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An interview with Sharon Van Etten

The general consensus seems to indicate that once a person has listened to Sharon Van Etten’s voice, there is no going back to any other music for a while. The Brooklyn resident has crafted albums so intimate and personal, yet filled with so much universal emotion, it’s as though she were singing a page from all of our diaries.

At some point or another, we all experience heartbreak. Van Etten knows it, or at least can voice it better than most. Both her debut album, Because I Was In Love, and the recently released Epic are beautifully sung stories of love lost, betrayed, destroyed and hearts on the mend.

We spoke with Sharon about her musical beginnings, getting help from TV On The Radio’s Kyp Malone and being inspired by Ani Difranco.

AfterEllen.com: You played at CMJ this fall. Was your experience different than years past? Did you have to get used to being noticed a bit more?

SVE: Well this year we only played one show so I got to just hang out and catch some of the other musicians this time and could just hang out at the same venue all day without having to run around, so that was nice. A lot more people knew the words to my songs, that’s for sure. That was nice.

AE: Is it fun looking out into the audience and seeing people singing along?

SVE: Definitely! And especially this time playing with the band, seeing people bobbing their heads for once instead of just sitting on the floor.

AE: I think it’s interesting because when most people describe watching you play, the most used description of the audience is that they go silent while listening to you because they’re just awestruck. Has that now changed a bit?

SVE: Well I still keep some slower songs in the set because I want to keep most of that. But it is a little different because there are some songs that are a little more rock. I still have quiet songs but I like to keep a balance. I don’t want to depress people all the time.

AE: When you first started out, before meeting Kyp Malone, did you always keep copies of your demos on you just in case?

SVE: I actually only started making them when I met him. I wanted to share it with people but I didn’t know how because at the time I was only really doing open mics, so I gave some away to whoever wanted them. Sometimes if I’d go into a coffee shop and they’d be playing someone like Mirah, I’d say, “Oh you might like this” and give it to them. But I wouldn’t give it as a business card or anything.

AE: What was your state of mind after handing over your demo to Kyp?

SVE: Well, we had actually talked music before this. He had asked me if I was playing music or writing music already. Actually, the whole reason I had started talking to him to begin with was because I was friends with his brother in high school. He was opening for the band Celebration and I only knew about them going into it, but then when I saw him go on stage opening for them and heard his name I was like, “Holy crap! That’s my friend from high school’s older brother who I’ve never met.”

So afterwards I saw him hanging out at the bar and introduced myself, but then groups of people started crowding around him and I left. Later, he found me sitting on the other end of the bar and we got to talking about music and he told me he’d like to hear what I do. That’s when I was like, “Actually, I have a CD on me if that’s not weird,” and he said, “No, that’s not weird at all,” and so I gave him my CD.

AE: So when he played one of your songs on NPR when he was a guest DJ for them, did you freak out a little bit?

SVE: Yes, totally!

AE: Did he tell you he was going to be playing one of your songs?

SVE: No, but he did call me randomly to ask me what my favorite song on the album was, and I was like, “I don’t know, ‘Tornado’?” And he ended up playing and helped put me on NPR’s radar.

AE: Well, a lot of people’s radar! That was the first I had heard of you as well. You’ve touched a lot of ears and a lot of hearts with your songs. Your songs are packed with so much emotion, have you ever been afraid of sharing so much of yourself with your audience?

SVE: Well it took me a while because everything I’ve ever written has been done for self-therapy. I was afraid to share it with people but then I would start playing it for a friend or two and then they said how much it helped them get through hard times. So then I thought, well this isn’t just for me. This is helping other people get through things and not feel so alone. So, it was hard, but playing it every time is a release too. It is weird having it be so confessional and having it be so autobiographical. Especially the old record, that’s super autobiographical and it definitely takes me to a specific time and place. But to have other people relate to it, it makes it more timeless than I had intended.

AE: I’m assuming that this was the “ex-boyfriend” album? Is he still locked up? (Van Etten’s ex was a drug addict who ended up going to prison)

SVE: Actually I just heard on the last tour in September that he’s out. I don’t know what he’s doing right now.

AE: Probably picking up your album!

SVE: Ha! I hope not!

AE: You’ve mentioned before that Ani DiFranco was a big influence on you.

SVE: Yeah, my friend Alexa in high school was really into Ani and she gave me the first few records she put out. It was the first time I had played around on an acoustic guitar and really tried learning how to pick properly. At the time, my older brother would always tell me that girls couldn’t play guitar. Stupid older brother stuff. So whenever he would leave, I would play his guitar and try to learn some songs and put them into weird keys and stuff. But she was the first musician I had ever heard whose songs were super confessional. She could really play guitar, it wasn’t just a girl with a guitar, she really meant what she said and it wasn’t poppy. That was my first experience with non-pop female musicians. She made me want to start playing more.

AE: Considering how emotional your songs are, do you ever just have to take a step away and have a dance party by yourself? If so, what music do you listen to to get the job done?

SVE: Totally! I listen to a lot of OMD, I’m into ’80s music a lot. I have pop songs that I just write for myself but I’m like, “I could totally do this if I wanted to.” I’m into a lot of the new post-punk electronic stuff. I like a lot of different kind of stuff.

AE: Your album Epic just came out, is it too early to talk about working on another album or are you constantly coming up with new songs — not just pop related for your own pleasure?

SVE: I’m actually in the studio right now, I’m just taking a break. I’m working on an album that will hopefully come out early next year. I’m always writing because it’s the only thing I know how to do! [Laughs]

AE: Well, in a past interview you’ve said you enjoy learning about new hobbies but aren’t really good at any of them – can you give an example? I’m like that with decoupage.

SVE: I like knitting and crocheting but I haven’t really gone past hats and scarves. I like taking old clothes and re-altering them just so they fit me or are a little more interesting. Also, my boyfriend left me a ukulele after he went on tour so I’ve recorded a few songs on there.

AE: Ukuleles are really making a huge comeback these days!

SVE: Yeah it’s nice because it’s a really simple, portable instrument with less strings so it kind of minimizes things so it’s easier to write a melody over.

Hear more from Sharon at myspace.com/sharonvanetten. Epic would make a great gift for a music fan in your life.

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