The Interviews

Meredith Edwards

Interview by Jeff Krasky

I had the privilege of speaking with Meredith Edwards at length about her music and her interests. Her down-to-earth personality made the interview a real pleasure.

Interviews are always tough for me. I’m a fan of so many artists before I get to talk to them that it becomes an incredibly nerve wracking experience. That wasn’t the case with Meredith. I left the phone conversation with a lot of insight into the person behind the music and as a bigger fan of her music than when I got on the phone.

It’s always interesting to hear from the younger artists and they’re trip to the top, especially from my perspective being in that age group and loving the music industry as much as I do.

I just want to send personal thank you to Meredith for taking the time to talk with me about her music and for making it such a fun experience. I think we found that we’re about the only two people who own copies of “Schoolhouse Rocks”. Everyone at WOC wishes Meredith all the best.

Let’s start at the beginning, you were in Mississippi Show Stoppers with *NSYNC’s Lance Bass who ended up signing you to your first management company. Could you tell us a little bit about your road to Nashville?

I had been singing pretty much my whole life in different groups, shows, competitions, fairs and just everything you could think of. I had been entertaining and in front of people and knew that was what I wanted to do one day. Lance and I grew up in the same town and were friends all through childhood, went to the same church and pretty much knew each other forever. When he got involved in *NSYNC he started Free Lance Entertainment which is his management company. He asked me to be their first artist signed to the management company. So we did that and it was about two summers ago when we went to Nashville just because I’ve always wanted to sing country music. We went to different record labels and fell in love with Mercury Records. They have been so great to me so far. That’s kinda how I got there. *laughs*

You worked with a number of different producers on the album. A number of songs were written by Richard Marx who also produced some of the cuts. How were the producers to work with and were you influenced by all the different styles in the studio?

Definitely. I had three different producers and every one of them was so different in their own ways. They were all just so talented. I learned so many things. Keith Stegall who produced six tracks on my album and co-wrote one song, he was just amazing. He’s produced people like Alan Jackson and Reba McEntire and you just feel honored to be in the same room with someone like that. Who has worked with so many great people. He was just so laid back and so wonderful. I think he did a really, really great job. Richard Marx produced two songs and wrote both of those and co-wrote another one. He’s just a musical genius. He’s an unbelievable guy with a great sense of humor who’s had an incredible career. He’s just really wonderful. He wrote some beautiful songs. He wrote and produced my new single “Ready To Fall”. He was great and I’d definitely love to work with him again. And then Robin Wiley she sort of got her start producing songs on *NSYNC’s record and hadn’t really gotten into the country world. I knew she had expressed an interest in that so we decided to give her a try on my record. She added so much to it. She’s wonderful and I truly believe she’s going to be one of the most highly in demand producers there is. She’s just really great and very talented.

Your album really runs a gauntlet of different sounds. I think part of that has to do with the different producers. One minute you’re singing a smoothly produced pop flavored track and then next you’re singing a song like “Slow Learner” which feels like a Dixie Chicks song. What are some of your music influences?

My musical influences range from Tammy Wynette and Pam Tillis to Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood. I’m gonna have to say the biggest one out of all of those has got to Martina McBride. To me she is just unbelievable and I’m just in awe every time I see her sing. She’s an incredible vocalist and just a great performer. She’s really, really nice and I actually just bought her Greatest Hits album the other day and I’m impressed all over again. She’s so wonderful and I strive to have the success that she’s had.

Some of your songs actually have a Martina quality, some of the ballads.

Well thank you, that was just a great compliment *laughs*, thank you very much.

You also opened for *NSYNC in 22 cities over the summer. What was it like being exposed to the pop audience in that way?

Well, it was quite an honor. You know we went to every city with an open mind not knowing what the crowd response was going to be. It just seemed to work in every city. The kids, you know there were little bitty kids and teenagers in the audience and they just really responded well to the country music. It was a great feeling knowing I was able to expose these kids, who this was probably their first concert ever. It was a great feeling knowing I got to expose them to country music. It probably isn’t the crowd that listens to country radio stations. If I just made one or two of them think, “wow country music is pretty cool maybe I should start listening to it some more” then it was well worth it. It seems like they enjoyed the variety and they are actually beginning to think country music is really cool. I mean I love country music and I’ve always thought country was cool but sometimes kids stereotype it as being an older people’s type of music. Nowadays it’s not. All ages of people listen to country.

Yeah, it’s really reached a much wider audience recently. You mentioned your new single “Ready To Fall” earlier, when can fans expect to hear that on the radio?

It goes for adds on November 5th.

I also heard that the single was going to be on a movie soundtrack?

Yes, it’s on the soundtrack of a new movie. It’s a Miramax film called “On The Line”. It stars Lance Bass from *NSYNC. So it’s his first venture into the movie world. My song pretty much hits the whole storyline of the movie. The soundtrack is actually out now. But yeah, it’s on the soundtrack!

If we were to take a look inside your stereo what albums would we find there?

Hmm…let’s see. You’d probably find Martina’s Greatest Hits right now. You’d find Jamie O’Neal and Better Than Ezra.

I actually just bought that too.

Did you buy the new one?

Yep, I just picked it up.

You listen to it?

Not yet, it’s sitting on my desk.

You really need to listen to it. I love it. I saw them in concert about three weeks ago and they’re just wonderful. It’s a great album. You could also find a guy named Ryan Adams. You heard of him?

Yeah I just bought Gold too.

Yeah, I bought that the other day. He’s on Lost Highway which is Mercury’s sister company kinda. He’s really cool. You could probably find Chris Cagle on there too.

Do you have a favorite song off of your album?

My favorite song is probably “Ready To Fall”. I’m such a ballad girl and I just love big ballads. To me that’s just the big ballad. It’s my favorite song to listen to and it’s my favorite song to sing live.

What are some of your all time favorite songs?

Oh goodness. Pam Tillis “Maybe It Was Memphis”, Deana Carter “Strawberry Wine”, Martina McBride “Whatever You Say”. I’m naming all female songs but oh well. Trisha Yearwood “Walkaway Joe”.

What about any dream duet partners?

I actually got asked this the other day. I’ve become really good friends with the group Rascal Flatts. I think they are just unbelievably talented. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen their live show before but it’s just so high energy and fun to watch. They are just the greatest guys and they can sing, they can play, and they can do everything. I would just really love to collaborate with them one day. I think they’re just wonderful.

I have to comment on “The Bird Song” which I think is one absolutely of the most unique songs I’ve heard in a long time. Is there any kind of story behind that song?

Well, we were sitting there listening to songs for the album. Gary Harrison walked in and he said “Now we have this box over here that’s full of really weird songs. I don’t know if you’re going to want any weird songs on your album.” I was like “Well, why not. We should have some variety. So let’s look in the box” and the first song I pulled out said “The Bird Song” and thought this has got to be great, let’s just put it in and see what it sounds like. We put it in and everyone could just not stop laughing. We listened to it like three times. There are all kinds of clever little lines that are all throughout the song that you have to catch. We listened to it over and over again and just knew it was perfect and had to go on the album. You know I love that song and I think it’s very unique too. I don’t know why that song didn’t do very well for us at radio. I don’t know if the general public really didn’t understand it or thought it was stupid *laughs*. Or whatever it may be. But I’ve gotten all kinds of complements from people within the industry for it being so different. I’m proud of that song. I love it. I think the instrumentation turned out wonderful. I love the bango. I love the way a bango sounds. I think it turned out great and I love it.

Yeah it’s one of those songs on the album that just absolutely jumps out and grabs you. You listen to it over and over again and it’s just as funny the third time through the first time. I think “A Rose is a Rose” is the same kind of way. It’s a very unique twist on a ballad. Any story behind that one?

Definitely. That was a song that we listened to a couple of times when we were trying to pick out songs. I always liked it so I always put it in the stack to keep. So when we got down to the final process of narrowing down songs, you know it was time to narrow it down to the final twelve and we listened to “A Rose Is A Rose” and we had sort of a system we used. We ranked each song from 1 to 10. 10 being the best and 1 being the worst. I automatically gave that song a 10. I just thought it was wonderful. You know, it told a great story. Well, Keith Stegall gave it like a 6 or a 7. I begged him. I said “Keith I promise this is a great song. I love it and I think we could do something really cool. Make it a little more acoustic, a sweet sound. We can do something really cool.” They let it stay on the album and low and behold it was the first single. It’s pretty cool that it’s done as well as it has.

I really don’t know how I’d go through that process on narrowing down a bunch of songs that you already like and pick a certain number of them to record.

Exactly. It’s tough because you never know.

You’re wrapping up the last few of your announced tour dates any new touring plans in the near future?

Actually I just found this out the other day. I’m actually getting ready to do some dates with Kenny Rogers. I just found that out a couple days ago. We’re still narrowing down the dates. That’s gonna be probably starting in the beginning of November and run through the end of the year when he starts his Christmas shows. I’m really excited about that.

If you could pick one person to go out on the road and tour with whom would it be and why?

I don’t know that I could pick one person. I’ve met so many wonderful people through this business and have made so many wonderful friends. It’s would probably have to be Rascal Flatts, Jamie O’Neal, Lonestar, Phil Vasar, and Carolyn Dawn Johnson. You know some of my really good friends I have met in the industry. Actually I’m in LA right now. Lila McCann and I have been hanging out constantly for the past couple of days. She’s wonderful and I’d love for her to be out there to. So I don’t know if I could just pick one person. You really have to be able to get along with the people you’re on tour with and that would have to be my friends.

I think that would be a great duet, you and Lila.

Meredith: Oh everyone says that we remind people of each other *laughs*. We’ve gotten to be the best of friends and have a great time together. It’s fun when we get together just because we don’t always talk about music and the business. We get to hang out and talk about other things.

Fans always hear about the practical jokes artists pull on each other while out on the road. Have you been on the receiving end or pulled any jokes on anyone?

I haven’t. And I’ve never experience it or pulled any jokes on anyone and no one has ever pulled any jokes on me. So who knows maybe it will stay like that. *laughs* maybe someone one day might just want to play a joke on me but not yet.

Yeah get lucky and never have to experience it.

Right *laughs*

If you were stranded out on a desert island somewhere and could only have one CD with you. Which would it be?

I’m going to have to go with Martina again *laughs*. Martina McBride’s Greatest Hits.

You have any advice you’d give someone looking to follow in your footsteps?

You know the only advice I can give someone is to sing everywhere you can. Sing publicly in front of people everywhere you can. Obviously practice makes perfect. But singing and entertaining gets you out in front of people and you never ever know who’s watching you. You never know who’s out in that audience. So that’s probably the best advice I can give somebody.

You’ve been exposed to both the inner workings of the pop industry and the country music industry? See any differences or similarities between the two?

I’m going to be honest with you. They’re so different. I think there are some really, really wonderful people and I admire them so much. But I’m so proud to be in the country business and part of the country music world. It’s just a small circle of people and it’s just wonderful. I’m sure I’ll have my conflicts *laughs* one day but so far everyone has been so nice and everyone works just as much on each side. It’s just night and day. It seems like country is more laid back and pop is more high-strung. I guess that’s the difference.

Everyone has a couple of albums in their collection that they’d like to pretend they never bought. I know I have quite a few myself. What are some of yours?

Meredith: Well let’s see. Couple of albums I’d wish I’d never bought. I don’t know if you’re gonna know what I’m talking about when I tell you this. Back in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade our English teachers would have these videotapes that were called “School House Rocks”. What it was was like a compilation of different cartoon characters singing songs about adverbs, adjectives, and conjunctions. All the different parts of speech. One day my friend and I were in the record store and they had the soundtrack and I bought it *laughs*. So that might be a really stupid CD I bought one time.

Would you believe that I have the VHS?

No way.

It’s yeah…I own that.

Ok now I don’t feel stupid because you know what I’m talking about.

It’s sitting at home downstairs somewhere in a box.

You know there are actually some pretty cool songs on there. I mean I don’t know. It’s funny. I’ve watched that tape over and over again and I just had to buy the CD one day *laughs*.

Anything you have coming up in the future you’d like our readers to be aware of?

Definitely. I’m going to be on Good Morning America on Monday morning. So that’s something I’d love everyone to see. I’m going to sing “Ready To Fall” and give a quick little interview. So Monday morning October 29th I’ll be on Good Morning America.

I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. I wish you the best of luck with the CD.

Anytime. Thank you!