Ms. Christie Huff Interview by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
Lamitschka: How was the last year for you? What were your
highlights?
Answer: The last year has been the most rewarding year yet!
You don’t realize how good of a year it is until looking back, but I had a
great year of shows. I got to perform at many music festivals opening up for
artists who I am major fans of like Toby Keith at Coastal Country Jam, Jason
Aldean at CountryFest, Bebe Rexha at Phoenix Pride, and Billy Currington at
Boots In The Park Festival. I also got to do a month long tour on my way to
CountryFest this summer. I’m excited to see what this new year brings!
Lamitschka: What inspired you to become an artist?
Answer: When I was a little girl and people would ask me what I
wanted to be when I grew up I would say “Rockstar or singer”. I always loved
performing and singing, it has always been my passion and love. But it wasn’t
until I graduated High School that I decided that I was gonna take that leap of
faith and pursue this as a career. I’ve always been inspired to be an artist,
it’s something that I have to do, it’s part of my soul and who I am.
Lamitschka: What do you think about today’s music industry?
Answer: Today’s music industry is very different than it used to
be. For an independent artist it’s the best time because we have social media
and can build our careers from the ground up all on our own, but it’s also very
difficult because label deals are very hard to come by today unless you already
have a following you built yourself. Social media doesnt become ideal when
labels sign people based off of a following instead of talent which is not how
it used to be. Artists used to be developed my a team, now days that’s very
rare and artists have to develop themselves. Which have positives and
negatives. Me personally, I like to have a hand in every aspect of my career so
I like that that is a MUST nowdays for artists. But payment is also a lot
different now because of streaming. It’s an interesting time to be in the music
industry, but you just have to adapt and keep on thinking outside of the box!
Lamitschka: If you had the chance to change something about the
music industry, what would it be?
Answer: I would change the way artists and songwriters are paid.
We keep getting less and less for our work, I would want to make sure we get
fairly paid for our products that are consumed.
Lamitschka: Who inspires you musically and how deep do your
musical roots run?
Answer: Musically I am inspired by music I listened to growing up
and todays current hits or indie bands. I grew up listening to Carole King,
Sheryl Crow, James Taylor. And when I was a little girl Carrie Underwood and
Michelle Branch really inspired me to write songs and tell a story. That’s
where I get my country/pop/singer songwriter vibe from. I love all genres but
love songs that tell a story. Lately in the pop world I’ve been inspired to
incorporate that current sound with my country/singer songwriter roots to
create a hybrid of sounds.
Lamitschka: How much creative control do you have over your music?
Answer: I am very lucky, since I am an independent artist I get to
have 100% creative control of my music. I write my songs on my own from
experiences I have and then get to choose who I want to collaborate with in
producing each song. I work with really great talented producers who listen to
my ideas for the song and then they take it to places I never thought possible.
I’m really grateful I have that freedom to write what I want and collaborate
with who I want.
Lamitschka: What will your next single be?
Answer: My most current single is “Urban Love” and I am so excited
about it! It’s unlike anything I’ve recorded before and tells a story that I
think people my age can relate to. Hope you like it!
Lamitschka: Do you write the songs yourself? If not, how do you go
about finding the songs for your CD?
Answer: Yes I write all my songs by myself! I get inspired to
write songs from events in my life and stories I make up in my head.
Lamitschka: What is the difference between your last CD and your
current one?
Answer: My current EP, or catalog of songs I am releasing this
year (I am releasing a single at a time instead of a full album all at once) is
more current than my last CD. I think it takes you to a place with the lyrics
and also production. My newer songs I want to transport the listener to that
place or story I am creating and I really feel like my newer songs do just
that!
Lamitschka: What kind of songs do you like to record the most?
Answer: I like to record all the songs I end up deciding to
record. As a songwriter I write so many songs and can only choose a handful of
those songs to record. So I usually end up recording my favorite songs. My
latest single was a lot of fun to record because I’ve never produced a song in
this type of jazz/funk influenced style. I like to record different styles than
I’m used to the most!