HEMMING: WHAT’S REALLY REAL
by kmanderson
photo by Linda Perry
Hemming is the protégée of Linda Perry, her music has drawn comparisons to Cat Power. Discovered on “Make or Break: The Linda Perry Project,” which aired on VH-1, Hemming (real name Candice Martello) began the show as part of the piece band Omar (with drummer Nick Fanelli). However, it was Hemming, Martello’s solo project that caught Perry’s ear, which led Martello eventually winning the show and a chance to work with Perry as well as release an album on Perry’s Custard label imprint.
Hemming was recently in Houston on November 3rd at Fitzgerald’s as part of her tour with Rachel Yamagata. The singer spoke via e mail about being the realities working with Linda Perry and introducing herself to an audience that may or may not have been familiar with the show.
Do you see being somewhat introduced to the world via a television as an advantage or disadvantage in the way of establishing a personal connection, or do you see it as no different than being introduced via Soundcloud or MySpace or something like that?
It is definitely an advantage as far as exposure goes, there are tons of bands on Soundcloud and Myspace that get over looked and lost just because of the quantity of free music out there. Television has become another outlet to gain exposure and recognition, whether it be a show like The Linda Perry Project or having a song in a commercial, it all catches people’s attention in a different way. I will say though now that the show is over, people will focus more on the fact that I am a musician, not a reality TV personality.
In performing the songs so far in advance of the release, is that a way to road test the material (if the album is written) or a way to sort establish an audience relationship beyond or to an audience who may or may not know of the show.
I would say both, the album is already written and recorded and so far it has been very reassuring to hear everyone’s reactions to the songs live. Some people come up to me because they recognize me from the show and others are seeing me for the first time and seem to really connect with the lyrics and the emotion of the performance. I feel like being on this tour is not only creating a new fan base but hopefully solidifying an already existing one.
In working with Linda Perry, is there a pressure to continue a legacy, or does it make it more difficult to establish an identity that is more connected to the work of both of you collaboratively vs. the expectation of the music you are going to make per the association to Perry.
I don’t feel pressure to continue a legacy because Linda didn’t want me to feel that pressure. She was very adamant in the studio that she wanted to focus on me being an artist first and foremost, wanting me to be proud of what we were creating. I entered the studio with about thirty full band demos of my songs that I had made in garage band, but they were a little all over the place. Linda pulled reoccurring elements from my demos and helped me develop a cohesive sound, which I am very pleased with. However, now that the record is done and I am very proud of it, I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure I do what I can to make sure people listen to it.
