• Tweet

• Tweet

THE STAR SCOOP:
People are curious about your new album coming out. How is it different from or similar to your previous music?

KATHARINE MCPHEE:
Yeah. It’s definitely different from my first. This one, I lived in Nashville and I wrote with all kinds of different songwriters there. People like Ingrid Michaelson…artists that I really loved myself, I got the opportunity to get to know and write with them. It’s definitely more of a personal record. A little bit more of a grown up record. It’s a different style and I think the time I had allowed me to figure out really where I wanted to go.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Will your fans evolve with your style or do you think this will help you gain a new following of fans?

KATHARINE MCPHEE:
I’m always hoping that more people will become interested in what I’m doing. The great thing about the die hard fans that I have is they’re very loyal. I know that they’ve been waiting for something musically for the longest time. I think they will be very excited, and I hope they will like it of course.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Your first single is called “Had It All.” How would you describe the song or the process behind it?

KATHARINE MCPHEE:
It’s one of the first songs. I wrote about half the record and the other half is songs that I sought out. I loved melodically where this song went and it’s lyrically depressing actually. Oh my gosh, I messed up, I lost everything that I didn’t realize that I had. But what I loved about the song is that the tone of the song definitely had an uplifting kind of positive, empowering vibe to it.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Looking forward through the new year, through 2010 when the album comes out, what kind of hopes do you have?

KATHARINE MCPHEE:
Of course, gosh, I’ve worked so long and so hard on the record and as personalized as it is, you want to see that it gets many opportunities to be heard by people. For me really, what I’m most looking forward to is getting out there and being able to perform everything live, get on a tour, go across the country and sell it! Not sell it as in physically. Just sell the music to people – get them inspired.

THE STAR SCOOP:
Do you think that your background on American Idol helped you to become a better live performer?

KATHARINE MCPHEE:
Yeah. I think…those performances definitely taught me what not to do [laughs]. Something performative that I look back and I was like, oh, I’ll never sing that high in that key again, you know? It’s definitely a good starting platform for learning about a lot of things you don’t want to do. For me that never really helped with the nerves. I still get nervous.

THE STAR SCOOP:
What songs would you recommend to your fans from your album as those that are your favorites?

KATHARINE MCPHEE:
Of course, my first single, “Had It All.” That’s on the radio right now, working up the charts. I would recommend “Surrender,” which I wrote with Ingrid Michaelson and Marshall Altman. It just sort of reminds us how hard we can be on ourselves. It’s heart-warming. For an uplifting [song], I would say “Lifetime.” It’s one of the first songs I actually wrote working on this record, when I was first starting.

THE STAR SCOOP:
What do you want to say directly to your fans?

KATHARINE MCPHEE:
Of course just how appreciative I am. To thank them for how patient they’ve been.