An interview with Amy

Hey! I get contacted on facebook quite often and get asked to answer questions. Which when I have time I find a pleasure to do. Often I get asked the same old stuff which is fine and informative. Sometimes though I get the opportunity to express myself a little more than in the standard questions.
Amy gave me plenty to play with. Read the interview here and find a rather nice pic of Amy and a horrid one of my sweaty post show mug below.
Enjoy
x

what career would you want, if music didn't work for you?
I couldn't really imagine not doing this, I think it is what i'm meant to do. I feel relaxed in this role and it inspires me by doing it. But I do have lots of other interests When I was a kid I wanted to be a Zoo Keeper but as I've grown up things in Fashion and Theatre fascinate me, so maybe a fashion label or fashion photography or even in design. I love writing so maybe journalism of some sort. I'm into healthy living and feeling good so maybe something to do with personal training and finally I love film and theatre so maybe something related to acting. There is so much to do in the world maybe I will achieve some of these things in my life as well as the music.


Whats the best thing about being in your band?
Being able to do what you love, to be inspiring to other people and to be able to dream up nonsense in my head and then go out and make it a reality. The best thing about My Passion is we can do what the hell we want and we can surprise people, we don't really have any restrictions set on us which is very liberating.


If you could support absolutely any artist, who would it be?
For me it would be Muse not just because they play stadiums around the world and have one of the best live shows I have ever seen, but also because I have a huge respect for the music they write and thought behind it. Muse are just Muse and nothing is half hearted it is how I would like My Passion to work. To be My Passion and nobody else.


who in the band writes your lyrics, and what inspires them?
Songs are written by Me,Jonathan and my father Ken who is a poet from the past and the future. Sometimes me and Jon say something in a certain way and Ken has a completely different take on it and throws it on it's head. It's amazing having a father so involved in what I do and so connected. The inspiration is life as with any songs. Life's full of surprises, emotions, experiences, things that make you angry and things that bring you joy we try to capture all of these and tell them in our our own way. My Passion is often an escape for us and for people that listen from the shit of this world, it's an alternative, it's a place where you can have an imagination you can have dreams and you can fulfil them.


What is your favourite venue to play at and why?
I don't think I could choose one single venue because venues are often just empty spaces it's more about the passionate excitable people that fill them for me. I do love a good theatre though, something decadent like Koko's in London I hope to play there one day.

Do you have any pre show rituals?
I kinda get a little anxious before playing. It's not nerves, more the waiting to get out there and perform. So I like my space to clear my head and relax as much as possible. One of our main rituals will obviously be getting ready for the show that's like painting on our personas and getting in the right mind set to entertain people. More and more recently we have been experimenting with crazy outfits, paint and props to give people something exciting and fresh to match up to the music each tour or show. This is something we're going to take even further in 2011, we want people to be thinking, what the hell will they do next. It's quite exciting.

Why did you choose to have a new band member join Last year?
We never intended on just being 4 forever. Jonathan is a very talented musician and we didn't want to have all the synths coming from an unseen magical box at the back of the stage. It's so much more effective seeing someone physically playing those synth lines and it also sounds far superior with live synths and tracks. Now Jonathan isn't stuck behind the drums he's up the front with me singing and playing and he is far happier for it. Jonathan's also a brilliant guitarist so he adds that when need to fatten out riffs or on solo parts so the sound of My Passion as a whole has come a long way since the summer and that's the same visually as well. Jamie coming in on drums and being free to focus on them has meant that they have been given a new life as well, his energy and enthusiasm has given us a new lease of life again. With the new album on the way and the development of the sound it was crucial that we could recreate that life and this is what we had to do and the band is so much better for it.

How did you come about calling your band 'My Passion'?
That one's plain and simple. We can be a pretentious bunch of arty idiots but when it came to the name we wanted to say exactly what this is to us and what it could be to the people that fell in love with My Passion as well. It's a two way thing which is really important for us.


As a band what do you set to have accomplished within the next 5 years?
I want to see the world. I want to continue making music that I love and to continue inspiring people to go out and do what they love. I want to prove to people that you don't always have to play safe in this world, you can do what you want to do whatever that may be if you have the desire to see it through. You don't always have to take what you are given, what you are fed, there are choices and sometimes the riskier ones bring more joy. We don't want to play safe we want to open our minds and imaginations to come up with exciting new ideas for both ourselves and for the people that come to see the band. Of course this is easier with a bigger budget so I would love for the band to be playing huge shows in 5 years time. But I would never want that growth to be at the expense of our happiness. To become safe and simple just to achieve that is not something that interests me. I want to grow this following and to be known by those as a band that pushes the boundaries of everything we do.


Whats your opinion/take on this wave of people illegally downloading music?
Stop crying about it and open your minds. If people really support a band I think they will invest in that band whether it is through merchandise, music, live performance or whatever you can offer. I'd want someone to buy our music if they are able to of course but at the same time I wouldn't want someone not listening to it. These days in the music business you need to be a bit of an entrepreneur, you have to think of other avenues, get creative and give people something that they want to invest their time, money and love into. You can't sit still, you can't keep offering out the same shit and think people will buy into you. That's why for me having an ever evolving sound and liveshow that keeps people on their toes and keeps surprising fans, is so important. Many bands become complacent just like many record companies have, and in the long run it will be the death of them. I think we are at a changing point, I think it's a point where there is so much negativity in politics, the world, tragedy, disaster, doom, gloom that people need something more to be apart of,so I feel responsible for offering an escape for others and my own sanity whether they are music buying people of not.

your style is very unique, have you always dressed this way, or would you say it is more a part of your bands image?
We develop the look along with the music, it just makes it stronger for me. We have always been inspired by characters and musicians that think about the whole concept of what they do. I don't want to do anything half hearted, I want to sound the best we possibly can and to look and feel as good as I can. It's more of my whole belief in life rather than just a thing related to the band. It helps that i'm really into fashion, anti fashion whatever it may be so it's a thing i'm naturally passionate about. I like to think of the band from every angle, if you are in the public eye I think it is more important than ever ( with the internet, music videos etc) to look good and also feel good within yourself, it makes you more confident and happier from within. If you aren't happy with yourself and what you do then you aren't going to do a very good job of selling what you do to your fans. The interest in all this definitely came from an upbringing of weirdos like david bowie, robert smith from the cure, marilyn manson, rammstein.

If you could go back in time and give your younger self words of advice what would you tell yourself?
I'm not one to really have any regrets as such. Obviously each person makes mistakes but it's part of discovering life and who you are. I'm quite enjoying growing up and discovering what the world has to offer me.

and finally, Tea or Coffee?
Both of them in large,large amounts please.




Laurence René

My Passion Vocalist, Dreamer & collector of the unique & strange

Online Blog: http://www.laurencerene.blogspot.com/
Website : www.mypassion.co.uk
My Passion Fashion : www.mypassionfashion.co.uk
Twitter : www.twitter.com/laurencerene
Facebook : www.facebook.com/laurence.rene.x