A Conversation with Justine Dorsey – HuffPost 10.8.14
Mike Ragogna: Justine, both you and your sister Kerris–who stars in Alexander & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day–contribute “Best Worst Day Ever” to the soundtrack. This must have been quite a stretch being associated with such a thing since you and your sister–in real life–probably have never, ever had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Right?
Justine Dorsey: Oh, it was absolutely a stretch. Everything ALWAYS goes well for me. No. I’m definitely kidding. My worst day is perhaps too embarrassing to recount, but I will say that it started out with me getting gum stuck in my hair and ended with the dress I was wearing literally breaking. This was recent, by the way.
MR: Okay, fine, we all have them. What about your best day….can you remember what that might have been? Maybe when you won the Malibu Music Award?
JD: That was indeed a very good day! But my favorite days are always the quiet, unexpected ones. My favorite day involved a lot of listening to music while driving with my sister. Our drives are my favorite thing in the world.
MR: What was your musical training like and who influenced you as a singer
and who as a writer?
JD: I grew up doing musical theater and taking voice lessons, so my training was pretty hardcore when it came to singing. I learned how to pick up harmonies and how to take care of my voice. Guitar I started later. I’ve taken lessons on and off but it’s been pretty unstructured; I mainly play so I can write. I love the second part of this question because singing and writing are two totally different animals. I think the style of singing I learned when I did musical theater–really emotional, really dynamic–was a subconscious influence for me. But at the same time, I was listening to these singer-songwriters like KT Tunstall and Ingrid Michaelson, whose voices had this beautiful balance of strong and delicate. KT and Ingrid were definitely influences for me early on. You can sort of hear them in my Under Construction EP. But as I got older, I discovered these whole other worlds of writers that found their way into my music. I love Arcade Fire. I love St. Vincent. I love Arctic Monkeys. Those artists have been really inspiring to me right now. Who knows if you can pick up on them in my music; I just know that they have challenged me and shaped me for the better.
MR: When and how did you decide you needed to work creatively in the music field and how would you describe what your style is?
JD: There was never really a specific day, I just think that the more and more I did it, the more and more I fell in love with it. And any time I write a song I’m proud of, it reaffirms my love and my need to make a life out of making music.
MR: What do you feel are some of your own greatest works and why?
JD: Haha! I’m recording some of them right now, actually! I just finished recording a song I’m releasing in November called “Youth is at Stake” and that song has been huge for me. More and more, I’m starting to understand myself as an artist. It’s not fumbling in the dark anymore. I don’t know how to explain it, except for it’s just really really exciting.
MR: So do you–from your perspective only–have a terrible, horrible no good, very bad song that you’ll never show to the world?
JD: YES. And that is all I will say about it.
MR: [laughs] Are you having fun with your association with such terrible, horrible…you get the point!
JD: Hey, why not? It’s a perfectly pun-worthy title. But honestly, I’m so happy to be part of the movie. The movie’s director, Miguel Arteta, had asked Kerris if she wanted to write something for Alexander, and she in turn asked me if I wanted to write with her. We only had five days to write “Best Worst Day Ever” and record it, and Disney loved it – everything was just so serendipitous! Even making the video. We shot it at our house with our director, Eric Schrader and it was a blast. I will be featuring it on my YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/justinedorseymusic and http://www.disney.com
MR: Justine, what is your advice to new artists?
JD: Listen to everything! Soak up as much music as you can and then ignore it all. Don’t try to be something or someone else in your songs because it always comes through.
MR: What would you have told yourself as a budding artist?
JD: I’m still a budding artist. Hopefully, I will always be a budding artist. Is that crazy cheesy? Anyway, I’d tell myself to stop worrying. The songs will come. But I wouldn’t listen to myself.
MR: So what’s the game plan? How are you going to kick the butt of this thing called the music biz?
JD: I’m recording five singles that we’ll start releasing sometime this late Fall/early Winter. I’m crazy excited to share them. As for kicking said butt, I’m honestly exhausted even coming up with a response. I’m just gonna do all I can, because there are no rules right now. The music business is a whole new world- who knows what’ll catch on? Oh no- I’m singing Aladdin now. Whelp, one thing’s for sure…I am going to have “A Whole New World” stuck in my head for the next week.
MR: [luaghs] And what’s your favorite ice cream? Sorry, had to throw a random question out there.
JD: Ice cream is ALWAYS relevant. My favorite flavor is peppermint. Controversial choice, I know.