Lynne Fiddmont
This
month's artist spotlight is Lynne Fiddmont. After many years
of honing her skills singing backgrounds for some of music's elite
(Stevie Wonders, BabyFace, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Mariah Carey
and more) Lynne, or Ms. Fiddmont, as she might say has spread her
musical wings starting her own imprint, MidLife Records, and creating
her new cd "Flow". She has already had a number of big
successes in the past, and this time out Lynne's due for even bigger
success which is why Lynne Fiddmont is this month's
IndieMusicLounge.Com Spotlight Artist. For more information
about Lynne visit her website or on myspace.
Here's the Interview:
Q.
First off who
is Lynne Fiddmont and how is it that you found yourself entering into
the music industry?
A.
I’m a simple person who is excited by
life. I am in awe of nature and the power of God and
motivated by the resilient human spirit. Music is the glue
that connects all human beings and allows us to share and better
understand complex human emotion regardless of race, sex, culture or
nationality.
I’m also a mother who enjoys raising and being raised by my
children.
I found myself entering the music industry without consciously choosing
a career in music. Music was a given in my family and quite
honestly for most of my life, I took music for granted. It seemed to
find me rather than the other way around.
Q.
Reading over
your press material I found it sort of interesting how the path that
you have taken to this point has sort of laid itself out before you in
many ways, in that you sort of walked into opportunities rather than
necessarily chased them, how important do you believe it is for an
indie musician not only to seize good opportunities, but to also
recognize those little steps that lead to them?
A.
Well, life is to be lived second by second. It
takes a lot of time to analyze your life as you’re living
it. Of course looking back, I see so many opportunities that
kept me in the game which allowed me to grow and develop as an artist,
but I don’t think it’s necessary or even productive
to analyze those little steps as they occur. I’m a
firm believer in preparation, and good old common sense, but
I’m prone to looking forward instead of backwards.
Q.
Now, of the many great working opportunities that you have
taken advantage of over the course of your music career, which one do
you believe holds the most significance to who and where Lynne Fiddmont
is today?
A.
What a difficult question to answer. Each person
that I’ve worked with has offered a great deal, from the
great songwriter, Bill Withers to the unique, challenging music of Joe
Zawinul. Even some of the disappointments and
failures in my career have provided invaluable lessons, but I have to
say singing with Stevie Wonder is most significant. He was my
idol as a child and I consider him my biggest influence musically as
well as a friend.
Q.
I also noticed that you have taken a road not commonly
thought of as the road to industry success among many young hopefuls in
that you have chosen to attend college and taken music related courses,
what schools have you attended and what do you think that
you’ve gained from taking this course that others may look
over as trivial to their success in the industry?
A.
I attended Drake
University in Des Moines, Iowa my freshman year and transferred to
Boston University as a sophomore in order to have more exposure to
music opportunities. I graduated from Boston University with
a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Relations. After graduating and
singing as a street musician, I was offered a scholarship to attend
Berklee School of Music where I took choruses in music theory and
performance. During my undergraduate schooling, I sang with a top forty
band 4 – 5 nights a week. So, during the day, I
learned marketing and at night I worked on developing my own style
while singing top forty hits. Berklee gave me a more refined
knowledge of music and afforded me the vocabulary to talk to musicians
in terms they could understand and respect. Each aspect of my
schooling plays a vital role in my career.
Q.
Another thing
too that I found interesting is even with an upbringing around music
and a number of places of confirmation that maybe music was it for you,
the thing that you were meant to pursue, that when you initially
enrolled into college you weren’t on track to be a artist or
a musician. Two questions, one, why was it that you first
chose something other than music? And two, what events
finally lead to you choosing to go fully toward your dreams of being an
artist?
A.
Like I said earlier, I wasn’t always clear about
what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew that being a music teacher
was not my calling. I didn’t like math, so I picked
a major that didn’t require too much math. During
my junior year in college I wanted to quit and study music full-time,
but my Mother (not so gently) persuaded me to finish college after
then, pursue my dreams. When I told her my decision
to quit school and become a singer she said, “I
don’t think so!” Thanks Mom.
Q.
One more
question about your background and then I’d like to talk a
little about your new cd and record label. As stated before
you’ve worked with a number of top artists that others could
only dream of working with, who were some of these artists and what one
thing would you say you learned along your journey within these
opportunities that have shaped your music and personnel way of being?
A.
It’s impossible to list or even remember all of the
people I’ve sung with. This roughly chronological
list and it is only a partial: Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder,
Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Seal, The Crusaders, Bill Withers,
Gladys Knight, Angie Stone, Beyonce, Lou Rawls, Joe Zawinul, Kenny
Loggins, James Ingram, Patti Austin, Eric Benet, Norman Brown, Madonna,
Anita Baker, Kenny BabyFace Edmonds, and a whole lot more.
I saw first hand how many of the legendary artists fit life into music
or music into their lives. I have learned to be clear on my
priorities and how important it is to stay true to myself.
Q.
Now, your new
cd, entitled Flow. Why the title and what does flowing mean
to Ms. Fiddmont?
A.
Well the first lines of Flow are, “Life’s
too short to sit around and wait for something good to fall down on you
from on your lucky star. Pick your feet up,
don’t be shy just get into the groove, it’s about
attitude, Here’s what you gotta do, Get in the go of life,
Get in the Flow of life…” Flow is a way
of life. It’s about taking control of your attitude
and making the best of any situation, regardless of how
challenging. I’m constantly working on applying
that philosophy to my life.
Q.
The album has a
very laid back and romantic feel throughout it, being that you not only
wrote and sang on all the tracks, but also composed/arranged, produced
and I understand even got into engineering a bit with the sometimes
ultra complicated Pro Tools system, I think it’s safe to say
that this is not only an album put out to make money, but
it’s a little piece of you yourself. Why did you
choose to put on so many different hats for this project and how
important to you was it that this album represented you truly and
wasn’t just another pretty face and voice with empty meanings?
A.
This CD is not a small piece of me; it represents and exposes
me in a way that makes me very vulnerable. I didn’t start the
project wearing all of those hats, but because it is so important to be
accurately represented, it became necessary to assume more
responsibilities. I started working of the CD with a
producer, who shall remain nameless. He wanted me to be surprised by
the finished product and I just couldn’t do that. As the
songwriter, it was important to me that the feeling of the song, at its
conception, was accurately portrayed. I didn’t want
to take that chance so, I learned Pro Tools and more about producing,
got some help from some friends, and got busy. (Flow in action)
Q.
Now, going back
to the money issue, I understand that you not only have taken on all of
these different tasks with this cd Flow, but you have also taken the
challenge of starting your own imprint and promoting and selling your
project yourself.
A.
That’s right MidLife Records is my own label and I must
acknowledge my mother, Alverne Hood who has invested in my
company. She has been a great role model, not only as a
mother but also a brilliant businesswoman. I only hope to
follow in her footsteps when it comes to being an entrepreneur.
Q.
You’ve
too, consciously have not set this out to be just a young person cd,
but more of a “matured audience” focused
cd. Being that most of the industry’s major dollars
comes from youth why was it that you chose to do this, and what special
means of promotion and marketing are you doing to reach that target
demographic?
A.
I don’t believe that people 20 years old and under
are the only people that love music. I do think that a more
mature audience, both in age and taste have been under represented and
are hungry for music that is varied in style. The one thing I
don’t like about marketing is the copy effect that happens
when one product becomes successful and we forget that variety is
good. Our marketing techniques as an independent label have
to be creative and imaginative so that we can reach the audience that
is hungry for music that is more in line with mature and varied
taste.
Q.
Being a woman
in any industry is hard, but I think especially in the
old-boy’s-club that the music industry is, do you find it
harder to be a woman and be taken seriously not only as an artist, but
also as an entrepreneur?
A.
I’m sure there are unspoken limits and prejudices
that exist in the music industry. I happen to believe that
what is meant for me will come to me. I also believe that
women who think they must behave like men to function in a male
dominated world are sorely mistaken. Both sexes have unique
qualities that are equally powerful and if correctly applied, have
unlimited potential in every aspect of life.
Q.
One thing with you too is that you seemingly only rely on
your own skills and talents rather than just reaching out to your
friends in high places or using your sex appeal to give you that extra
push over, as many others have through the years. Why is this
and is it something that you’ve purposely done throughout
your career?
A.
Although I did wear a lot of hats on this
project, I cannot discount the many talented people who have
contributed to the completion of Flow. Myron Bernard at Max
Bernard Management came aboard very early with his team and took on the
challenge of managing and marketing me and running the day to day
business of MidLife Records. I also called on some very
talented musicians, singers, engineers, technicians and friends to help
in various ways. I’m afraid to start naming people for fear
of leaving some out, but here goes; (Ready) Freddie Washington, Tim
Carmon, Andrew Ford, Rickey Minor, Land Richards, Dennis Moody, George
Landress, Christian Epps, and Dr. Pam. I also want to
acknowledge all of the musicians and singers that sang and played on
Flow.
Q.
What is one lesson that you have learned from your
experiences in the industry that you wish every woman entering into it
could know right off the bat?
A.
I think it’s very important for every person to
exploit every inch of potential they posses. This is not only
for women; it’s true in every business for
everyone. What a waste when we don’t try to use and
share all that we have.
Also, I learned the importance of trusting myself and not to apologize
or compromise my vision because others may not like it.
Q.
Okay,
I’m going to switch gears here and ask a few questions that I
ask every person I’ve interviewed here:
What’s
the best advice ever given to you?
A.
Just today, I worked with George Duke who was also an early
and prominent musical influence on me. His saying of the day
was, “Perfection in music is overrated.”
That along with realizing that music is based on feelings, and not
perfection allows me to focus on the storytelling aspect of a song.
Q.
Is a major
record label contract it for you or have you found other areas within
yourself and the industry that define success for you now?
A.
Well, being that we are an independent label, a major record
label contract does not necessarily mean success. As you and
I both know, it’s all in the small print and the amount of
support you receive from the label. Defining success has
always been a source of contemplation for me. At different
times, success has meant different things. When my children
were younger, success meant creating confident, happy
children. Now that they are growing up, I’m
focusing on my career. One way of measuring success is
financial, but it is not the only determining factor and I dare say not
the most important. Other factors, such as having integrity,
being true to yourself and your craft is very important. I
would be happy with more money. Who wouldn’t, but I
don’t use that as my primary criteria to judge my success or
lack of it. Right now, I feel very successful, because I am
moving in my life, doing things that I always wanted to. That
is real success for me…but I could use more money…
Q.
What one thing would you say to
those wishing to enter the industry?
A.
At the onset of your decision to become an artist, know the
odds of failure are great, then forget about it and go on about your
business.
Q.
What, if only one thing, do you wish that a person walks away
from a Lynne Fiddmont show with?
A.
I want a person walking away from a Lynne Fiddmont show to
leave with a smile on their face and I want them to be hugged up with
the person they love.
Q.
Aside from
music what other hobbies do you have?
A.
I love being outside, whether it’s playing soccer
with my daughter or spraying my son (or daughter, their friends, and
strangers) with the hose, under the guise of watering the grass. .. I
like to sing pseudo opera with my kids. I love to
laugh. I love dingdong ditch, and I love to hug people I
love. Oh yeah, and I love to dance too.
Q.
What if you weren’t a musician would you currently
be pursuing?
A.
I don’t
know, probably something with special needs kids.
Q.
What person or thing could you not do without?
A.
Well I wouldn’t want to do without any of my loved ones, but
to say I couldn’t live without anyone or anything is not
something I can say. As we all know, life on earth is not
permanent and I can only hope that my loved ones remain with me for as
long as I live.
Q.
What one person or thing could you do without?
A.
The only answer I can conjure up is, a child molester or any violent
criminal, but no one in particular.
Q.
Giving your most ingenious description, explain to those that
have never had the chance to experience what displaying their original
music before a live show is like for you.
A.
It’s cool.
No seriously, it’s so cool and I don’t think I can
really tell you what it’s like but a very simple way to
describe it is, it’s basically storytelling to
music. The motive is to bring the listener into the story,
making the listener feel some emotion and actually see the images as
the song develops. Both the storyteller and the
listener have a responsibility to use their imaginations to pull it
off. I feel privileged to be able to sing the songs I
write. There are people who may or may not write the songs
they sing but are masters at telling the story. Gladys Knight is a
great example of this. She is so great that I, while singing
behind her, messed up because she was so mesmerizing that she made me
forget what I was supposed to sing. Now that is great.
Q.
Where do you
see Ms. Fiddmont being in five years from now?
A.
Enjoying MidLife in a big way.
Q.
When if ever
will Lynne Fiddmont and music part ways from each other?
A.
What!!!
Ladies
and Gentlemen, Lynne Fiddmont, the IndieMusicLounge.Com November artist
of the month. You can find out more about Lynne, her career
and music at her website LynneFiddmont.Com or on Myspace.com @ http://www.myspace.com/lynnefiddmont.
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