MusicalMover Exclusive – Interview with Sky Ferreira.

I’ve always made music as long as I can remember, I’ve never really had a reason why. – Sky Ferreira.

Take every preconceived notion you have had of a teen pop star and turn it on its head, then you might just have yourself Sky Ferreira, one of the most talented 17 year old’s out there.  In a world saturated with identical acts, she is new, bold and refreshingly herself.

Her first-grade classmates had never heard her utter a word until she did a rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” at her Los Angeles school talent show at age six. She explains “It’s always been a lot harder for me to communicate because I’m shy, but when it comes to music, it’s quite easy for me to talk. Performing is a stress release for me.”

At age 11 she sang for Michael Jackson – and some say made him cry. His encouragement for her to professional training “definitely helped” fuel her desire to sing, she elaborates “the thing is I’ve always known I’ve wanted to be a singer so I never really had to think about it. Performing for Michael Jackson is a very big, big honour. It was very flattering that he liked it, and really cool.”

Growing up in LA, Ferreira gained attention and notoriety through the local club scene, as to how all that affected her she says “people around me have influenced me going out, but that’s pretty much it. I think that happens in any place you grow up in.

She describes her music as “new and exciting.” Which it is, as well as  being enchanting and wholly unique. Her image is certainly very different in comparison to the teen girls in the pop market, as to whether it helps her stay true to who she is; she concurs, “I believe it makes me more real. I’m not just someone who people put clothes on. I feel like a lot of girls can relate to that.”

The story of how she contacted and then met Bloodshy & Avant is well known – that of a contact through Myspace – and as for their subsequent interest in her she muses “I’m sure it was because I’m a little bit different. A lot of it was based off talent, but lots of people have talent, so a lot of it was based off luck too.”

Her cover of Miike Snow’s ‘Animal’ is sublime and is a song which showcased her talent and garnered much talk across the world. She tells of her reason to cover that song “I was in Sweden with them at the time so it just made sense. I was hearing it all the time and just wanted to do it. Also, it’s just a very good song.”

She recently released the video for ‘Obsession’ and the concept behind the video  hinged on “instead of me being the obsession, I wanted to be the obsessor.” says Sky. Speaking of videos, working with Rankin for her video ‘One - a simplistic piece yet enthralling piece – she explains “I’ve worked with Rankin in the past so it was really easy to work with him again. I’d love to work with him more.”

Dance music is a “very big influence” and is that’s why she did a lot of the album in Sweden. She adds “there are a lot of other influences you might not notice… yet. Recording her debut album has been “a very long process but it’s been fun…”  As for the overall sound of it is “Angry Dance”! She explains “It’s very dance, but I also feel like it’s writing style is very angry…”

She’s worked with many prominent producers on the album and says of it “I’ve learned a lot from each producer and writer and it’s very flattering to work with some of the biggest producers around.” There’s a rumour that has been circulating that she is working with Britney Spears, it’s known that she’s written for her – as for her hinting if it’s true, she says “I can’t say that it’s happened… yet.”

Sky is known for her interaction with her fans on Facebook and it is incredible. How she keep up with everything? Simple, she says “I set aside like an hour a day to make sure I keep in touch. It’s one of the best parts of my job.”

One of Sky’s most loved – and talked about – assets is her hair; she explains “I’ve always had really long hair. I’ve cut it a few times, but to get it this long it’s taken…maybe two years?”

2010 is Sky Ferreira’s year and while her album will only be released next year she is cementing her place in the hearts and lives of her fans around the world. As to what she would like to achieve? She says simply “I just want to keep making music that’s new, different and creative.”

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