Auszug aus einem Interview, gefĂĽhrt von John Gaffney von
Candlemass chronicles, auf
http://avatariumofficial.se/:
Jennie-Ann Smith, your name is new to people in the metal world, please tell us a bit about your musical history. Jennie-Ann: 'I’ve been working with music since an early age and have been involved in many different musical projects as a freelance musician over the years here in Stockholm, both in studio work and in live touring. Nowadays I mainly work, part-time, as a psycho-social counselor in one of the major hospitals here in Stockholm. It is a choice that gives me the opportunity to grow in many ways and that enables me to take on musical projects that I really feel for.'
How did you come to be involved with Avatarium? Jennie-Ann: 'Marcus asked if I would come down to his studio in Stockholm. I met Marcus many years ago when we both worked together with a Swedish artist. I know that Leif and Marcus initially were looking for a male singer with a more bluesy kind of feeling for Avatarium and had discussed different alternatives. I was asked to sing on the demos and obviously they liked what they heard.'
Your voice is amazing. To my ears your voice has a very romantic, soulful quality, I could have mistaken you for an American blues or soul singer. Who are your vocal influences? Jennie-Ann: 'Thank you so very much! As you very well noticed I do come from a jazz/blues/soul and rock’n roll influenced background. The list of musicians that have inspired me is of course long. I grew and became a grown-up listening to Neil Young, Aretha Franklin, Robert Plant, Donny Hathaway, Tom Petty, Little Richard, Mavis Staples, Joni Mitchell… Honestly, I have never really listened to metal, but I do like rock/hardrock and, as a teenager playing in my first rock band, we listened a lot to bands like Rainbow and Deep Purple. So I guess it also would be appropriate to also mention singers such as Joe Lynn Turner and Ronnie James Dio on this list as well.'