Martha Wainwright

The musical pedigree of Martha Wainwright is a brilliant one – the sister of celebrated solo artist Rufus Wainwright and daughter of performers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. It’s an impressive family tree and one that bears much fruit, which can be both a wonderfully creative springboard into the artistic life and a looming shadow from which to crawl out under.

Martha has dealt with both as she speaks frankly in this Stereo Subversion exclusive. We had a chance to sit down with her and ask about her confident new album, what it’s like to be a Wainwright and how she needs to get ahold of Annie Lennox.

SSv: Today’s the release date – is there a certain release or feeling or is it not a big deal with various release points in various countries?

Martha Wainwright: I’m excited for it to be out in the States. It’s such an important and large market but certainly, I’ve toasted enough… I don’t think I’m going to need any champagne this time around. [Laughs]

SSv: How do you normally treat the initial release?

MW: Certainly something like a toast or I take the band out for a bite to eat. We’re gonna have a record release party on Thursday with friends and family and sing some songs at Joe’s Pub with some journalists, so we’ll celebrate then.

SSv: What do you do with expectations on your own albums when you’re a product of such a musical family tree?

MW: I’m pretty separated from that when it comes to my own music in many ways, although the family is definitely a big part of who I am. I was filled in early on of the inner workings of the music business and that it can go wrong at any point. [Laughs] So not to have too many expectations… it’s very interesting to go through the mental thing of dreaming about potentially having a #1 versus being really happy to accept what happens. So you get sort of torn between being big-headed and being overly small-minded.

SSv: Your brother has a flair for the dramatic and yours seems to have some roots to it…

MW: It’s funny because in a lot of ways, he’s the more grounded person and I’m probably a little bit flightier in many ways. But I think it was written in the stars for Rufus to be a musician and an artist and you can hear that in the music. For me, it’s more like it’s come up from the ground in terms of roots – so it’s more of a struggle to peep through and it took a little bit longer. I think you can hear that in the music as well. But when it comes our personalities, we’re really different in many ways. He’s quite focused, you know?

I think we do complement one another because when we sing together, there’s a phonetic thing that happens – the sound and the vibration really work together and that is partially because of a similarity in tones but it’s more about the difference in tones. He’s a much different singer than I am – very controlled and has a very big sound that’s very consistent. I have a tendency to get loud then get really quiet and then geek around more with my voice.

SSv: What do you mean specifically in that it took you a little bit longer?

MW: Well, the image I had in my head was that it was a struggle to pierce through. That’s emblematic about how I felt about becoming a musician in some way. I was playing a lot of shows for years and years singing back-up and then also doing my own shows. I think there was a part of me that wasn’t fully convinced of my own talent or whether or not I deserved to be a musician or artist in some ways. Perhaps it was handed to me on a platter in some way, although it’s more like having a wooden spoon in your mouth. [Laughs] And I usually do have a wooden spoon in my mouth because I’m always stirring something and tasting it. You can tell by my ever-growing waistline. But anyways…

I think it was a struggle but it feels great to feel like I’m off and running in a real way. This record has a bigger sound and it’s more produced and in many ways is very representational of the last few years of my life. It speaks volumes about my really eclectic tastes in music, so I’m happy for it.

SSv: When you say it’s representative, do you mean your self-confidence?

MW: I think so. I think in the last few years, I think both records that I’ve made are very good representations of the time in which they were made. It’s been a more expansive time in my life and a bit more joy and also an ability to look outside myself and talk about subject matter that isn’t just navel-gazing but a bit more reflective of humanity as a whole. I think that happens to people as they get a little older and see their own life isn’t as tragic as they thought it was and that the world’s problems are larger than whatever personal problems. You learn to look outside yourself and see yourself in the grand scheme. So this record has subject matter such as war and death in general and suicide and religion; they are larger subjects than the first album.

SSv: Do you look back at one particular turning point where you were able to turn the corner in the confidence you had in your own art?

MW: The turning point probably came slowly. I always suspected and always said to myself and others that I needed to be loved in some way as a person and as an artist. I think meeting Brad and having him produce this second record. The first record was helpful because it was the first time it wasn’t about my family – it became about me and I think I needed that extra boost of confidence and security and that really helped me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a needy person… I don’t know why that was. But I think I needed that love there. So that was a real turning point.

SSv: When you decide to perform a couple covers, how do you decide on the tunes from the Eurythmics and Pink Floyd?

MW: It was really arbitrary. [Laughs] I didn’t even know “See Emily Play” before I covered it and the reason I covered it was that it was my mom’s idea. That’s her playing the Wurlitzer and her sister Anna and my cousin Lilly doing the back-up. The reason why that happened is because my mom and I were asked to sing that song for a Syd Barrett tribute about a year ago. She learned it and listened to it a couple times… we didn’t have any time to really put much into it, but I liked her arrangement she came up with. It had a simplicity and a femininity to it that I thought was really sweet. It was also a perfect opportunity to put her on the record and it’s also a breath of fresh air to me and all my problematic songwriting.

With “Love Is A Stranger,” there were a couple songs I wanted to put on the record and that one sounded interesting. It’s also a real testament to being a child of the ’80s and certainly Annie Lennox and the Eurythmics were a large influence on me when I was in my very formative years. I listened to that and sang Annie at the top of my lungs and wanted to be her.

SSv: Has she heard the tune?

MW: I don’t know if she has. I know her. I should send her the song. I did a project with her where I sang with her and a bunch of other women for this AIDS project to benefit unborn children in Africa called Sing so I will get in touch with her and send it to her. I think she’d like it. It’s always important to make things sound different than the original.

SSv: Have you noticed a difference in your fan reactions since you’re coming forth with a new confident version of you?

MW: We’ll see, I guess. I don’t read that much press. I’m just happy for the joy and strength that’s there. I’ve been on the road for a month and the reaction has been very, very good from what I feel. I think the new songs… I think we’re performing them well. As long as we’re performing and singing them well, there’s no reason for them to not like it.

SSv: Does that confidence translate to your own performance on stage?

MW: It makes it a little bit easier for me to get through it and not have so much in the air in terms of things that can fall apart. I’ve learned to be more equipped to play night after night after night. I’ve learned to lean on the songs and the players a bit more.

SSV: What does the immediate journey ahead of you hold?

MW: The festival season is starting so we’re heading off to do a couple dates in the States, but then we’re doing mostly European festivals and some Canadian festivals. Then I’m going to tour solo, which will be interesting and then I’ll be opening for K.T. Tunstall in August. We’ll play a lot of markets I haven’t played before in the States, especially the Southwest and the Midwest.

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