Katharine Mc Phee – The Newly Found Maturity of Unbroken
by bill biss
Every song tells a story. In well-crafted songwriting, the performer sheds light on their own emotions and experiences and when done right opens a window of feelings to the audience as well.
Katharine McPhee along with other seasoned songwriters and musicians has captured this in her new CD called Unbroken set for release on January 5.
The Rage Monthly spoke with her on a bright and bushy tailed Monday morning to discover a very personal take on the process of creating this new work, her new look and how one very bad morning brought forth a joyful philosophy on life with her song “Lifetime.”
As the newly blonde Katharine McPhee aptly put it, “Blondes do have more fun. But I think the brunettes could give them a run for their money!”
The Rage Monthly: First, I really enjoy the new music and the new look.
Katharine McPhee: Oh, thank you.
Rage: I read that you just wanted to explore another side of your talent with Unbroken and part of that journey took you to Nashville. What did you learn from that experience?
KM: Well, that’s nice. You did some reading up on me so I didn’t have to explain all that. It was really an amazing experience. I went like four different times. I learned a lot just as far as writing goes. I hadn’t done a lot of writing. I got to go through an experience of being with a lot of people. Almost like a betting experience of getting to see whom I worked with great and whom I connected with and what styles were going to come out of these writing sessions.
And ultimately be who I wanted it to be which is…me. I really felt like I got a chance to grow on this. To take the time away from L.A. and Hollywood and the limelight…take myself away from all the events. Just really figure out where I wanted to go musically.
Rage: You have song credits on six of the 13 songs. Was it lyrical or melodies that you mostly created?
KM: I think it’s just dependent on each song. Some songs, I contributed equally, lyrically and melodically.
Rage: “Lifetime” sticks out just for the sheer joy of the lyrics and the upbeat tempo that is something that Hal David/Burt Bacharach could have written, but Boots Ottestad and you did…tell me the back story of this song…what sparked it?
KM: That’s awesome. That was really a collaboration of melody. It was one of the first songs that I wrote. It’s almost two years ago it feels like. It’s hard even to remember. Looking at that song now, I can’t even believe that I wrote that. There was a writing session set up with Boots Ottestad and me.
He’s a British songwriter but he lives here in America. It was literally the first writing session set up by my management here in L.A. to begin…making my record.I was like “Okay. I don’t even know what this process really is.” I didn’t really get to do that on my first record…very little.
I did it very quickly if I did. I was kind of in a bad mood. I was kind of hesitant to go. It was like, “All I have our journals of things I’ve been through. I had never actually turned them into songs. I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I want to do this.” On top of it, I got stuck in traffic.
I was late to meet this guy. I’m always an on-time person. I hate being late so…(laughter) so that made me angry. I was in Hollywood and Hollywood has the worst parking…blah, blah, blah.
I walk in he’s a really nice guy. Usually I put on a happy face. For this guy, I just couldn’t help being in a bad mood. I said, “I’m sorry. I’m just really in a bad mood. “ He said, “No problem,” and just started plucking this thing out. Really it was just that tempo and we actually wrote that song quickly in about three hours, which is very quick to complete a song.
It just poured out. He had this idea of ‘lifetime’ and I came up with the idea [Katharine sings] “breathe, breathe, breathe, before you get old.” It just really turned into a really sweet, happy song.
Rage: Considering all the circumstances, that’s really cool.
KM: Exactly. Coming out of such a non-happy state that I was in. I find when I’m in these happy states…I was very happy in Nashville. I love that. I was so happy; I was actually looking for property to live there. I didn’t end up doing it but I really fell in love with just the simple countryside.
I found it was really easier for me to write sad songs. I wrote this song called “Anybody’s Heart.” It literally came out of a journal entry that I had written two years prior to it.
I felt very comfortable to read from the journal. That’s a personal thing and you don’t want to be “oh I wrote this…I don’t know. It might be stupid.” I read it and they were like, “Katharine. That’s a song. Let’s write it.”
Rage: That song is extremely pretty but damaged. That song tears at your heart with the truth and simplicity of the lyrics.
KM:Yeah. I think everyone can relate to that. Someone who you loved and loved so much. Even the one you loved the most let you down. That was a really personal song.
Rage: For me, there is a folk flavoring/soft rock sound to the album, also a melancholy of emotions explored from regret to sadness to questioning … at times, it almost sounds like an album that Joni (“Unbroken” for example) Mitchell could have done in the 1970s yet with a contemporary touch to the instrumentation.
KM: Oh, oh my god. I’m glad you picked up on that. It’s very hard to identify a genre of music. People are like, “Well what do you do?” Well, I’m still a pop singer. I still sing pop but it definitely has a flair of folkyness and a little bit of rock.
So how do you identify that? I think the best way to identify it is just that it’s songs that are heartfelt and tell stories.
I really wanted this record to be something that could give a little glimpse into my life and then people could see themselves in these stories as well. I think they are all very relatable. That was my goal, to have lyrics that were meaningful and that I could sing.
I think it’s exciting for me know because I’m singing the songs live and it’s almost like I’ve grown singing them, from the first time that I even recorded them. I’ve become settled in the songs so that I can take them vocally to the next level live. Making this record was a growth in my life.
Rage: Now, you also have been putting your acting talents to good use. Is there a TV/or film appearance we should look out for in the coming months?
KM: There was no time for doing television things the beginning of the year. But, thank you. That’s very sweet. It’s just been mostly focused on the record but always looking for new opportunities to do some stuff and have people see me on screen so stay tuned, that’s all I can say.
Rage: It sounds like “blondes have more fun.”
KM: Blondes do have more fun but ummm….but, I don’t know. I mean, I think the brunettes could give them a run for their money. (laughter)
Rage: Thank you Katherine.
KM: Take care. Bye!
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Category: INTERVIEWS, SPOTLIGHTS
Great interview! Can’t wait to buy the CD tomorrow! She really has found her voice and maturity with this record!
this was an amazing interview. thank you for asking such great questions.
I first read this in your print edition I picked up today in Hollywood. I have been reading your magazine for years when I visit San Diego. I am so happy to see you have a Los Angeles magazine! Mr. Bliss you always ask the questions I would ask. You have no idea how many CD’s you have sold to me after I read your interviews. I am glad you have a blog on your website too.