Michaela Anne's "Seven Questions for Songwriters..."

SEVEN QUESTIONS FOR SONGWRITERS
1. What makes you write?
Anything and everything. And the fact that I start to feel crazy if I go too long without writing.

2. Who is the greatest unknown influence on your music?
Well it's not too unknown to those who listen to my music....but definitely my family. My dad was a submarine captain so we grew up moving every year or two all over the country and abroad. This experience, along with my dad being away a lot and watching my mama deal with living as a military wife and mother....this all is a huge influence on my music.

3. What is your most closeted, secret, guilty and humiliating musical pleasure?
Really horrible cheesy pop music. At the same time that I'm criticizing it and saying how depressing it is that this is what's popular today, I'm secretly suppressing my urge to jumping and dance.

4. What established artist made you want to write songs, and why?
Well since I wrote my first songs (without lyrics) when I was 6 and learning piano, it probably would have been Bach (the stripped down made for beginners Bach tunes). But writers like Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, and Townes Van Zandt make me want to write better songs. The incredible stories they write married perfectly to the most beautiful melodies inspire me to be more inventive and imaginative and just to hone my craft!

5. Advice for just-starting songwriters on establishing yourself as a woman in the industry?
I am a baby in this songwriting music industry so I'm the one that needs the advice! But the words of wisdom I often hear are to believe in yourself even when nobody else does and persevere!

6. Why country?
Because it feels the best and it's what naturally comes out.

7. Favorite backwoods expression?
It's sunnier than angels pickin' cotton.

SONGWRITER OF THE WEEK!!! Kelli Rae Powell

SEVEN QUESTIONS FOR SONGWRITERS by Kelli Rae Powell

1. What makes you write?
I write because I can't shut up.

2. Who is the greatest unknown influence on your music?
My Grandma Donna.

3. What is your most closeted, secret, guilty and humiliating musical pleasure?
Justin Timberlake. He's on my ipod. Right. Now. The thing that's embarrassing about that is that I'm just getting excited about pop songs that were popular 5 years ago. Have you heard that Bringing Sexy Back, song? It's awesome. Oh, you heard it 5 years ago? Great. When discussing pop culture with me, you should assume that I'm aware of about as much as your oldest and least cool Aunt. Probably less.

4. What established artist made you want to write songs, and why? I genuinely wanted to be Dolly Parton when I grew up. Let's face it. I still do. When I learned she wrote her songs and actually wrote songs that other people sang, too, it awed me. I wanted to be like her, so I practiced writing songs. My first song was called "I Want To Fly Forever." I wrote it in the 3rd grade. I will never ever show that song to Dolly Parton.

5. Advice for just-starting songwriters on establishing yourself as a woman in the industry? I am not established in the industry, so I could actually use some advice, myself.

6. Why country? Townes Van Zandt said it the best: Three chords and the truth.

7. Favorite backwoods expression. My Grandma used to say, "Now, isn't that as common as an old brown shoe?" I need to work that into a song.

www.kelliraepowell.com