Good evening Amy, welcome to my show. How’s things going?“Hi, thanks for having me! Things are going well. Super busy!”
You’re coming towards the end of another tour. Does it ever get a bit repetitive sometimes?“Yeah, but we’re always finding ways to keep things interesting on tour and onstage. We make sure that our setlist changes on a nightly basis in order to keep things fresh for us. Right now, we’re feeling energised about touring again. We’re embracing the travelling and visiting different cities and countries and meeting our fans. But I think the break that we took a couple of years ago definitely helped. We needed to step away from the stage together and do our own stuff to freshen things up. But we’re feeling excited about each show again and that’s how it should be because our fans deserve to see us at our best.”
Of course you and your band have been around the industry for almost six years now. Do you find it crazy how fast time has flown by and you’re now one of the veterans of the industry?“Of course because we’re still just kids ourselves. I turn 23 next month but it feels like we’ve been making music for so many years now. I don’t know if I’d consider us veterans of the industry but I’m really proud of what we’ve managed to achieve so far. I still remember that first year when we released our debut album and all of the people that we were spending time with on tour as a support band. I can’t deny that that first year was quite possibly the most exciting of my life.”
Your latest album was a remixed version of “Boycott Love”, is that something you’d like to do again in the future?“It was definitely intended as a one-off thing. It was just a cool thing to try out and I always felt that the songs we wrote on “Boycott Love” really lent themselves to a remixed version, I think the flow of the lyrics worked well and with the addition from all of those amazing rap and hip hop musicians it was just a special thing to be a part of. I don’t think you can expect us to do that with every record that we do, like I said, I just think the songs we did for that album worked really well for the concept. I don’t think it would work with as many of our other songs that we’ve released. But certainly if we do feel like it can be done again, it’s always something to consider.”
Your band are one of the rare acts in the industry that has not had much controversy. The biggest of which being the departure of original members Justin and Nathan Mullen. Justin in particular had some harsh and unflattering words to say, was that the most difficult period you’ve gone through as a band?“I think we’ve been lucky in the personalities that we all have in that we don’t really have that excessive side to our personalities. But any excess that we do have isn’t in front of the watching world. It was always a case of, wanting our music to be the main source of discussion about us. We weren’t ever going to be comfortable being talked about because of celebrity status, relationships and media drama. It was always going to be about the music we create and if after the first album that had changed and our own private lives became the focus, I don’t think we would have continued.
The whole situation about Justin and Nathan was definitely the toughest time for us as a band. After they left, the three of us sat down and talked about just ending it there and moving on. But the passion is the band. It’s always fun to do different things, but the band is a labour of love for the three of us and we knew we wanted to continue. Maybe take a break at first, but we were always going to be back at it again at some point in the near future. It’s just a shame how things went down at that time. But we’re not ones to hold grudges.”
So does this mean we could ever see the original five back together?“I don’t think you should hold your breath on that. The easy answer is just to say, “never say never” and that’s the case here. I like to think that any of that bad blood has gone and that we’ve managed to bury the hatchet and move on from the situation. Myself and Justin have both reached out to each other recently, and apologies were said and we wished each other luck. I know both Justin and Nathan have their band “pretty.odd” and they’re gonna be doing their stuff pretty soon and I hope it goes well for them. But I don’t think you should expect to see the five original members together again. Who knows? Maybe our bands can do something, the door is definitely open.”
Okay, so lets get back to the music. Typically you’ve gone straight into a studio once you finish your touring commitments. Is that the plan this time around?“Yeah that’s the definitely the plan. We finish up the tour in June. We have a couple of festival appearances over the next couple of months. But we’ll be heading back into our studio in July to work on the next album. We’ve already managed to record a couple of tracks for the album. We know the vibe that we’re going to be creating with the next album and we’re very excited about it. But the cycle will most definitely continue in the same vein for the next album. I think maybe a break will be due after we finish the next one, but we’ll assess our situation closer to the time. For now, we just want to keep putting as much work out there as we can.”
Can you give us any ideas of what to expect from the next album?“I think musically and lyrically it will follow on from “Wild Young Things” and “Boycott Love.” From the songs we’ve written so far, it’s very much drenched in traditional values. It’s about faith and hope. There will be a lot of positivity and strength from the record. I feel like our audience is growing older with us and our aim is to create music that speaks to them in each stage of their life. If you look at our past albums, you’ll see that. At sixteen and seventeen we had the energy and vigour of our debut album. We had “Cradle to the Grave” and “Crossroads” which signalled the end of our teenage years. “Wild Young Things” was about getting older in age, but discovering that you still have that youthful enthusiasm inside of you. And “Boycott Love” is you settling into the person that you are to become, you’re finding out about yourself. So whatever it is, I think the next record will simply be about becoming wiser to the world. That’s the aim, at least.”
You’ve occasionally moved away from recording artist to businesswoman. You created ‘Songs to Love and Die By’ and made it a success before giving it up. Are you planning on venturing back into the business world again?“I think the focus is on the music for a while now. It’s good to know that I can go back to that world, if need be and I definitely enjoyed that period. I didn’t think I’d enjoy the discussions and meetings, but I made the best of it and I did it my own way. I love everything about ‘Songs to Love and Die By’ but it was time to let it go. I’ll still be watching the label and supporting it from a distance. But it was great when I was running it and it grow even bigger once you stepped in. Which I’m eternally thankful for your work there. So I dunno Cara, I could be tempted to go into business with you once more. It’s a combination that works well. Again, never say never, but my focus is the music.”
And after over five years in the industry, how would you describe your journey?“It’s been incredible, it’s been more than I could have ever expected and I’ve always been about legacy and I’m so proud of the legacy that I’m working on. I’ve got five albums under my belt as part of “Riot!” and I’m proud of each of them. I have a solo record under my belt that I needed to do and I still love the simplistic elements of that album. There’s a lifetime of work to be done still and I can’t wait to see what I’ve achieved when I’m old. But it’s been amazing so far, let’s hope it continues.”
Alright, this is where the fun happens. Quick questions. You ready for this?“Not exactly Cara. I’ve seen your show before.”
If you could leave Riot! and join a super group, who would you choose to join you in the group?“That’s a toughie. It would depend on the situation. If we’re talking girl group. It’s gotta be, Myself, Jennifer Armstrong and Kourtney Steele. If we’re talking rock group, I’ll take Matt Collins on drums, Gabriel Hunter on bass, Billie Beckett on lead guitar and Myself and Ashley Perry on vocals. I think that’s a pretty badass line-up, if I do say so myself.”
If you switch places with one person in the industry for a day, who would you switch with?“Glamazon, I’d love to be in her mind for a day. I have lots of admiration for her as a songwriter and performer and I think it would be an amazing experience to know how she does it.”
Alrighty, everybody’s favourite game. Fuck. Marry. Kill. Ryan Ross Hernandez, Billie Beckett and Justin Mullen?“See, this is the one I was worried about. So we’re assuming they’re all single, right? They’re all friends too, you know what you’re doing Cara! Well Ryan isn’t the marrying type, I think Billie likes the peacefulness and serenity so I’d marry Billie. We’ll have to kill Justin, because I’ve known him too long to do anything like that with and also revenge. So it looks like it’s a wild night of passion for me and Ryan. Maybe I’ve put a little too much thought into that one.”
If you could give your younger self some advice before starting in the industry, what would you say?“Just don’t worry too much. When I first started I was always on the move, I felt like I had to be doing something all of the time. But now, I realise that you just sometimes need to step back and breathe it all in. So yeah, just don’t worry.”
