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5 Questions With ... Monica

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GRAMMY-winning artist visits The Recording Academy
GRAMMYs
Jun 21, 2017 - 12:57 am
GRAMMY.com

GRAMMY-winning R&B artist Monica recently visited The Recording Academy's headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., for an installment of 5 Questions With … . The singer discussed the importance of music education, mentoring, her favorite GRAMMY moment, social networking, and the importance of being an Academy member.

"I came not expecting to win at all," said Monica of her GRAMMY win in 1998 for "The Boy Is Mine." "I was honored in my heart to be nominated. Winning never crossed my mind. I had never won any award in any form. [I] was just simply surprised, and looking back at the moment, just excited."



Monica was born Monica Denise Arnold in Atlanta. As a young girl she performed in local churches and talent show contests, and by the age of 10 she joined the traveling gospel choir Charles Thompson And The Majestics. At age 11 she was discovered by producer Dallas Austin, who offered a record deal with Rowdy Records. In 1995 Monica released her debut album, Miss Thang, which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hits "Before You Walk Out Of My Life," "Why I Love You So Much" and "Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days)." Her sophomore album, The Boy Is Mine, was released in 1998 and yielded two No. 1 hits, "The First Night" and "Angel Of Mine." The album's title track featured a duet with Brandy and earned them each a GRAMMY for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals. Monica received two GRAMMY nominations in 2010, including a nod for Best R&B Album for Still Standing. She is currently working on her latest album, New Life, which is tentatively scheduled for release later this year.

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5 Questions With ... Eric Church

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Country singer/songwriter visits The Recording Academy
GRAMMYs
Jun 21, 2017 - 12:57 am
GRAMMY.com

Country singer/songwriter Eric Church was the recent guest for an installment of The Recording Academy's 5 Questions With … series. Held at The Academy's headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., Church discussed topics such as songwriting, the significance of Recording Academy membership, music education, advice for young musicians, and his latest album, Chief, and the album's No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200.

"It was insane," said Church on Chief's debut atop the Billboard 200. "Everybody has expectations, but it far exceeded any expectations I had. It really restored my faith in the power of the people [and] in making records and it being about music. People believed enough in the record [and] that week they became the ambassadors for it."

Hailing from Granite Falls, N.C., Church began writing songs and taught himself how to play guitar at age 13. While in college at Appalachian State University, Church formed a band, the Mountain Boys, and upon graduation moved to Nashville where he landed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Tree, subsequently writing songs for other artists, including Terri Clark's "The World Needs A Drink," which he co-wrote with Casey Beathard. Church eventually met producer Jay Joyce and the two started recording demos, landing Church a record deal with Capitol Records Nashville. Church's debut album, 2006's Sinners Like Me, cracked the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Country Albums chart. Carolina followed in 2009, peaking at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and spawning the gold-certified singles "Love Your Love The Most" and "Smoke A Little Smoke." In April Church was honored as the Top New Solo Vocalist of the Year at the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Released in July, Chief debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Country Albums charts, marking the first time a traditional country artist has garnered a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 without having a previous No. 1 hit single since Tim McGraw's 1994 album Not A Moment Too Soon. Church is currently on tour throughout the United States.

Come back to GRAMMY.com next week to view Eric Church's exclusive performance at The Recording Academy.

For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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5 Questions With ... Sonia Leigh

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Singer/songwriter visits The Recording Academy to discuss working with Zac Brown and her new album, 1978 December
GRAMMYs
Jun 21, 2017 - 12:57 am
GRAMMY.com

Singer/songwriter Sonia Leigh was the recent guest for an installment of The Recording Academy's 5 Questions With … series. Held at The Academy's headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., Leigh discussed music education, the story behind her song "Ain't Dead Yet," advice for aspiring musicians, and her new album, 1978 December, among other topics.

"My new record basically envelops all different styles of my writing," said Leigh. "It paints a picture of who I am and where I've been."



Born to a musician father, Leigh received her first guitar at age 10 and soon developed a style blending Southern country, blues and rock. She moved to Atlanta at 17 where she met GRAMMY winner Zac Brown, with whom she subsequently performed and worked on several projects. Leigh released three independent albums, 1998's Remember Me, 2000's Laundry and 2007's Run Or Surrender, before landing a contract with Brown's Southern Ground label. Released in September, 1978 December features eight tracks written by Leigh, plus two co-written with Brown. "When I first saw Sonia Leigh perform, I knew she was a star and I knew I wanted to be by her side and create something special together," wrote Brown on his Southern Ground website. Leigh is currently on tour throughout the United States.

Come back to GRAMMY.com next week to view Leigh's exclusive performance at The Recording Academy.

For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Click on the "5 Questions With ... interviews" tag below for links to other GRAMMY News stories in this series.

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5 Questions With ... Two Door Cinema Club

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Irish indie electro-rock trio visits The Recording Academy
GRAMMYs
Jun 21, 2017 - 12:57 am
GRAMMY.com

Indie electro-rock collective Two Door Cinema Club were the recent guests for an installment of The Recording Academy's 5 Questions With … series. Hosted at The Recording Academy's headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., the band discussed topics including their songwriting process, music education, social media, and their debut album, Tourist History.

"You've got to believe you're a good band," said vocalist/guitarist Alex Trimble. "If you don't believe in yourself, no one else is going to. You need to have that belief that you're going to do something big."



Formed in 2007 in Northern Ireland, Two Door Cinema Club consists of Kevin Baird (bass, backing vocals) along with grammar school friends Sam Halliday (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Trimble. With a sound combining elements of rock, pop and electronica, the trio released an EP, Four Words To Stand On, in 2009 via French label Kitsuné. A year later, the band released their debut album, Tourist History, in the United States via Glassnote Records. The album peaked at No. 26 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart and spawned the single "What You Know," which reached No. 40 on Billboard's Rock Songs chart. Tourist History was named winner of the 2010 Meteor Choice Music Prize, an award honoring the top Irish album of the year. Two Door Cinema Club co-headlined a brief tour in the United States and Canada in January. Additionally, the band played at multiple festivals in 2011, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Isle of Wight and Lollapalooza.

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5 Questions With… Florence + The Machine

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London-based singer/songwriter visits The Recording Academy
GRAMMYs
Jun 21, 2017 - 12:57 am
GRAMMY.com

London-based singer/songwriter Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine visited The Recording Academy headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sept. 10, for an intimate acoustic set including "Dog Days Are Over," "Cosmic Love" and "Drumming Song."

Following the performance, Welch participated in 5 Questions With…, answering questions regarding her musical influences, preferred live venues and touring, her songwriting process, and the influence of social media.

When asked about her songwriting process, Welch described it as "making the mundane magical."

"If you sing something with enough passion and emotion you can turn anything into a song," she said. She also pointed to literature, art installations, shop signs, and scraps of conversation as influences.

"As long as you follow the tangent of your thought and [aren't] afraid to let it go wherever, you can find inspiration from all over the place."

Raised in Camberwell in south London, Florence Mary Leontine Welch attended Camberwell College of Arts where she wrote her debut single "Kiss With A Fist," which appears on her 2009 full-length release Lungs. While the band behind Florence + The Machine often fluctuates, it currently consists of a seven-piece arrangement, including longtime collaborators Ackroyd, drummer Chris Hayden, Monger, and Isabella Summers on keyboards. The band has performed at large-scale international festivals such as the UK's V Festival, Latitude Festival and recent Glastonbury Festival. Florence + The Machine picked up an award for Best Art Direction for "Dog Days Are Over" at the 2010 MTV Music Video Awards. 

More 5 Questions With... video: V.V. Brown, Jakob Dylan, Alejandro Fernández, Florence + The Machine, Rosi Golan, K'Naan, John Legend, Bruno Mars, Janelle Monáe, and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart