Into The Spotlight
Reviewing what has been thrust into the spotlight
Singer Sandi Thom On Life After Being A Punk Rocker, Her New Sound And The Importance Of The Internet To The Music Industry
Singer of the smash-hit song ‘I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker’, Sandi Thom became an overnight sensation due to her use of the globe-encompassing Internet. Now she is back with a new sound, and having just completed her UK tour is off to perform around the world.
Can you describe your emotions when you got to No.1 with 'I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker'?
I think it was mainly shock and just like amazement. It’s a long time ago now so it’s weird to try and think back. I was just very pleased and quite humble about it all. You never really expect that kind of thing is going to happen to you. I felt a great sense of achievement as well.
What have you been up to since then?
Since then, well there’s never been a dull moment. I know how much of a struggle it can be to survive and succeed in this industry so I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to sustain myself and have temporary success here and there. I kind of feel now that it still amounts to a lot of hard work, but it is paying off bit by bit and it’s exciting for the future.
Many are labelling your new sound 'a musical reinvention', how do you see it?
I see it like an evolution; it’s not really a reinvention. The influences on this album are not new to me; they’re the people I’ve grown up with. It’s just really a natural progression. I think it’s a shock for people that only know me from ‘Punk Rocker’ to the present and to this album – I can see that they would be missing a big piece of the puzzle there but I don’t think it’s as much a shock to the fans that have followed me.
Do you miss the days when you stormed the charts?
Well that was never really my intention in the first place. I think the industry is different now – you can have a number one song and then just disappear so i think it’s about sticking it out and growing. Now it’s like the gigs sell the albums. And especially if you choose to take an independent road it’s a lot harder. But yeah I’m not saying it wouldn’t be great to have something like that happen again.
What advice would you give someone who wanted to break into the music industry?
I would say that there are a lot of people out there trying to do the same thing and it’s very competitive. I think that if you’re good and if you bring something of quality, people will come back to watch. That’s really the key to it all. Like anything you just have to work really, really hard and be very, very good. If you are like that, and you are humble with it, you’ll build the fan base and it’s the fan base that will keep you going.
You obviously used the Internet very successfully to launch your career, do you think technology is good for the industry?
At the end of the day you can’t stop that ball rolling. It’s technology and it will continue to advance in many different ways. People said that CDs would destroy the industry. Personally I think it’s a great thing. You can leave the confines of the village you live in and reach somebody on the other side of the world with your music.
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