Janis Siegel – HuffPost 9.27.13

Mike Ragogna: What advice do you have for new artists?

Janis Siegel: There’s no doubt that the music business has changed radically and is changing at a hightening rate of speed because of technology and just the way the world is changing. I still think that the best advice really is to work hard and follow your intuition and passion. I don’t think you can go wrong if you do those two things.

MR: Do you feel like regardless of technology and regardless of how the business changes, regardless of delivery systems for music, that the creative process really is essentially the most important thing?

JS: I think so! I think it comes from that “a-ha!” moment when you take an idea and you develop it instead of leaving it to be forgotten or fallow. However, you’re going to manifest the idea whether it’s turning on a drum machine or sampling stuff and looping stuff with your voice; I love those kinds of things that are happening with technology. There’s so much creativity that just can’t exist with the technology, but I think it’s the same essential process. You have to recognize the kernel of a great idea and develop it.

MR: Yeah, and I guess it’s all about those goosebumps.

JS: Yes, yes. And for me, personally, I prefer the studio. I work up ideas in the studio. Sometimes, I’m prepared with a couple of ideas that I’ve written down, but I like to be able to respond to the moment. A couple of those situations definitely happened on this record. For instance, the end of “Slow.” “Slow” was just supposed to end. It had an ending written, but we were feeling so good that nobody stopped during the take and they kept going into this other groove and we just kept it going. Then I wrote stuff over that. I improvised some stuff at the session because I like to sing with the musicians at the session, but then I sort of developed those ideas over the fade at the very end of slow.