Country music doesn't get more real than Amanda Shires - with over three decades of experience in the industry, she's had a truly incredible career. I had the joy of sitting down with Amanda after her set at C2C (check that out here!) to discuss her favourite kind of shows, The Bluebird Cafe, new album Take It Like A Man and more - enjoy!
Ciara’s Country (CC): It's not every day that I get to chat to Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalists, but today is one of them! I’m joined by the incredible Amanda Shires. Amanda, thank you so much for joining me!
Amanda Shires (AS): I’m glad to be here.
CC: We’re chatting at the ten year anniversary of C2C Country 2 Country – how’s that been going for you?
AS: It's magnificent. Incidentally, it's also the ten year anniversary of me and my husband's marriage, so we've got that in common together too.
CC: Congratulations! Is your husband with you this weekend?
AS: He's playing in Canada this weekend!
CC: Cool! You just finished playing an interesting venue yourself – C2C’s homage to The Bluebird Café.
AS: That’s right, and it was wonderful. It was almost exactly like The Bluebird in Nashville, Tennessee except there weren’t any fried cheeses.
CC: We’ll have to add that to your rider for next time! What was your experience like at The Bluebird today?
AS: Well, like you do with most songwriting things, we spoke about the stories behind the songs and our own personal stories. We also did character sketch type of songs and made friends with every single person in the room. It felt like live music and meditation together. It was a great feeling in that room today.
CC: The Bluebird isn’t the only venue you’re playing at C2C, but also the BBC Radio 2 stage and the Spotlight Stage in the Arena – do you have preference for intimate shows or big stadium shows?
AS: Honestly, I appreciate all the types of venues and stages, be that for one song or three hours. I always feel like it's a great privilege and an honour that I get to do something that I love for my work. I don't take anything for granted. I don't take it lightly at all that people would invite me into their space and into their venues, so I could definitely say 100% that I love every single stage. I love playing on a tractor trailer bed, which I've done tonnes of times, or even in grandma's kitchen. I'll play wherever I am. Sometimes I feel like a Dr Seuss character – I’ll play with a fox in a box, on a train in the rain. Anything where I can play music. I’ve tried other things in my life and I'm just not as good at it.
CC: You’ve certainly done so much in your career, and last year was an especially big year for you with the release of your album Take It Like A Man. What was the journey with that album like?
AS: That was a difficult one. I had several bad studio experiences in a row, and I was feeling like I was small and done with music. I really thought it was done. But somehow, through a little help from my friend Laurence, I found that spark, that joy for music again. I kind of reclaimed that part of myself again in a way that feels joyful and positive, and I made that record. It happens to be about a tumultuous time in my marriage, and I took some great consideration when deciding if I wanted to fully put everything out there and when I did, the reaction was reassuring. It definitely made me feel less alone in the world.
CC: I love how honest you are with that answer, because I think that comes across so much in the album - it's really raw and real.
AS: It had to be. I'm 41 years old now, so I'm a little past the niceties and politeness of surface talk, so I appreciate that you appreciate my honesty!
We got even deeper into it in the next part of our conversation, and even made plans to take her performance to the stars and beyond - literally. Stay tuned on @CiarasCountry to be the first to know when Part 2 is posted - thanks for reading!
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