DONNA LEWIS - A Brand New Album For A Brand New Day
Donna Lewis may be best known for ‘I Love You Always Forever’ a global hit that exceeded one million ‘spins’ on the radio, but her latest album Brand New Day, a striking departure from anything she has done before, demonstrates that the Welsh native is an artist of many dimensions.
After her debut album Now In a Minute, three further solo albums and numerous collaborations including with The Art Of Noise on The Seduction of Claude Debussy and with Richard Marx for the 1997 film Anastasia, led the way to Brand New Day.
A collection of carefully selected covers and original tunes arranged and produced by longtime friend David Torn, Brand New Day features musicians Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson and David King and redefines Donna as an artist whilst maintaining the wonderful open quality characterised by her distinctive vocal style.
Donna will be touring the UK in June with a stellar band of UK based jazz musicians:
Steve Hamilton–piano, Michael Janisch–double bass and Andrew Bain–drums.
You’ve made a lot of interesting records and collaborated with many different artists. How did you end up deciding to make a jazz album?
“Two good friends of mine David Torn who produced the record and Jeff Resnick who runs the acts for the Carlyle in New York met at a gig and were talking about me. Jeff said, “I’ve always wanted Donna to sing the American Songbook” and David said “That’s funny, because I’ve always seen her doing something really intimate with just piano, upright bass and drums.” So, between them, they came up with the idea. I really didn’t want to be thought of as one of those pop singers who reaches a certain age and puts out a jazz record, so we chose our material and musicians really carefully to get the sound that we were after. So that’s how it all started. It wasn’t originally my idea but when we started working on the album, I thought, “Oh, this is really great”, because it’s such a departure for me.”
How did you find working with Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson and Dave King?
“I’d met Dave King, the drummer, previously at one of David’s [Torn] gigs. He had heard some of the music that we’d collaborated on. He said that he’d be keen to work with us if we made an album so when we started to think about the recording, David knew he wanted jazz musicians that would be really creative with taking a pop song or a mainstream song and doing something amazing with it, so he approached Dave, Ethan and Reid. Because they are such technically brilliant musicians, I was very nervous at the thought of working with them but they were really, really lovely and so creative with the songs, especially with ‘Sleep’ that I wrote as a piano vocal and brought in at the last minute. They were so incredibly inventive with it. We did it in one take, all together and I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
You decided not to do songs from The American Songbook, how did you manage to decide on the tracks to record?
“It was difficult. David and I both started with very long lists of potential songs. The cool thing about David is that he always comes from an alternative angle, so we’d talk about my suggestions and he’d say “Okay instead of doing this what about…?”– He knew I loved Jobim and he suggested ‘Waters of March’. He also came up with the David Bowie tune ‘Bring Me The Disco King’ and ‘Crazy’. There were a few classics that I’ve always loved to do and that I managed to keep in, but those pretty cool tracks like the ‘Chocolate Genius’ song and ‘My Mom’ came from him. ‘My Mom’ is such an incredible song, we were unsure about doing that on the record because it’s such an emotional sad piece but it’s such a brilliantly written beautiful song we couldn’t leave it out. So it was hard, we just kept narrowing down our lists and became very, very selective. When we finally got to the studio we were very organized, “Right, this is the amount of time we have, this is what we’re going to do.” It’s a shame, we were going to do ‘Alfie’, another Bacharach piece that I love but didn’t get to finish it… but we will at some point… ‘Walk On By’ was another last minute inclusion because Jeff’s friend Ron Affif, who I had met before, came down to the recording and we just decided – I think Hal David had died that day – that we should try another Bacharach tune and it came together really well.”
After her debut album Now In a Minute, three further solo albums and numerous collaborations including with The Art Of Noise on The Seduction of Claude Debussy and with Richard Marx for the 1997 film Anastasia, led the way to Brand New Day.
A collection of carefully selected covers and original tunes arranged and produced by longtime friend David Torn, Brand New Day features musicians Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson and David King and redefines Donna as an artist whilst maintaining the wonderful open quality characterised by her distinctive vocal style.
Donna will be touring the UK in June with a stellar band of UK based jazz musicians:
Steve Hamilton–piano, Michael Janisch–double bass and Andrew Bain–drums.
You’ve made a lot of interesting records and collaborated with many different artists. How did you end up deciding to make a jazz album?
“Two good friends of mine David Torn who produced the record and Jeff Resnick who runs the acts for the Carlyle in New York met at a gig and were talking about me. Jeff said, “I’ve always wanted Donna to sing the American Songbook” and David said “That’s funny, because I’ve always seen her doing something really intimate with just piano, upright bass and drums.” So, between them, they came up with the idea. I really didn’t want to be thought of as one of those pop singers who reaches a certain age and puts out a jazz record, so we chose our material and musicians really carefully to get the sound that we were after. So that’s how it all started. It wasn’t originally my idea but when we started working on the album, I thought, “Oh, this is really great”, because it’s such a departure for me.”
How did you find working with Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson and Dave King?
“I’d met Dave King, the drummer, previously at one of David’s [Torn] gigs. He had heard some of the music that we’d collaborated on. He said that he’d be keen to work with us if we made an album so when we started to think about the recording, David knew he wanted jazz musicians that would be really creative with taking a pop song or a mainstream song and doing something amazing with it, so he approached Dave, Ethan and Reid. Because they are such technically brilliant musicians, I was very nervous at the thought of working with them but they were really, really lovely and so creative with the songs, especially with ‘Sleep’ that I wrote as a piano vocal and brought in at the last minute. They were so incredibly inventive with it. We did it in one take, all together and I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
You decided not to do songs from The American Songbook, how did you manage to decide on the tracks to record?
“It was difficult. David and I both started with very long lists of potential songs. The cool thing about David is that he always comes from an alternative angle, so we’d talk about my suggestions and he’d say “Okay instead of doing this what about…?”– He knew I loved Jobim and he suggested ‘Waters of March’. He also came up with the David Bowie tune ‘Bring Me The Disco King’ and ‘Crazy’. There were a few classics that I’ve always loved to do and that I managed to keep in, but those pretty cool tracks like the ‘Chocolate Genius’ song and ‘My Mom’ came from him. ‘My Mom’ is such an incredible song, we were unsure about doing that on the record because it’s such an emotional sad piece but it’s such a brilliantly written beautiful song we couldn’t leave it out. So it was hard, we just kept narrowing down our lists and became very, very selective. When we finally got to the studio we were very organized, “Right, this is the amount of time we have, this is what we’re going to do.” It’s a shame, we were going to do ‘Alfie’, another Bacharach piece that I love but didn’t get to finish it… but we will at some point… ‘Walk On By’ was another last minute inclusion because Jeff’s friend Ron Affif, who I had met before, came down to the recording and we just decided – I think Hal David had died that day – that we should try another Bacharach tune and it came together really well.”
It’s a very brave selection that you’ve made because you’re stepping into the jazz world and you’re also taking some iconic songs that people love and doing something really different with them… was it your intention to really challenge peoples expectations?
“Yeah. It’s interesting, in my world when I do shows, people sometimes come up to talk to me and when I say the word ‘jazz’, they go, “Oh!” It’s such a shame because when you merge the two together like this, it can be really interesting. I don’t think of myself as a jazz singer. I am a contemporary singer, but I’m working with these jazz dudes and it would be nice if people are encouraged to explore jazz a bit more through listening to these songs done this way. As David [Torn] says, “This record, it doesn’t have a genre as such but it’s informed by jazz, it’s people having that jazz perspective with these great songs.”
How did you approach finding your own sound accompanied by these amazing interpreters of songs?
“It was daunting. I’ve been used to either piano /vocal with me playing or with my own band so going in to the studio with these guys was nerve-racking. We had a few days rehearsal before we actually recorded. They were all so great and made me feel really comfortable. David as a producer was really smart. He kept saying to me, 'I want you to be part of it; I don’t want it to sound like you’re alien to it. Just do what’s coming out of your head, don’t think too hard about this.' After the first day I felt much more relaxed. I was particularly nervous about taking on ‘Waters of March’ as I have always been such an admirer of Jobim’s songs and I wanted to do it justice. David drafted arrangements of the songs and then when we were all in the studio, we just worked together. Once I’d got in the groove of it I realized it wasn’t really about thinking too much, it was just really about enjoying singing the songs with these brilliant musicians.”
Your vocal style is very distinctive. How did that develop?
“In the old days when I started out doing a lot of what I call ‘cabaret’ with big ten-piece bands to earn a living and doing jingles I literally had to sing in that style and in those days I would belt. I remember doing Kiki Dee’s ‘I’ve Got the Music in Me’ in particular and it wasn’t really my style but I would do it. Then, when I was doing the piano bars in Europe where I literally had to stand for five hours a night for 2 months at a time, I realized the only way I was going to keep my voice was to try not to belt it out. That’s when I developed this more of a breathy kind of vibe to my voice and I’ve had that ever since. So yeah, if I’m at home sometimes messing about or if I’m in the studio, if I want to do some backing vocals and I feel I want a bit more of a soul-y, hard-hitting sound, then I will do it. But I’ve realized my style, how I sing, especially on my own songs – that’s me.”
You’ve talked about listening to jazz as a child… who were your influences from the pop world when you were growing up?
“I’m sure I bought Beatles records, T Rex records and I really loved Motown and David Bowie at the time but I think the one artist that really changed me was Rickie Lee Jones. I remember hearing ‘Pirates’ and thinking it was the greatest thing I’d ever heard.
I was always into Kate Bush and lots of other artists but when I heard Rickie, I knew I wanted to be an artist like her.”
Did you take vocal lessons? You studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Was singing your main study?
“No. My main study was flute and piano and classical composition. But during college I got together with a bunch of people and I would sing and of course write. I think twice in my life I had a singing lesson, once when I was doing the piano bars in Europe and when I came home my voice felt so tired and I went to somebody in Birmingham who was really good at just helping me by giving me exercises to protect my voice. I had one guy in LA, Robert Edwards, during the 'I Love You Always Forever’ days, I went to him and he was awesome too. They both gave me a bunch of exercises to do to just try and keep that muscle working. There are times when I’m not working when I won’t do them and then when I know I’ve got stuff coming up, I will start doing them every day. To prepare for a gig, I’m careful what I eat on the day and I just want to be in my own quiet world. I do warm up properly though, that’s really important.”
“Yeah. It’s interesting, in my world when I do shows, people sometimes come up to talk to me and when I say the word ‘jazz’, they go, “Oh!” It’s such a shame because when you merge the two together like this, it can be really interesting. I don’t think of myself as a jazz singer. I am a contemporary singer, but I’m working with these jazz dudes and it would be nice if people are encouraged to explore jazz a bit more through listening to these songs done this way. As David [Torn] says, “This record, it doesn’t have a genre as such but it’s informed by jazz, it’s people having that jazz perspective with these great songs.”
How did you approach finding your own sound accompanied by these amazing interpreters of songs?
“It was daunting. I’ve been used to either piano /vocal with me playing or with my own band so going in to the studio with these guys was nerve-racking. We had a few days rehearsal before we actually recorded. They were all so great and made me feel really comfortable. David as a producer was really smart. He kept saying to me, 'I want you to be part of it; I don’t want it to sound like you’re alien to it. Just do what’s coming out of your head, don’t think too hard about this.' After the first day I felt much more relaxed. I was particularly nervous about taking on ‘Waters of March’ as I have always been such an admirer of Jobim’s songs and I wanted to do it justice. David drafted arrangements of the songs and then when we were all in the studio, we just worked together. Once I’d got in the groove of it I realized it wasn’t really about thinking too much, it was just really about enjoying singing the songs with these brilliant musicians.”
Your vocal style is very distinctive. How did that develop?
“In the old days when I started out doing a lot of what I call ‘cabaret’ with big ten-piece bands to earn a living and doing jingles I literally had to sing in that style and in those days I would belt. I remember doing Kiki Dee’s ‘I’ve Got the Music in Me’ in particular and it wasn’t really my style but I would do it. Then, when I was doing the piano bars in Europe where I literally had to stand for five hours a night for 2 months at a time, I realized the only way I was going to keep my voice was to try not to belt it out. That’s when I developed this more of a breathy kind of vibe to my voice and I’ve had that ever since. So yeah, if I’m at home sometimes messing about or if I’m in the studio, if I want to do some backing vocals and I feel I want a bit more of a soul-y, hard-hitting sound, then I will do it. But I’ve realized my style, how I sing, especially on my own songs – that’s me.”
You’ve talked about listening to jazz as a child… who were your influences from the pop world when you were growing up?
“I’m sure I bought Beatles records, T Rex records and I really loved Motown and David Bowie at the time but I think the one artist that really changed me was Rickie Lee Jones. I remember hearing ‘Pirates’ and thinking it was the greatest thing I’d ever heard.
I was always into Kate Bush and lots of other artists but when I heard Rickie, I knew I wanted to be an artist like her.”
Did you take vocal lessons? You studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Was singing your main study?
“No. My main study was flute and piano and classical composition. But during college I got together with a bunch of people and I would sing and of course write. I think twice in my life I had a singing lesson, once when I was doing the piano bars in Europe and when I came home my voice felt so tired and I went to somebody in Birmingham who was really good at just helping me by giving me exercises to protect my voice. I had one guy in LA, Robert Edwards, during the 'I Love You Always Forever’ days, I went to him and he was awesome too. They both gave me a bunch of exercises to do to just try and keep that muscle working. There are times when I’m not working when I won’t do them and then when I know I’ve got stuff coming up, I will start doing them every day. To prepare for a gig, I’m careful what I eat on the day and I just want to be in my own quiet world. I do warm up properly though, that’s really important.”
You mentioned ‘I Love You Always Forever’. You’ve included a new version on Brand New Day. How did you feel about that?
“I think I was quite reluctant in the beginning when somebody came up with the idea of doing that. Sometimes people think of me as just having done ‘I Love You Always Forever’ and they forget that from that record, were a couple of other songs that did very well in the charts but still people just remember me for that particular song. When it was suggested I thought, 'Why would I want to do that?' Then after a couple of weeks we were talking about it and we decided to try an arrangement of it. In a way it’s an album of covers so why not do a cover of your own song? Once we were in the studio, we started messing around with it and trying to figure out a different version and it worked out pretty well. I always introduce it as the song (well people use the original for their weddings a lot) the dark version for when it’s all over.”
You were very young when you wrote that song. Did you have any idea how successful it would become?
“I was actually just walking around one afternoon and the first line of the song came into my head and I couldn’t wait to get it written down. I remember writing it down as soon as I got to Martin’s (Martin Lewis, Donna’s husband) office and then getting home and working on it straight away. So, I had this idea in my head and it just came together so fast and so organically on my little 8 track cassette recorder. It’s so interesting because I recorded that myself and then I did another couple of different demos of it thinking that my demo wasn’t good enough and nobody was really interested in it, but then when somebody heard my original demo in the States that’s when people became interested. Lots of people became involved and it just felt like the song had been through too many changes. At the end of the day we ended up going back to the beginning because I felt that the original magic had been lost along the way. We had all these great musicians and instruments but it had lost something. The people at Atlantic Records agreed and so we brought all my old Korg N1 keyboard parts back and we just went right back to the demo and that’s how it turned out. There were people who were probably thinking, “She is crazy, she’s been so obsessive.” But I could tell that something just wasn’t right, and I was lucky enough that they said, “Go on then, go back in the studio and just do what you need to do.” The label was really supportive of that.”
Do you think the secret of its success then is that the song was kept so close to your original idea?
“Yeah. And this is how I feel now when I’m writing songs. I’m lucky enough to have my studio downstairs in my house. It’s small but I’ve my Pro Tools set up, and literally when I record – when I write a new song and I record it, I record it as if I don’t really want to have to redo any vocals or anything because sometimes you do have that magic when you first write something and it’s nice not to have to try and recreate it. I realise now, and maybe it’s because I am older and the music industry has changed that I just want to write what I want to write, I don’t want it to have to fit in to any preconceived criteria.”
Are you looking forward to touring the UK this summer?
“I’m really excited about getting together with the UK band to do songs from the album. I’ve discovered that in the jazz world, the musicians are pretty brilliant because they just get the charts and ‘do it’. And it’s funny, ages ago, my soundman was talking about musicians and he said, “If ever you do anything in England, you should really try to get Steve Hamilton because he is unbelievable.” And then when we were talking with Michael (Janisch), he said that he was thinking about Steve Hamilton for the tour so I was pleased about that. So, I feel confident but it’s going to be nice to do a rehearsal to see how it all works. And of course, in Brighton, Claire Martin is going to be presenting the evening and doing a couple of songs with me which I’m delighted about although it’s a bit daunting as she’s such an amazing jazz singer. I’ve been calling my dad and saying “Come on, think of all the songs I used to sing, what are we going to do?”
What will you be working on after the tour?
Well, I’ve been writing a lot, that’s what I love doing best. Some people have wanted to record my songs and I am trying to do more of that. I’ve always been seen as a singer-songwriter but I’d like to work more with other musicians. There is a group of kids here that I’ve been writing for as well and I’ve been helping my son and his friends develop their own music. There’s a book by a local author called ‘The Reluctant Psychic’. It’s a brilliant book, and when I read it I was inspired to write music for it so we got together and I’ve written some songs. My fantasy is to write it as a musical. I don’t know where it’s going to lead to because it’s something I’ve never done before, and I’m learning as I go. I know it might take years but five or six pieces are finished already and I am loving it.
“I think I was quite reluctant in the beginning when somebody came up with the idea of doing that. Sometimes people think of me as just having done ‘I Love You Always Forever’ and they forget that from that record, were a couple of other songs that did very well in the charts but still people just remember me for that particular song. When it was suggested I thought, 'Why would I want to do that?' Then after a couple of weeks we were talking about it and we decided to try an arrangement of it. In a way it’s an album of covers so why not do a cover of your own song? Once we were in the studio, we started messing around with it and trying to figure out a different version and it worked out pretty well. I always introduce it as the song (well people use the original for their weddings a lot) the dark version for when it’s all over.”
You were very young when you wrote that song. Did you have any idea how successful it would become?
“I was actually just walking around one afternoon and the first line of the song came into my head and I couldn’t wait to get it written down. I remember writing it down as soon as I got to Martin’s (Martin Lewis, Donna’s husband) office and then getting home and working on it straight away. So, I had this idea in my head and it just came together so fast and so organically on my little 8 track cassette recorder. It’s so interesting because I recorded that myself and then I did another couple of different demos of it thinking that my demo wasn’t good enough and nobody was really interested in it, but then when somebody heard my original demo in the States that’s when people became interested. Lots of people became involved and it just felt like the song had been through too many changes. At the end of the day we ended up going back to the beginning because I felt that the original magic had been lost along the way. We had all these great musicians and instruments but it had lost something. The people at Atlantic Records agreed and so we brought all my old Korg N1 keyboard parts back and we just went right back to the demo and that’s how it turned out. There were people who were probably thinking, “She is crazy, she’s been so obsessive.” But I could tell that something just wasn’t right, and I was lucky enough that they said, “Go on then, go back in the studio and just do what you need to do.” The label was really supportive of that.”
Do you think the secret of its success then is that the song was kept so close to your original idea?
“Yeah. And this is how I feel now when I’m writing songs. I’m lucky enough to have my studio downstairs in my house. It’s small but I’ve my Pro Tools set up, and literally when I record – when I write a new song and I record it, I record it as if I don’t really want to have to redo any vocals or anything because sometimes you do have that magic when you first write something and it’s nice not to have to try and recreate it. I realise now, and maybe it’s because I am older and the music industry has changed that I just want to write what I want to write, I don’t want it to have to fit in to any preconceived criteria.”
Are you looking forward to touring the UK this summer?
“I’m really excited about getting together with the UK band to do songs from the album. I’ve discovered that in the jazz world, the musicians are pretty brilliant because they just get the charts and ‘do it’. And it’s funny, ages ago, my soundman was talking about musicians and he said, “If ever you do anything in England, you should really try to get Steve Hamilton because he is unbelievable.” And then when we were talking with Michael (Janisch), he said that he was thinking about Steve Hamilton for the tour so I was pleased about that. So, I feel confident but it’s going to be nice to do a rehearsal to see how it all works. And of course, in Brighton, Claire Martin is going to be presenting the evening and doing a couple of songs with me which I’m delighted about although it’s a bit daunting as she’s such an amazing jazz singer. I’ve been calling my dad and saying “Come on, think of all the songs I used to sing, what are we going to do?”
What will you be working on after the tour?
Well, I’ve been writing a lot, that’s what I love doing best. Some people have wanted to record my songs and I am trying to do more of that. I’ve always been seen as a singer-songwriter but I’d like to work more with other musicians. There is a group of kids here that I’ve been writing for as well and I’ve been helping my son and his friends develop their own music. There’s a book by a local author called ‘The Reluctant Psychic’. It’s a brilliant book, and when I read it I was inspired to write music for it so we got together and I’ve written some songs. My fantasy is to write it as a musical. I don’t know where it’s going to lead to because it’s something I’ve never done before, and I’m learning as I go. I know it might take years but five or six pieces are finished already and I am loving it.
Brand New Day is out on Whirlwind Recordings on 17th June. For more information visit
www.whirlwindrecordings.com/brand-new-day
& www.donnalewis.com.
Click on the album cover to read our review.
‘I Love You Always Forever’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqdWTeXWvOg
‘The Making of Brand New Day’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmcXimf6OyY
‘Waters of March’ from Brand New Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjw5tsjV2FU
www.whirlwindrecordings.com/brand-new-day
& www.donnalewis.com.
Click on the album cover to read our review.
‘I Love You Always Forever’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqdWTeXWvOg
‘The Making of Brand New Day’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmcXimf6OyY
‘Waters of March’ from Brand New Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjw5tsjV2FU
Tour Dates
Sunday 12th June - The Convent, Stroud
Monday 13th June – The Apex, Bury St Edmunds
Tuesday 14th June - Stockport Plaza, Stockport
Wednesday June 15th - Dylan Thomas Theatre, Swansea (Jazz Festival)
Thursday 16th June - The Pheasantry, London
Friday 17th June - The Pheasantry, London
Tuesday 21st June - The Old Market, Brighton
Wednesday 22nd June - The Bathgate Regal, Lothian
Thursday 23rd June - The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh
Sunday 12th June - The Convent, Stroud
Monday 13th June – The Apex, Bury St Edmunds
Tuesday 14th June - Stockport Plaza, Stockport
Wednesday June 15th - Dylan Thomas Theatre, Swansea (Jazz Festival)
Thursday 16th June - The Pheasantry, London
Friday 17th June - The Pheasantry, London
Tuesday 21st June - The Old Market, Brighton
Wednesday 22nd June - The Bathgate Regal, Lothian
Thursday 23rd June - The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh
