Vanessa Carlton - Page 2

C: What’s your favorite track on the new album Heroes & Thieves?
Vanessa Carlton: “More Than This,” it’s the last song on the record. It supports this idea I’ve been contemplating lately, which is that we all have the power in any given moment, to decide to be peaceful. We can all just decide to be happy, if you don’t crave any more than you have. And, I struggle with that a lot.

C: Do you think it’ll have the success of “A Thousand Miles?”
Vanessa Carlton: I don’t think so. I don’t know what could ever have that success. I would actually prefer to not have that kind of success. I want people to know the record, and for them to know the artists behind the songs; rather than a song that’s so big, it kind of trumps everything. This album is not about a song that like, takes off. This is about a real body of work, where I want a single to be released because they want to introduce, to invite, people into the world of Heroes & Thieves. Like, that’s what singles used to be for.

C: Right.
Vanessa Carlton: In the past, you’d release a song and people would say, “Ooh, I like that. I want to hear more of where that came from.” That level of success is great—that everyone knows the song. But I want the whole album to be embraced and known, and for the world of Heroes & Thieves to be successful as a body of work. Not just for one song to go flying up the charts, you know? But I have no idea what will happen.

C: Did you do any collaborations on the current album?
Vanessa Carlton: Yeah, with Stevie Nicks. Stevie and I did a duet.  It’s song called “The One.”  I collaborated with Linda Perry on two songs and I collaborated with Stephan Jenkins and that’s it.

C: Okay, so no rap collabs on Heroes & Thieves?
Vanessa Carlton: Oh, no [Laughs]. I’m just like an enhanced Vanessa on this album.

C: Are you currently seeing anyone? I mean, what’s going on with your love life?
Vanessa Carlton: Oh that’s an awful question [Laughs].

C: I had to ask.
Vanessa Carlton: I’ll never answer it. Just don’t even remind me of that whole like, that category in itself.  I’m just focused on Heroes & Thieves right now. But lately I’m into the bearded lumberjack look. Not grungy, I’m not into the grunge. I’m into like, actual lumberjacks.  It’s very different [Laughs].

C: Jane Magazine named you as one of the 11 people you’d most like to see naked. What did you think of it?
Vanessa Carlton: I mean, taking out the kind of perverse aspect of it, I think it’s great.  I’m actually kind of hot, without my clothes on.

C: In what aspect would you consider yourself sexy?
Vanessa Carlton: I’ve realized, especially at this point in my life, sexiness is the way you carry yourself.  It’s your intelligence, how you feel about yourself, and it’s what you project emotionally.  It’s not really about how much skin is showing. You could have a Playboy bunny next to a girl in like a little smock dress, and if the girl with the smock dress has something really interesting to say and she’s just a confident cool chick, dudes want to be with her.  That’s just the way it is; that’s the way it will always be. This kind of desperation to get the first look because you have a lot of skin showing, is pointless. You’re just objectifying yourself, and you can be just as sexy without doing that.