Interview with Kara Della Valle

Kara Della
Valle:  I have this thing and it’s called a “songs I wish I
wrote” mental list I keep in my mind. Every time I hear this
amazing song, I yell at myself and say “I wish I thought of
that.” Those songs are mostly by Taylor Swift. “Cold As
You” off her first album has always been a song I go back to for
inspiration no matter how many times I’ve heard it. It’s just the
kind of song that says “I hate you,” “you hurt me,”
“I’m better off without you,” all in one, and you usually
don’t get all three in one song. It was also co-written with Liz
Rose, who is my favourite song writer.

Lamitschka:  Many
music fans today get their information about artists online. Do you
have your own website and what will fans find there?

Kara
Della Valle:  I actually started posting YouTube videos in 2008.
It was kind of an accident, but it ended up working out. On my
YouTube now, I post covers, originals, even personal videos about my
life. I like being close to the people who support me, and some of
them even have my phone number and we talk all the time. I never want
to seem ungrateful for the things they do for me. All my links to
Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube and anything else I have is on my website
www.karadellavalle.com.

Lamitschka: 
What has been your greatest challenge in music business?

Kara
Della Valle: The biggest challenge is probably realizing that a lot
of people are going to promise you things. They’re going to make you
feel like you’re the best thing that they’ve ever seen. Growing a
thick skin for this job is something you need because those people
may think you’re great but they can’t help you. Some people may take
that personally, when someone promises them something and they don’t
follow through, they may feel not good enough. I definitely went
through that, and I think the best thing to remember, is to look at
what you have, look at what you didn’t a year ago, look at what
you’ve accomplished and not what you haven’t. Time is the best thing
for people and I think the more time you give yourself, the easier
this industry is. Nothing big happens over night, but little things
do. Keep going.

Lamitschka:  How did you choose the title
for the CD?  Is there a story behind the name?

Kara
Della Valle:  My latest CD is called “Glass.” When
choosing the title for the CD I really wanted it to be one of the
songs off the album that represented it as a whole. I saw a picture
online that had a quote attached to it. It was of a wine glass
breaking in slow motion. The quote below it said something like “The
moment you see glass break, is the same feeling as when your heart
does.” I don’t know what it exactly said, but it really got to
me. Made me realize a lot of people are like “Glass”. The
song on the album called “Glass,” really relates to that.
This guy would be so afraid to hurt me, and would look at me like I
was so fragile, but he would continuously do it anyway. I think from
that moment I looked at heart break differently and every song on the
record relates to that.

Lamitschka:  Please tell us about
the songs on your album (influences, etc).

Kara Della
Valle:  The songs on the album all relate to love. Whether it’s
good love, bad love, fake love. I really like writing about love
because most people can relate to it. People like listening to the
things they’ve been through. It makes them feel less alone. As much
as I wish I didn’t have any influences for this album, I do. The boys
in my life in the last year made it what it is. I think it’s easier
for me to write a song about how I feel rather than saying it. I
don’t have the best luck when it comes to relationships, and
listening to “Glass” you will learn that. I don’t think
anyone is good at falling in love, I think we all learn slowly just
what’s good for us. Hopefully my next album has more of what’s good
for me rather than what wasn’t.

Lamitschka:  What is the
difference between your last CD and your current one?

Kara
Della Valle:  My last album I was a lot younger writing it. They
say your first album is your whole life up to that point. Which was
true, my first album I had songs I wrote on there from when I was 13
to 18. That album is something I’m proud of because it was the first
thing I ever put out as an artist and it was a dream come true. I
think when I write my next album i’ll feel the same about my new one.
As a writer I grew, and as a musician I did too. My style has
changed, and even who I am has. I’ve grown up and I’m writing about
the same things, just in different ways. When you get older you feel
differently about things than when you were 14. I think it’s
important to grow, to change but at the same time stay who you are. I
know my next album will be different from my first and second, but
I’ll never be unrecognizable.

Lamitschka:  What will your
next single be?

Kara Della Valle:  The next single
is called “South Dakota”. The song is about being in a
relationship you really want to be in, but your dreams are a little
bigger and you have to leave town and he has to stay because his life
is there. There’s a point where it hits you and you ends up calling
him in the middle of the night just asking for him back and it
reaches to the point where you’re desperate. You’d give up all your
dreams for him and you just wish he would’ve followed you and stopped
you but he didn’t. I think the songs lesson is, you don’t really know
what you have until it’s gone. We always take advantage of love when
it’s there, and when we lose it we almost act like we never had it at
all. It’s just a reminder that when you have something, keep it
close, and when you lose it, just be thankful you had the chance to
have it.

Lamitschka:  What is your favorite song among
all the songs you have recorded and what’s the story behind
it?

Kara Della Valle:  My favourite song on the
record is “See You Again”. I wrote about a first date I
went on with this guy. He was honestly from a fairy tale. I had just
gotten out of a really bad relationship and I never thought I’d feel
something again. I really wanted to be alone all the time. I gave
this guy a chance, and we went out and he made me want to see him
again. I never thought I’d find that, and it gave me a lot of hope
that I wasn’t going to hurt forever and it terrified me at the same
time, I didn’t want to allow myself to fall for him. In the end me
and this fairy tale guy didn’t work out, but he still is a good
friend and he taught me a lot about love.

Lamitschka: 
What kind of songs do you like to record the most?

Kara
Della Valle:  My favourite songs to record are the ones I want a
certain person to hear the most. Every time I record it’s a different
feeling. Even if the two songs are both sad, they’re sad in different
ways and I want to portray that in the recording. On paper they’re
just about getting hurt but when you hear it I want people to know
why. I think it’s important to express yourself when singing and
really feel what you wrote. I think that’s the most important thing
while recording, if you don’t really mean it, don’t sing it. People
can tell when you feel passionate about something. If someone can
relate to your song, it’s because they feel passionate about it too,
the more honesty you put into it, the more people will get out of it.

Lamitschka:  What do you think about today’s music
industry?

Kara Della Valle:  I have a love/hate
relationship with the music industry. It is the greatest thing I’ve
ever been a part of, but it also sometimes feels like the worst. I
only say that because in any industry, not just the music one, you’ll
find horrible people. They’ll make do what they want and twist your
words and make you feel like your best is your worst. I love this
industry more than I dislike it though. I wouldn’t be a part of it if
I didn’t. I think music brings millions of people together–whether
it’s a girl crying on her bedroom floor, or a guy getting pumped up
for his football game. The industry allows people like myself to
express ourselves. Personally I think the industry is up in the air
right now with all the social media hype and illegal downloads. I
think a lot of things are changing and it’s a good time to get your
foot in the door because there really aren’t any rules. My advice for
anyone trying to get in, is to never give up, and thats the cheesiest
thing I can say, but I heard a saying and it’s “the secrets to
life are written behind the word cliche,” It’s the truest thing.
I have so much respect for this industry and so much hope. I think
everyone works extremely hard to get where they are and I am so proud
to be a part of it. 

Christian Lamitschka ( CountryMusicNewsInternational@googlemail.com)