write with pencil and paper, I like to keep my technical requirements simple on stage (no harmonizing pedals or loop machines on my pedal board). Simplicity and clarity are important to me as an artist, but I enjoy delving into tough and complex topics. I am really drawn to songs that communicate something meaningful, and performers that can really sing and vocally deliver a message with power. I admit to being mostly in awe of an artists lyrics and vocal delivery... to me it is important to have both! I can forgive if someone isn’t the best guitar player or piano player, but if what he or she is saying and singing digs into me and makes me listen... that’s cool.
Would you say it's difficult as a woman to break out into the music industry?
I would say that it is difficult to ‘break’ in almost any new music market, regardless of gender. It has become more and more difficult for everyone, even already-successful artists to maintain their career status and financial sustainability. In the markets I have been focusing on developing in (Canada, Europe) I feel that me being a woman has not presented me with many challenges. My own limitations and experience at times has made it difficult for me. I think it has everything to do with having a unique ability or artistic talent that others are interested in, discipline, understanding the business side of the industry, working daily and consistently, and surrounding yourself with like-minded people…and people who are not egotistical or full-of-shit.
In 2012 you won Female Recording of the Year at the Nova Scotia Music Awards - how did that feel?
Winning an award does not mean you are better than anyone else, but it’s a really nice boost personally and professionally. It is an honor to be recognized by your peers in the music industry in this way. It’s cool to think that the people who voted were thinking of you positively and hoping that you would be recognized for what they feel is an important piece of work.
Your debut single is 'Water It' - what can you tell us about that track and its creation?
Water it is a song about how our relationships change and transform, and although sometimes they seemingly disappear, it is also possible to repair and build stronger relationships… but we must take care of them, as they wither with neglect. I wrote this song so long ago that I don’t remember what triggered the lyrics or the hopeful melody. I hear an accepting tone in the lyrics and melody, as if I was just coming to realize the imperfections in myself and that relationships are also allowed to be imperfect. I was likely in my first marriage at the time, and probably realizing that it was not so easy.
That's taken from the album 'Sleeping With A Stranger' - how did you go about making that record?
We recorded the album at our studio in Port Howe Nova Scotia. This was the first of my albums recorded and mixed entirely in our new studio. We began by doing pre-production, just Dale Murray and myself, and then we invited our bass player and friend Jason Vautour to develop the arrangements. That was when we wrote ‘What I Always Knew’ and ‘This Kind of Pain’. Later we worked on bed tracks with a drummer, Keith Mullins. Towards the end of the recording and many weeks later we invited Dale’s brother Brian Murray to record drums on ‘Sleeping With A Stranger’ and ‘Marina’ because we felt he had the right ‘feel’ for those tracks. There was a period of 4 months between bed tracking and final overdubs because Dale and I had to go to Germany and Netherlands to tour.
You're to tour for the first time in the UK - what can fans expect from the live shows?
Sometimes I’m serious, because the songs are quite serious. Sometimes I’m making fun of myself, or picking on someone in the audience. Sometimes I accidentally say inappropriate things. I enjoy a bit of back-and-forth with the audience, but that always depends on the crowd. Get a few beers into me and the show might turn a bit sloppy. Get too many beers into me and the audience can expect somersaults and Tina Turner covers. No, no, I don’t really do covers. Although we’ve been known to throw a Richard Thompson or Tom Waits cover into the set if the mood permits.
What music are you listening to at the moment?
David Bowie - The Next Day. That’s it right now.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would you choose and why?
Tom Petty - one of my all-time favorite lyric writers and performers. I think he would have no problem telling me whether my songs sucked, or whether I was on the right path. It would be great having him produce an album, working with both my band and me in the studio. That would be something.
What can we expect from you going forward?
One focus right now is on developing my live show with my Canadian band, and stretching myself in the studio together with Dale Murray. We plan to record a new album, with a different approach than we are used to, in Spring 2014. The plan is to play more regularly in Europe, to write better songs, and become a better performer.
Christina's new single 'Water It' is released February 10, taken from the album 'Sleeping With A Stranger' - expected release February 24.