Lighting down the highway
Molly Thomason has already published two albums, Through the static (2009) and the brand new Beauty Queen (2011), and she’s seventeen. But the most amazing thing is the quality of her songs. Her lyrics are deeply clever and her sense of rhythm and melody makes me think her future as a songwriter will give us incredible music jewels. She experiments with sounds and styles looking for the right sound for each song, but also experiments with her own vision of life, dressed in a magnificent pop sensibility and a maturity further beyond her age. All down the highway is the opening song of an album that shows beauty in its real sense. Her music is life at Speed of light.
Your debut album was called “Through the static”. Do you feel the world is static?
Through the Static was more of a title for me about the music industry. I didn't want my music to fall into the static of all the songs that sound the same on the radio. I really hoped that CD would bring a fresh sound to people's ears and cut through songs which all sound the same on the radio.
Your debut and your current new album are really fresh maybe because you are really young. Just sixteen years old and your music sound always really optimistic. Is there always a light on your horizon?
Haha thank you! I guess I try to write things which are positive because they are the most fun to perform. It is important to have emotional songs as well, song which, by writing them, can help get you through a hard time. Those are also very important to have. But I guess I try to have a happy outlook on life and write things which will be fun to play and fun for people to listen to.
Is music industry especially hard for a teenager?
I think it depends on who you are working with. I know there can be a lot of pressure on teenagers because we're impressionable and probably easier to manipulate compared to adults who have a lot of life experience behind them. When you're young you want everything right away, and if someone shows up offering you, say, a record deal, a lot of people might jump on that without thinking about how it will shape their lives, or reading the fine print. There are so many stories of young artists being taken advantage of in this industry, but at the same time it's an amazing place to work. It is also sometimes hard to get people to take you seriously, especially if you're just breaking into the music industry as a teenager. Sometimes people will be little you or have low expectations based on your age. I think it's really important to surround yourself with good, trust worth people, and always ask their advice whenever someone is offering you a great opportunity in your career. Trust worthy.
Following the title of one of your first songs, what is all you would love to say?
Haha that song was written when I was going through my first real "crush". At the time I wanted to tell the person how amazing they were and how much I cared about them.
But in general...
Haha oh boy that’s tough! I would say to people to not give up on what they want to do in life, and not to get down when it seems far away.
Your first album starts with "Untitled #2 (kiss me)", what about the #1?
I had written another song which was untitled, so that was untitled #1, but I'm not sure I remember it anymore!
And untitled...it’s because there are no words for special moments?
Yeah! I just couldn't find a title I felt comfortable using for it. I didn't want to try and define it so I just went with "untitled".
And then "Break my heart". Isn't it too painful?
Oh yes! Yes, that’s what I was trying to express in the song. It was about someone who I really trusted totally breaking my heart.
What does love mean to you?
Love is kind of still a mystery to me. I always am questioning what it is and if I've ever actually experienced it. Someone told me that you'll experience a different kind of love with every lover, and I really liked that idea. To me, love is safety.
Your new album is called "Beauty queen". What's beauty? Love?
No. Not to me. Beauty in the context of my album is something which is very superficial. I wanted to call it "Beauty Queen" because most people who know me, know that I'm not a girly girl at all. I don't wear a lot of make up, I don't do my hair, etc. The title was kind of more ironic than serious, and then the album artwork of the crow juxtaposes the title even more. With this album name and the contrasting look, I was going for the anti-beauty queen idea.
Is society too superficial?
I think it depends on which aspects of society you base your life around. If you're someone who is devoted to reality TV, or avidly following stars in magazines, that's a pretty superficial existence. if you're someone who is involved in the part of our society which is trying to help other countries by sharing resources (education, water, medicine), then that is a very real thing to be involved in. there are so many different aspects of society that it's hard to say the whole thing is superficial, but there are most definetely a lot of superficial parts.
“…sometimes people lie" It's the last song of your new album. That superficial life is a part of that lie?
For sure. That song was more about coming clean with someone after a relationship and flat out telling them you'd been lying the whole time.
What could we find all down your own highway?
Lots of music I hope. I hope this is something I'll do for a long time.
Are you trying to “shine in the dark” through your music?
Most definitely.
Do you prefer live concerts or studio recordings?
They're so different that it's hard to compare them. I love being in the studio and seeing the songs come to life. It's amazing to add different instruments in and see them go to a totally new place and become almost a new song. But then again, I love playing for people and seeing how they react to songs because it's different with every audience. It's really interesting when people come up to me after and tell me that a song touched them and why. The same words can mean different things to everyone, and I love finding that out.
An interview by Juan Carlos Romero
Molly Thomason website www.mollythomason.ca
Photo 1 by Catherine Fancy. Photo 2 courtesy of Molly Thomason.