E-mail a friendKT Tunstall
original airdate May 5, 2008
At the beginning of '05, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter KT Tunstall was a virtual unknown. By the end of the year, after performing on a TV show as a last-minute replacement act, she was the best-selling female songstress in Britain. The Scottish artist learned piano at age 7 and, by age 15, had found her singing voice. After honing her skills with a number of bands, she went solo in '02. Tunstall has also lent her tunes to select films and TV shows, including The Devil Wears Prada and Grey's Anatomy.
Singer-songwriter explains what she thinks about the L.A. Lakers and presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton using her song. (1:23)
Singer-songwriter performs live, "Ain't Nobody." (4:53)
KT Tunstall
Tavis: KT Tunstall's a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter from Scotland and whose debut CD, "Eye to the Telescope," sold four million copies worldwide. She's now on tour in support of her sophomore disc, called "Drastic Fantastic -" got to love that title - "Drastic Fantastic." Later on, a special performance from KT and her band. But first, from "Drastic Fantastic," here's some of the video for the single, "If Only."
Tavis: So you ski?
KT Tunstall: I ski, but I - there's a big jump in that video clip, and I don't do that.
Tavis: I'm glad to have you on the program.
Tunstall: Thank you for having me.
Tavis: I love this title, "Drastic Fantastic." Whose idea?
Tunstall: My idea. My idea.
Tavis: Yeah? You get credit for it. It's a good one, I like it.
Tunstall: I was on a plane, sitting on a plane, and I had watched that brilliant adaptation of Frank Miller's comic book "Sin City" in the movie, and it was just so inspiring and so exciting, because it's not super, like, super powers, it's just hyper-real and just very intense, and I really related to that with everything that was going on. And I loved the artwork and just the kind of risk-taking nature of it all.
Tavis: Did the sophomore - I don't want to say sophomore jinx, because it's a good CD and I think you've gotten over it. But so many people get scared by that second project because everybody expects more of the same from the first. So how do you navigate from CD one to CD 2?
Tunstall: Well, any pressure that I felt was definitely - I put on myself. I wasn't really that interested in this pressure to kind of sell, sell, sell. I've never really been about that. It's just doing stuff that I think is good and that I enjoy doing, and if I'm enjoying myself, a crowd watching usually enjoys themselves. And if I'm not enjoying myself, it doesn't work. You don't get the circuit boards, so.
Tavis: But record executives don't want to hear that.
Tunstall: I know, exactly. But we don't care about them. (Laughter) So it's great, you work together as a team and you try and make something successful, but the important thing for me was to make a record that I loved and that I felt progressed from the first one. I was really scared of just repeating myself and making something that sounded the same.
Tavis: For you, when you say you wanted the second CD to sound as if you'd progressed from the first one, progressed meant what for you?
Tunstall: It was a creative thing. It was really exploring different corners of stuff that excited me. I've always been a huge fan of Beck, in the way that every album is different. He tries out different genres, he tries out different sounds, and isn't afraid to be criticized for doing something that's completely (unintelligible) what he usually does.
And I really wanted to make something that would allow me to do whatever I wanted and not have people going huh, I thought she was a folk singer. And just really embrace all this stuff that I enjoy doing, and so it's all - a lot of this new album is about electric guitar.
Tavis: Where does the confidence come from, though, that you can bring your audience of fans with you? So you're having a good time, and that's cool, but where's the confidence come, the sense coming from that you can pull them, you can bring them with you?
Tunstall: I'm a firm believer that your confidence comes from where you're from and how you've grown up, and my parents were just amazing people and they always let me try whatever I wanted to try, but they said if you're going to try something, just try and get good at it. Don't waste our money on lessons and then be rubbish, because we're not going to come and clap if you're rubbish. (Laughter)
So there was always this kind of - I guess a kind of sense of wanting to achieve something in my family and it's quite a competitive family as well. I think that helps, doing this, because you're always just wanting to do your best all the time, and it's good, it's a good way of kicking yourself forward.
Tavis: You speak of your parents very lovingly; your fans know you were adopted at birth.
Tunstall: Yeah.
Tavis: How did that, does that impact your music, if at all? Or it's something you don't even process?
Tunstall: Well, the weird thing is, I suppose, is that I am literally the only person in my family and extended family who plays anything or sings or performs. So that was - it's a really interesting thing, because you just think okay, this is obviously something that is not necessarily genetic.
And I'm sure there's kids from blood-related families and one of them just suddenly does something weird that no one else in the family does. There's always black sheep. But when you are adopted, you just think god, this is something - maybe this is something I've been born with. And it just makes you really think that maybe no matter where you'd grown up or who'd adopted you or what city you lived in or what circumstances you went through, maybe you'd always end up a musician because it's a really strong part of you.
Or maybe not. I suppose it's that mystery of if a different couple had picked me up that day, I'd have a completely different life.
Tavis: I don't detect any bitterness, though, in your music -
Tunstall: Oh, no.
Tavis: - about the fact that somebody gave you up for adoption.
Tunstall: Not at all. Again, that comes down to your parents. I think it's how they handle it, and I always just grew up being told that everyone else just gets what they're given, and we chose you. (Laughter) Which is a compliment.
Tavis: I love that. That's a nice way to put that. I like the way they put that. You mention back of the CD that so much of this is about electric guitar. Why electric guitar?
Tunstall: Well, I had played electric guitar in bands before I did "The Telescope," and when I came to make that first album I'd been listening to a lot of old blues music, great old anonymous stuff where it's just an old guy and everyone's clapping, and these amazing backing vocals - Howling Wolf, Bo Diddly was a big inspiration for that first record, with all the rhythm stuff, which is such a big part of what I do.
And I just love that very, very natural, simple offering of a first record going like you know what I'm talking about, and it's done very honestly. And so I thought I'm going to put down the electric guitar for this album. I'm just going to do it acoustic and do it really simple.
But I missed playing my electrics, and when we took "Eye to the Telescope" on tour, it became this big beast with all sorts of different sounds and it was really a lot of energy, and I toured for three years and I just really wanted to put that great dynamic and band energy into a record, so.
Tavis: Well, you did that. Before I let you go, so you can do this performance for me and for the audience, so the Lakers are in the playoffs, and I say that - there are two funny stories about "Suddenly I See." So I really get turned onto this song the first time at a Lakers' game. The Lakers - I don't know if you know - they play this song all the time. And I'm like -
Tunstall: I like them.
Tavis: I'm like, "Who is this artist?"
Tunstall: I'll support them.
Tavis: Yeah, so the Lakers are playing this at every game, "Suddenly I See," and then tomorrow - I'm from Indiana, so tomorrow, big primary in Indiana and Hillary's looking awfully good these days, and she is playing the heck out of this song.
Tunstall: She's loving the song.
Tavis: So what do you make of that?
Tunstall: It's weird for me because I'm not American, so it's very - it's kind of a little nerve-wracking, having an American politician using your song when - maybe it would be even more difficult for me if I was American. I'm not American; it's nothing to do with me. (Laughter) But at the end of the day, I'd like to see a Democratic government.
I think it would be a good change for the States, and I think that there would be no harm in trying a female president. So I think - if I really had a problem with the policies and the ideas of a candidate, then I would probably make a call. But at the moment, I feel like -
Tavis: You're okay with it.
Tunstall: Yeah, I'm okay with it.
Tavis: Okay. For those who don't know, Hillary plays this song all the time. I suspect if she wins in Indiana tomorrow night, you'll hear "Suddenly I See" all over TV.
Tunstall: Yeah, the chick flick anthem. (Laughter)
Tavis: The chick flick anthem. Her new CD is called "Drastic Fantastic." She is, of course, KT Tunstall, and in just a moment, a special performance from KT and her band. Nice to have you here.
Tunstall: Thank you so much for having me.
Tavis: It's my pleasure. So, stay with us.
Tavis: KT Tunstall's critically acclaimed new CD is called "Drastic Fantastic" and is in stores now. Now, most artists would insist on performing a song from their new disc, but KT was kind enough to play a request for us tonight. Here she is with her band, covering the Chaka Khan classic "Ain't Nobody." Enjoy.
Back to May 5, 2008