Chantal Kreviazuk chats with JAM!

Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk joined JAM! for a live chat Wednesday, June 28th. Here is the transcript.

Steve Howells: Chantal, do you ever plan on doing a tour with a full band? I have seen you twice in concert in Calgary and thought you were amazing. I really enjoy how your songs sound with just a piano but was wondering do you ever play concerts with a full band? Chantal Kreviazuk: I haven't started with a full band as yet. have done a few shows with a full band, the Junos (with the players who played on my album. they are fantastic , but it would be impossible to get them permanently). However, I have been using a one-man show-type guy onstage with me. He is sort of a programmer/guitar/keyboardist. Multi-talented dude (he is actually Our Lady Peace's pseudo fifth member). I am not able to use him all the time. It is nice when he is with me, because he is able to introduce some of the extra textures from the album.

Lori Rutka: Hello, Chantal! Just wondering if it's true you used to be on the children's television program LET"S GO back in the 80's? I watched the show religiously, and am wondering if that's why I feel a kind of bond with you

Chantal Kreviazuk: You just might be right.

Mark B: Chantal, how has a new marriage influenced your writing style? Is it easy to collaborate with your husband, though you both reflect different styles in pop culture?

Chantal Kreviazuk: Absolutely. The first thing that comes to mind is that a great song is a great song. Your thoughts or feelings coming through in songs is gonna be a triumph no matter what. Those being priorities of my husband and myself, we are on the same page more than you would expect. As whether he influences me, absolutely he does. I;m sharing my life with him and him only. He influences my being and my music. We are actually doing a film score for Cleopatra, the second feature film being restored. Seeing as we both happen to be in town, I thought it would be nice to do it together. It is a silent film, the second one ever made, from 1912. We ended up writing songs for it, pieces of music, and then a lot of texture and pad music. We are trying to discern how much to relate to it. It will be on Turner Classic Network in August. There will probably be a press release and an announcement at my website. (www.sonymusic.com and look for me).

Maria: Is there a correlation between your song "M" and Our Lady Peace's song "Thief"? Are they about the same girl?

Chantal Kreviazuk: Yes, they are. And how observant!

Antonio Rocha ([email protected]): When is you coming to Portugal? There are many fans here that would not miss that opportunity.

Chantal Kreviazuk: I really hope to get to your neck of the woods. It is really hard for me to tell right now. It is just unfolding what Sony territories are going to invite me for a visit. That is still up in the air. I will absolutely try to do some of the European audiences and thank you for the support in Portugal. As for US, I cannot answer. It will depend on radio support, so keep calling in to the radio stations.

Stephanie Gross: Hi Chantal, I'm a big fan and I hope that you will consider performing in New Orleans. I noticed at the beginning of "God Made Me" you say something but I can't make it out. What are the words you say at the beginning of this track?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I used to remember,and now I forget. But you are not crazy, I am mumbling.

chantals #1 fan: Do you think if your older brothers never played piano and there was not a piano around the house when you were younger, do you think you wouldn't be playing it today?

Chantal Kreviazuk: Yes, it is possible, however, I probably would have walked around with such a void in my being, I would probably be in a mental hospital trying to figure out the missing piece.

Christina Clark: Chantal, I think you are a phenomenal songwriter and pianist, keep up the extraordinary work! My question for you is: If you could cover ANY song for a movie soundtrack or album, what would be your first choice and why? Thanks so much!

Chantal Kreviazuk: That's a difficult question. There have been many songs that left me feeling changed or inspired me to no avail. U2, maybe the song All I Want Is You. That's off the top of my head. But there are a lot. And not many of them are from the era of late (the last 10 years has been pretty disappointing.)

Steve Olynyk: How tall are you?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I am five foot seven and three-quarters, and I just found that out when I went for my checkup.

Maude : When Chantal Kreviazuk will make a new album?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I am going to do as much scoring as possible, and I would like to start writing as soon as possible. Anything is possible. I will make records as long as I have an audience. Hopefully sooner than later.

marjorie: hi chantal my question is:you're gonna be in concert july 1 at montreal( (yahoooo!)and i see your show march 29 at the spectrum of montreal so my question is your show gonna be with drums and guitar or more like the spectrum show(voice,piano...)?(both are great...but i like the sound of piano/voice effec) excuse my english...tu continue de pratiquer ton francais? :)

Chantal Kreviazuk: I will probably be alone. I will probably be playing a full set, as far as I know.

Lucas de Lima: Hi Chantal. I'm very curious to know, what albums have you been listening to lately?

Chantal Kreviazuk: (rummaging through CDs) The Rheostatics, a children's album, The Story Of Harmelodia. The new Sinead O'Connor, Faith And Courage. The Million Dollar Hotel, that's not bad Billie Holiday's greatest hits

Chantal Kreviazuk: I also have Moby and Travis, the first and second album. Two other Sinead O'Connor albums, and the soundtrack for the Insider.

vixy: On the old cover of Under These Rocks And Stones there's print in another language (Sanskrit?) which resembles EtfhftflEt. What does it mean or stand for?

Chantal Kreviazuk: It is my name in Ukrainian

Hammy: Thanks for taking my question, Chantal. It seems tough as a Canadian to get started in the music industry. How would you recommend that one, as a singer, goes about getting noticed or getting started? Where do you go and what do you do? Thanks

Chantal Kreviazuk: The obvious is do what I did and send your tapes into record labels. The other is to build up an indie base and if it is really good and it deserves it, it will be noticed. I truly believe that. Remember that creating is for yourself. You never validate what you are doing by the response you get commercially. It is for you.

Brittany~from North Dakota~: Chantal, I was wondering when you got started singing? and when you finally realized you were a success?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I don't think I have ever thought of acknowledging success at any particular moment. Where I am concerned, the jury will probably always be out. I have been in love with music before my memory can recall.

Anonymous: I love all of the songs on "Colour Moving and Still" but I especially love the song "Eve". What is the story behind that song?

Chantal Kreviazuk: It is based on the documentary film All About Eve, which is the story of a little girl who acquired the HIV virus at the tender age of seven weeks old from a blood transfusion. It reflects her and her mothers struggle for acceptance at a time when people with AIDS were shunned. Her wisdom and bravery (which was beyond anything I have ever seen in anyone.)

Lynn Jones (Winnipeg): Chantel, I have sent this site to my niece Shauna Hicks.. Hopefully she will come on line and say hi to you and of course ask some questions. She knows you from your Hotel Fort Garry days.. congratulations on how everything is going for you. (smile)

Chantal Kreviazuk: Hi, Shauna Hicks. Hope life is treating you well.

Andrew: What other singles are you planning to release from Colour Moving and Still? Will they have videos? Will your latest single Souls have a video? Can you tell us about it? P.S., everyone here loves you, and thank-you for all the great music

Chantal Kreviazuk: Souls or Faraway will have a video. The concept is written by my husband. He may or may not be directing it. I don't want to give it away, but it is pretty special. Souls is the current video, so we'll have to see if there is a reason to put it out. We will do a video for one of those songs.

Brian Yee: To me, there seems to be a few recurring images in your songs throughout the two images, and one of them is spirituality or religion. How much does your spirituality affect your writing?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I think my spiritual values come through in my artistic expression. I only write things that I will respect forever that are true to my soul. I look at my artistic expression as the height of my spiritual expression and being true to myself.

Sandy J: How did it come about that a television show that originates in the United States come to use your remake of a Beatles song as its theme?

Chantal Kreviazuk: Long story short, Sony owns the rights to In My Life. I think I was a bit of a trump card, deciding who would sing it. They basically said, if you want to have it, you can, but you have to use one of our artists. I think that is what happened. I could be wrong, but that is what I think happened.

Allison L: Chantal, What were your greatest musical influences when you were growing up?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I would say my elder cousins, Corinne, Brenda and Alanna influenced me tons, because they love music and were 60s and 70s music junkies. They exposed me to all the best music that I might not have found at my tender age. I really believe that shaped me creatively and spiritually and musically.

Michelle from Kleinburg, Ontario: Chantal, are you interested in poetry and if so who are some of your favourite poets?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I like Charles Bukowski a lot. (looking through poetry books) I love Robert Frost, because I think he writes with his spirit. I love Bukowski because he is so honest. ee cummings

Ashley (male, age 29 from Dallas): Chantal, I'm your biggest fan in the big state of Texas! (I'm dying for the chance to finally see you live sometime.) I recently heard a webcast of one of your performances. Your songs are so refreshing outside the confines of a studio-- especially without the band and just the piano. It was like hearing them again for the first time. Do you ever plan to do a live album?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I think that live performance absolutely stunk! If shows get taped and I remember them as shows I loved, I would release a live album.

Becky: What was your reaction when you first heard your first single on the radio?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I cried. I was in Winnipeg in my car.

Loreen: Have you ever had writer's block and if so what did you do to relieve it?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I had it this morning, so I went for a run. It gives me some hope.

Glenn Drodge: Chantal, how many years of piano lessons did you take? And why didn't you go to music school as a natural progression for such a talented musician?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I studied through the conservatory of music, piano and vocals for 10 years. And in university, I only took music to help my GAP, the typical teenaged adolescent I don't need to be where everyone thinks I need to be syndrome.

Mango Conway from Montreal: Hi Chantal, I love the show Providence. That is how I discovered you. How did you come about singing the song "All My Life" for the show?

Chantal Kreviazuk: See the answer to the Beatles question.

Glen Dodge: Chantal, do you find it hard to sing "Surrounded" in concert, given what the song is about?

Chantal Kreviazuk: Yes, every single time.

Nickle fengstad: Hello Chantal! I was wondering if you will be playing in Saskatoon, SKI soon? The show was sold out last time you were here and I missed it. I would love to see you live. Also, I heard you will be taking time off to tour with Rain during Summer sault, will there be a surprise performance?

Chantal Kreviazuk: Now, I won't be. Absolutely not. I will probably do a tour maybe in the fall, and I will try to get to Saskatoon.

melissa: Good luck at the All Star game. Are you even interested in baseball?

Chantal Kreviazuk: I have interest in many sports. I don't have a great interest in the commercialization and salary caps and all that goes on with pro sports these days. I am honored to do it.

Avid sturrock: Any chance you are going to record "Wild Horses" on an upcoming CD? I've seen you do it live several times and your version is simply awesome!

Chantal Kreviazuk: I will try, and thank you very much.

Craig from North Carolina: Thanks for chatting on line! When writing songs which part comes to you first the tune or the words?

Chantal Kreviazuk: It is different every single time. It is never the same. Sometimes it is both and sometimes it is neither, ha!

Chantal Kreviazuk: Thank you so much for your support and coming on line. I wish I could speak with every one of you. I love you all, even if I didn't get to answer every question. Peace out!

By: Author Unknown