Donny Anderson Interview
4-25-6
Country/Pop/Soul

Listen to the audio here.

Transcript:

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Tracey: Hi, I’m Tracey.

Donna: Hey, what’s up I’m Donna.

Tracey: And we are from Pop Blitz Magazine.  We are talking with singer, Donny Anderson.  Donny, can you please introduce yourself?

Donny: Hey guys, I’m Donny Anderson.

Tracey: How would you describe your music, and what is your definition of country soul?

Donny: I sort of wanted to do my own thing for a long time, with the pop production and country instruments.  So that’s kind of what I call country soul.  Something more in the middle, more inspirational.  I’ve heard a lot of stuff come out that’s sort of what I describe, like Carrie Underwood’s new album.

Tracey: You discovered your talent at the age of 7, singing a duet.  What is the story on that?

Donny: Actually, I think it was in grade 7.  One day I just woke up and got out of bed, and started singing, and my mom was like ‘What?’ *laughs* I guess I just told her that was what I wanted to do with my life.  My first performance was with a friend, at a school talent show, where we did a song called “When I Fall In Love”.

Tracey: Who sings that song?

Donny: I think the version we did was Celine Dion, and Clive Griffin, I believe.

Tracey: Ah, I think I know what you’re talking about now.  How did you get into country music? – Jocelyn

Donny: The earliest thing that I can remember is being inspired by LeAnn Rimes, because she was really young and I kind of started getting into singing.  She was a huge inspiration, what I wanted to become as an artist.  And that’s how I got into country music.

Tracey: Sweet, did you go through any struggles getting to the place you are now? – Christie

Donny: Oh definitely, I think everybody does.  I can’t really name just one, because it seems that there is always a struggle with everything, but that’s good.  Every day is a struggle for most people.  You just gotta take it into account you know.

Tracey:  Exactly.

Donny:  *laughs*

Donna:  Cool.

Tracey:  That goes for anything, not just music.

Donny:  Oh for sure.  The music industry is a tough place, but there are a lot more people out there, suffering way bigger battles, so I try to wake up everyday, and tell myself how lucky I am.

Tracey:  Right, that’s a good thing.

Donny:  For sure.

Tracey: You play a lot of shows in Canada.  Any plans to tour the US or overseas anytime soon?

Donny:  Yeah, over the last few years I’ve done a lot of shows in the states, when I was down there doing part of the album.  As far as overseas, I would love to do that someday.  I don’t have any immediate plans to do that, but I hope that it comes sometime in the future.  I’d love to travel, and to do that, do the whole thing over there.

Tracey:  Right, especially since you have radio airplay some places over there.

Donny:  Yeah, yeah.  I mean, obviously since I’m not there, I don’t know how it’s received.  But I know there’s been a good amount of response from it, and a lot of people play it over there.  I’d just love to go and see how everything is taken.

 Tracey: What are your strengths and weaknesses? – Dana

Donny:  In music, or as a person?

Tracey:  Either one.

Donny:  In the music industry, I’d say a strength is that I somehow manage to keep my head leveled out, from what’s going on.  It gets kind of crazy sometimes.  A weakness is that I don’t always know what to say, no I don’t even know what I’m going to say now haha.  A weakness for me in the music industry is that I have a hard time choosing what songs go on the album, because I love them all.  I end up loving each song for individual reasons, and then I need to get people to come in, and tell me what their opinions on things are.  Let me see, personally, if I have an idea in my head, I try to carry it through as far as I can, but I guess that could also be a strength right?

Donna:  Mmmhmm.

Donny:  *laughs*  So I guess that’s a double one, but I’ll leave it at that.

Tracey: What has been your biggest accomplishment, music wise?

Donny:   Oh man, there’s been so many.  Opening for Terri Clark was one.  Moving to Nashville was another.  Getting to meet pretty much all the people that I’ve wanted to meet in my life, has been an amazing thing.  Getting to meet just all of these general people, and having there support is an amazing thing too, the whole thing in itself.  I just think the whole thing is a great ride.  I can’t really put it down to one instance, because it’s all been part of the journey.

Tracey: If you could relive any day in the past, what would it be and why? – Dana

Donny:  Oh lord, I’m not sure I can pick a day, but I can pick a time when I was really young.  I just remember walking down the street with my bare feet and shorts on, in the summertime, eating ice cream.  I just remember how the sun was, and how the day was, it was beautiful.  I guess it’s just part of the innocence.  It would be cool to feel that again.

Tracey:  Yeah it would.

Donny:  For sure. *laughs*

Donna:  Totally.  It’s nice here today.

Donny:  I know.  It’s nice here in Canada too.  We don’t have any snow anymore.

Tracey:  Neither do we.

Donny:  *laughs* 

Tracey: Being a twin, did you and Jody ever try to fool people?  If so, can you tell us about your favorite memory of that?

Donny: *laughs*  We’ve never tried to fool people, but we’ve always been partners in crime.  We kind of watch each others backs, because we’re really really slow.  No, I can’t say that we ever tried to fool anybody, but I know people mistake us for each other all the time anyways.  It’s kind of funny to watch that.  And it’s funny to be able to have somebody stick around, because there’s two of you.

Tracey:  Right.  Do you have any specific stories of you and him being partners in crime?

Donny:  I have a story when I was younger, and he was going through a minor surgery.  It was weird because I felt sick at the time when he was going into the operation.  I was being babysat by one of my family friends.  He went in, and I felt sick, then we fell asleep at the same time, and I woke up and told everybody that I felt fine.  So it was kind of a weird psychic thing.  My mom and babysitter kept track of the time that things happened. 

Tracey:  Wow, that’s kind of creepy.

Donny:  *laughs* That’s kind of creepy huh?

Tracey:  Yeah, but in a good way, but wow.

Donny:  *laughs*

Donna:  That happens a lot with twins.

Donny:  Yeah, my brother and I know a lot of twins.  Things like that have happened all the time to them too.

Tracey: A bunch of us remember you from the good ole Wilkinson Message Board, before things got so crazy.  What do you remember about that?

Donny:  Oh man, I remember it being a large community, of everybody hanging out, and chatting about the Wilkinsons.  They’ve since become really great friends of mine.  It’s really cool to see how their fans react to them, and as far as everything in their career.  It’s great for them.  They are really great artists, you know?

Tracey:  Yeah, they are.  I’ve been going to Canada the past two summers, just to see them, since they don’t come down to the states anymore.

Donny:  Oh, wow really?

Tracey:  Yeah, up to Winnipeg.

Donny:  Are you coming up this summer?

Tracey:  Am I?

Donny:  Yeah.

Tracey:  I don’t know.  I’m hoping that people start schedule US tour dates.

Donny:  Yeah, for sure.

Tracey:  It’s a lot easier.

Donny:  Yeah, I know.  I know exactly what you are saying.

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