Nach zwei Alben mit der Band “The Jealous Girlfriends” brachte Holly Miranda Anfang des Jahres ihr Solodebüt “The Magician’s Private Library” heraus, das sich als wahre Singer-Songwriterperle entpuppte! Hier ein bisschen Klavier, dort ein bisschen Gitarre, das ganze angereichert mit einem sphärischen Synthesizer-Klangteppich – fertig ist eine der positivsten Überraschungen des Jahres (hier gibt es unsere Kritik). Schwierig zwischen all den schönen Liedern einen Lieblingssong zu finden – wobei sich das sehnsüchtige und gleichzeitig eingängigste Lied der CD “Waves” schon anbietet. So oder so – wir freuen uns unbeschreiblich, dass Holly die Zeit fand uns ein paar Fragen zu beantworten – Holly Miranda im Bedroomdisco-Interview!

– Name: Holly Miranda
– Residence: Brooklyn/Detroit
– Current album: The Magician’s Private Library

– When did you start making music? What was the impulse?
i started taking piano lessons at the age of seven, my parents forced me to. i didn’t want to at all, but both of my sisters had started and then quit, and since i was the youngest, they weren’t taking no for an answer..

– We read that your parents didn’t allow you to listen to music besides Motown and Christian music – what did they think of you being a musician? How do they think about it today?
They have always been very supportive of me being a musician, at first I know they would have rather i be playing music in a church… but they have really come around, and are incredibly supportive of me.

– Was there I time when you thought about doing something else than being a musician?
I wanted to be an architect when i was ten, but then I realized what I really wanted to do was actually build the houses, not sit behind a desk. I did a lot of freelance graphic design, designing websites and stuff like that.

– What was the occasion for you to write your first song?
I was 14 and a little angry, about what i don’t know.

– Do you remember a line of your first song? What was it?
“Fuck you, I don’t want to hear it.”

– The Jealous Girlfriends – how did it come to you playing in the band and what are your further plans with the band now you also have a solo-career?
I started that band about 6 or 7 years ago with Alex Lipsen, I don’t know what the future holds for The Jealous Girlfriends. We shall see.

– Why did you decide to do a solo-album in the first place?
For me, its not a solo album, its just my music. I was playing “solo” for years before The Jealous Girlfriends, and all during that band and still now.

– How was the process of working on a song for your solo-record different to working on songs for The Jealous Girlfriends?
The Jealous Girlfriends was more of a collective, we all wrote the songs together by the second album. With my music, its just me in the writing process, and then I teach it to the band and they write their parts for the song, but the structure and the song for the most part is already there.

– How would you describe your debut album “The Magician’s Private Library”?
Its a journey on horseback into the forest, where you stumble upon a small cottage with a secret door in the floor that leads to a tunnel. Lining the walls of the tunnel is Murlin the Magicians secret stash of endless symbolism… then you wake up… ya dig?

– Could you tell a bit how it was done, where, what the difficulties were for you?
It was recorded over one month in Brooklyn, New York with Dave Sitek producing it. It was one of the best experiences of my life really. It was challenging at time, but I learned so much in that month that I feel like if The Jealous Girlfriends was college, this was my masters degree. It was also working with family for me.

– How did you prepare for doing this record? We read you did write 40 songs before?
I had a collection of demos I’d been recording at home for a while, I just brought everything in with me and everytime we were ready to start a new song we would listen to all the songs and pick one. It was just whatever felt right and what got us excited..

– What were the steps then from your demos to a finished song?
It was always different. Sometimes the songs went in totally different direction than the demos, and sometimes we would really try and recreate the demo on a music larger scale.

– For the record you did work with David Sitek – how did it come to this and what influence did he have to the sound of it?
Dave has been a good friend for a while, we had been exchanging ideas and I’d been giving him my demos and taking little assignments from him.. like “try covering this song”, etc. It has always been a mutual admiration between us. SO making a record together was a very natural progression.. He definitely left his mark on this record, i love it.

– “The Magician’s Private Library” has a very mystical touch – has this evolved during the recording or was it planned to sound like this before? What intention did you have with this?
I didn’t have any intention, We just let the songs become themselves. I don’t know how to describe it really, it was very magical.

– “Waves” is one of our favorite Songs – can you describe how it came into existence, what it is about and what the story behind it is?
Waves is about wondering where the waves you make in life go.. i.e. the people you love, the things you say and do, etc.

– At the moment there is just one headlining-show of you in Germany planned. How are the chances that you will be doing a bigger tour in Germany?
I hope so!

– What are the last three records you heard and liked?
Yeasayer – Odd blood, Sade – Soldier of Love, El Perro Del Mar – Love is Not Pop

– What was your best personal experience in 2009?
Seeing Leonard Cohen play at Coachella.

– What are your plans for 2010?
Touring all over the world, taking a vacation in Australia for three weeks and hopefully get back into the studio by the end of the year or early 2011.

– How are your associations with the word “Bedroomdisco”?
That is the first time I’ve ever seen that word, so I guess this interview is my only association with it… what does it mean?

– What song would fit to your situation/mood at the moment?
El Perro Del Mar, Change of heart..

– What song makes you dance independent of the situation?
My feet.