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| Vanessa Carlton: Music keeps me grounded Author: Maridol Rañoa-Bismark The way Vanessa Carlton sings of teenaged angst and struggles in A Thousand Miles makes everyone under 20 feel she's his or her bosom friend. That's why they play and replay her songs like some kind of personal anthem until the piano pop single made it to the top five of the US Billboard 100. Even the seniors noticed. They gave A Thousand Miles a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). Vanessa's controversial White Houses won't be left far behind either. The song about virginity entered the US Billboard Hot 100 last year. That's why resting on her laurels would be a breeze for the twentysomething Vanessa. Except that she'd rather not. She'd rather not let success get the better of her, to the point that she speaks haltingly when talk drifts to her hit songs. "It's rare for an artist to reach that kind of height of success," she concedes, her words coming in short , even shy intervals. And it surprised her no end that A Thousand Miles became the success that it turned out to be. She's not entirely clueless about why it happened, though. "I wrote the song as a teen. It was a reflection of that chapter in my life. There is an innocence and a purity that is important tapping into, no matter what chapter you are in your life. Because of that, I think it (the song) will never go old. " She adds a self-deprecating note: "Although I think it's very naïve. " Naïve is the last word you'll use to describe her musical tastes, though. Vanessa has been playing the piano for so long now (since she was a toddler) she knows a good one when she sees one. "I prefer old pianos. The piano I played in Heroes and Thieves (her latest album, from MCA Music, Inc. ) is an old upright piano found in a bar. It's a piano from the mid to late '90s. Pianos are like wine. The more vintage they are, the sweeter the sound," she notes. The same can be said of Vanessa. Not that she's vintage. Far from it. It's just that years ago, she was a typical teen singer-songwriter grappling with her own crises. Today, she's a lot more mature, and has come to terms with fame, hit albums and the trappings of success. And she's level-headed enough not to let them drown her. "The biggest challenge for me," she observes, "is maintaining my perspective. " And so, she sings in More Than This, the last track of Heroes and Thieves: Time, it fades away, precious as a song/cause someday we'll be gone. Vanessa explains the lyrics: "We all have the power to decide that we need no more than what we have. We crave no more than what we have. I have so much! When you realize this, you'd be so joyful. " This is the perspective she wants to maintain, no matter what heights of success she'll continue to reach. This girl would rather stay wholesome and clean. No hint of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan at all. Instead of partying or watching fashion shows, Vanessa, in her own words, "donates" her time and effort to charity. She is part of Musicians on Call, a foundation whose members go to hospitals and cheer up sick children with their soothing melodies. Vanessa also supports Music is Power, another foundation that provides CDs and record players for sick children in hospitals. "Music heals," she stresses. "The more even-keeled the music, the more it soothes the mind. We feel better faster. " Vanessa herself turns to what she calls "meditation music" -- rich in the lush sounds of musical instruments -- to keep her grounded. She walks the talk. Now look where it has gotten her. (Watch Vanessa as she performs her hits and songs from her new album tonight at 7 at TriNoma Park; tomorrow, May 10, 7 p. m. at Glorietta Activity Center; and May 11, 6 p. m. at the Alabang Town Center Activity Center. The series of shows is presented by Ayala Malls in cooperation with Bench, MYX, RX 93. 1 and Vanessa's official residence, The Peninsula Manila). Source: The Philippine Star |
