Twenty Questions with New Face Heather Schmid
by Sara Garland

Heather Schmid and I have been playing phone tag for almost a week. I'm getting used to listening to her upbeat voice apologize to my phone mail - "Sorry, I was in the studio," "Sorry, I was meeting with my stylist." It's understandable, though - this talented rising star has a lot going on. We finally managed to chat for a few minutes last Sunday, and I got to know a little more about Heather and her life as an up and coming pop singer.

Q: First of all, tell me what's happening this Wednesday. It's a big day for you, right?
A This Wednesday's show is called Goddess 2004 and it is the culmination of my work with Ed Bennett. It's being run by Lizzie Grubman PR. It's my first major performance in NYC for the industry. The music is about the Goddess and the power of women. It's going to be a great show - I have 4 dancers and 2 backup singers. And everything has really come together.

Q: Are you nervous?
A: No, not nervous. I don't get nervous in that way anymore. Only when I don't feel like there have been enough rehearsals. I have a comfortable attitude about it - whatever happens happens for a reason. I always hope for the best.

Q: I want to know more about you as a musician. Who would you compare yourself to?
A: I think that I am an offshoot of Beyonce with a little mix of Alicia Keyes. I really admire Alicia's musical integrity and that she didn't have sell her sexuality overtly. I'm similar to Faith Hill in the vocal department, we both do very straight vocals. Add in Sarah McLachlan, for the songwriting. I can definitely see myself with the power divas, too.

Q: Who do you listen to?
A: I'm really into Alicia Keyes, I like her new CD a lot. I like a lot of different things… the Black-eyed Peas are great, Sarah McLachlan, Ani Difranco, Tori Amos, I also really loved Usher's new CD that just came out. That's amazing

Q Are they your favorite artists? Who did you listen to growing up?
A: I was into a lot of different music growing up; I went through all these different phases. Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, definitely. Also, Tori Amos because of her songwriting. I was really into the whole Lillith Tour thing. Before all that, I went through a hard rock phase, and then rap - I loved old school Run DMC. Then there was the big singer/songwriter phase, people like Jewel, people who played the guitar and sang. I've always been really into R&B and hip hop and I've always been into really strong voices because of training I've had.

Q: Yeah, you're classically trained, right? Do you miss opera?
A: I really love where I am at. And I still do it, sing opera. But I felt that my training was there, that I went through all of that so that I could incorporate it and use it for my own feel. And I really think that is what is happening now

Q: Okay, I feel silly asking this one. Do you watch American Idol?
A: It's so funny how that's everyone's perception of the music industry! I don't watch too much TV. I only saw one bit of it last year; I saw the last show. I'm usually in the studio or out, but I would never, ever …you know, everyone tells me I should be on it, but I would never in a trillion bazillion years.

Q: Okay, so TV's not your thing…any favorite movies? Books?
A: I loved The Truman Show with Jim Carrey. There's was just this underlying truth to it…I became so aware how everything is sort of scripted… I've barely seen anything recently. I think the last movie I saw was the Last Samurai which was really interesting, especially the ideas about Buddhism and about making yourself powerful. Oh, I also saw that Disney movie about the hockey underdogs, "Miracle" which was good in a bad kind of way…

Q: Speaking of underdogs, I know that you've spent a lot of time in both Boston and New York. Are you a Red Sox fan?
A: That's a hard one! I'm totally divided. Well, I guess I always root for the underdog, so Red Sox.

Q: Sorry, I interrupted. You were talking about movies and books.
A: Right. As for books, I just finished The DaVinci Code. It was really good, really interesting. I've been working on the Goddess album and there was a lot of overlap. It was just really along the lines of what I've been doing. I also just read the Last Hours of Sunlight, an amazing book about the state of our world and our environment. It's basically about our use of old fossil fuels instead of current sunlight. We've only got about 30 years left of fossil fuel. The book also had ideas about vegetarianism, about the real state of our environment and resources. It was a very powerful book about the realities of our world.

Q: Are you an environmentalist?
A I think that if I could get an electric car I would, and I recycle, but I like to keep things in balance…Instead of specific issue, it's more that I get out a lot of ideas through my music. That's what I've been focusing on, not being activist but making my music stand for who I am.

Q: So you've definitely got a lot to say, a lot that you care about. What would you be if you weren't a singer?
A: I would be a business owner. I definitely will be one day. I think it would be entertainment based, owning a publicity firm or an agency, maybe management - that type of thing

Q: You are also really into travel. Of the places you've gone, what was your favorite?
A: Hands down Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a topical paradise. It's also just really interesting. It's a balance of all of the religions. The spirit of the people is really warm and inviting and I just loved the landscape. It was just amazing, amazing. I haven't been to anywhere else like that.

Q: Were you there singing?
A: I was singing, actually, for couple of my shows I opened up for Shaggy. When I travel I like to really feel the native culture, go to random festivals, religious ceremonies. When I was in Pakistan, we went to the tribal regions where everyone carries guns and bullets across their chest. We went into this area where there was a sign that said "No Laws Apply, Enter at Your Own Risk." There was a lot of poverty.

Q: Wow. Were you scared?
A: No, I'm really glad I went; it changed my whole perspective. It gives you a real idea of what the world is.

Q: Where would you most like to go?
A: I really want to go to Morocco and Cape Town, South Africa. I really love all the tropics. I would also really love to go to the Middle East but I might wait a little on that.

Q: So back to the music. Why do you sing?
A: I have felt since I was very young that I was put on this earth for a very specific purpose. I've worked very hard to take very seriously the talents that I've been given and I feel that I really have a message. I mean, obviously, I love singing. I think it gets me to a level where I can speak to people and connect with people on very a deep level.

Q: Well, I think that takes care of my next question. Fate: true or false?
A: Of course, true. Wholeheartedly true.

Q: So was it always a foregone conclusion for you that you would become a singer? What did you want to be when you grew up when you were, say, 5?
A: I have no recollection. It's funny, I was really shy. I went through a whole year where I didn't speak to anyone. I would walk away if someone said hi. I think of that now as a very cultivating time.

Q: What happens next?
A: There's no one thing. It's going to be major label deal/national tour/international tour/totally new business venture. I'm going global. I feel like I'm on my life path.