“There’s Something About Joanna (Newsom)”

If you happened to read “There’s Something about Joanna (Newsom),” you probably gathered that I'm a big fan of Joanna Newsom. Despite, or perhaps because of, the intense media coverage she receives, phone interviews with the singer are few and far between, so I was thrilled to have an opportunity to pick her brain. On the other hand, I was unusually nervous about saying the wrong thing or asking a dumb question. The last thing I wanted was to remind Newsom why she doesn't do regional interviews. Plus, I'd been waiting six years for this (since I heard her first album in 2004). No pressure, right? When the day finally came, my worries quickly faded as Newsom was friendly, talkative, funny and thoughtful in a way that artists of her scale rarely are in short-form interviews. But when it came time to write the story, the anxiety returned, and I struggled to do her warm personality and singular style justice. Then there was the difficulty of bringing something new to the table in 800 words — no small task when covering an artist who's been profiled by nearly every major publication in the country. In the end, though, I couldn't have been more pleased with the result, which I hope offered something for fans and newcomers alike. — Dane Smith

“Since her debut six years ago, the 28-year-old harp virtuoso has been an unlikely indie sensation, adored widely by critics and profiled by everyone from Pitchfork to the The New York Times. Newsom’s singular vocal style (a wild, sharp soprano that sometimes borders on shrill) and complex, sprawling arrangements walk a delicate line between traditional classical compositions, Appalachian folk songs and Celtic harp music that defies any meaningful comparison. Her last two albums are better suited to the symphony than the bar scene, and the singer’s literary writing style recently inspired a book of academic analysis entitled Visions of Joanna Newsom.”

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