A magnetic energy filled the airwaves on the Monster as Rico Robles and Karla Aguas spoke to Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent.
St. Vincent, as we see her, is one of today’s most creative, intriguing artists, so finally getting the chance to know Annie Clark on the show was quite the experience. Annie joined Rico and Karla from her hotel room in New Orleans (a hotel her friend just opened called St. Vincent – is that not the coolest thing ever?), where she played her first live show in two years.
In a modest crowd of about 300 people, Annie opened the show with “Pay Your Way In Pain” off her latest album. “There’s nowhere to get that feeling in everyday life,” she says of the feeling of finally performing live again. “You get to be in a room or outdoor area full of people, thousands of people, and you get to dream the same dream for an hour and a half. You push them, and they push you, and you get this connection that there’s not another way to get it in life. Really, it’s such a special magic.”
Besides Annie’s return to live shows, she just dropped her new album “Daddy’s Home,” which has been met with critical acclaim for its punchy lyrics and nod to the 1970s sound. “It’s warm, it’s wooden, it’s spacious, and it’s really different from me,” Annie said, explaining that she was ready to move away from the ‘hypersexualized’ vibe of her previous album. She worked closely with Jack Antonoff in the studio to develop the sophisticated, intricate sound for the album, wanting to “lean back into the old leather armchair” of this music.
Karla gushed about the record, saying “It’s not something you hear anymore, you know. And when you hear it, it brings you back. Like you just feel so comforted, and so safe.”
It turns out that’s exactly one of the moods that inspired the album. “During the pandemic, I found myself listening to things that made me feel safe, and comforted, and warm, and embraced,” Annie said. “And I think something about that inspired ‘Daddy’s Home.’ Kind of wanting to feel like music that was a hug.”
Completing the record amid the pandemic was something completely new to Annie. Having been on tour basically non-stop as St. Vincent since 2005, she hadn’t been in one place for more than two weeks in years. Thankfully, this change of environment helped her develop a rhythm with writing new music. “Writing is sort of like working out a muscle. You get better at it the more you do it.” Usually, she’d write and write, create the record, then pause writing to go on tour and do promotional work. “You kind of stop writing right at your peak.”
Now that she was on lockdown, Annie got to keep the writing going with no pauses, and also did lots of experimenting and tinkering in the studio. From it was born a masterpiece of an album with such rich storytelling and imagery. “The best things in my life happen when I just follow my gut, follow the music where it goes, and try to do my best by it.”
A rock lover at heart, Annie named Jimi Hendrix as one of her musical inspirations, especially as a guitarist. “I remember the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix. It was like the sky turned to fire and a portal opened up, and I was like, whaaat?” she said. “It’s like you see into another dimension. And I was twelve.” She’s also a lover of ‘70s music and the great guitar and saxophone soloists from the era – Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder, to name a few. “Those are the kind of solos that are so musical, you can sing them. And I really kinda fell in love with that style of playing.”
Being influenced by rock classics has clearly paid off in her career, as St. Vincent has become recognized by many of the greats. She spoke about the incredible experience of performing with Nirvana at the 2014 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. “Nirvana’s the reason I play music,” she said. “I wanted to be Kurt Cobain.” Annie had the honor of singing “Lithium” with the band that night, an experience she says she still hasn’t fully processed. “The deep bittersweetness of it was we all just wished it was Kurt. There shouldn’t be other people inducting Kurt. He should be alive.”
Another legend who’s witnessed St. Vincent's artistry is Prince himself. Annie told the story of a show she played seven years ago in New York: “There was some whisper that Prince might come, he might come to the show, I don’t know. And obviously, he’s Prince, he’s very mysterious.” She hadn’t heard any confirmation of Prince’s attendance before the show started, so she assumed he wouldn’t be there – that is, until she got on stage. “I get to my guitar, start to play the show, look up, and I just see the shadowy figure with the sunglasses. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, Prince is here.’”
Seeing a St. Vincent show in Manila is now on our bucket lists! We’re looking forward to the day she gets to play live for all the Filipino fans (fingers crossed!) but for now, we’re more than happy to get to know Annie Clark through this refreshing conversation. She also shared her ultimate comfort food, a song she wishes she wrote, and how she reacts to hearing her songs on the radio – watch the full interview on the Monster RX93.1 page: