Conversations with Missy: Amanda Dove

If you poke around social media looking for music, you will indeed find it. Will it always be good? No. Sometimes it will surprise you and you will ask yourself why you have not yet heard of this artist. That is what happen to me. Tommy, here at Centerstage Magazine, introduced me to one of these surprisingly talented artists, Amanda Dove. Immediately I was blown away. This girl is sensational. She has so much power in her voice, yet she is so soothing in her tone. I instantaneously started watching all of the videos I could find, and listened to every song she has out. I knew I was going to be interviewing her, but I wanted to hear more on my own. I was simply blown away by her level of talent. Then I see it. A creative video she posted on her facebook caught my attention. I was completely captivated by it, by her. At this point, I was eager to send her my questions!

Missy: I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to interview you. I have been having so much fun watching all of your videos!

Amanda: "Before we get started, I just want to say thank you, Missy, and Center Stage Mag for taking the time to talk to me!"

Wait...is she thanking me? What have I done? I must have the most amazing job in the world. Here I thought I was the girl that was interrupting someone's day for answers to annoying questions, and she is thanking me? WOW! I really do love my job. I love these artists who become friends. It is everything I dreamed it would be and I am so blessed to be able to share this amazing talent with all of you. Now...on to the interview! Enjoy.

Missy: Can you describe your music for all of our readers/listeners? Who do you compare yourself to?  

Amanda: "As a songwriter, my music ranges from Alternative to Adult Contemporary to a more Nashville/Country sound and Christian/Worship.  For The Grey EP, I wanted to give my favorite original tracks at the time the production I thought they deserved, and that meant stepping across genres-- doing each track justice for the individual song that it was, rather than focusing on a unified theme for the album and sacrificing the original intent of the songs.  For a few of the tracks, I wanted to let them be somewhat tense, dark, and dynamic without constriction.  I've asked all my friends, family, and quite a few fans, and nobody seems to agree on the genre for The Grey EP.  I've heard it compared to Lana del Rey, Evanescence, Carrie Underwood, and Adele-- all over the place! I'd love to know how each of my fans would describe it!  I'd really love to know how it makes everyone feel."

Missy:  It is said that Nashville, TN. is to music, what Hollywood is for movies. So many artists that sing country music decide to follow their dreams and move to Nashville, TN. Have you ever thought about moving there?  

Amanda: "Yes, I have!  I am so blessed to be exactly where I am, in Los Angeles and Orange County, but every time I've visited friends in the Nashville area, I could see myself being happy there too, because of the accessibility of great co-writers, and amazing musicians. Everywhere.  It's really beautiful, I love the seasons, and the people are so kind.  My family being here in Cali, and my church are really the hold ups for me.  But you never know what the future holds!"

Missy: Living in Los Angeles, do you feel you are able to showcase your music the way you want? 

Amanda: "The Grey EP will be my first official release as an artist.  I excited to finally distribute my music using online vehicles like iTunes and using social media to reach people from all over the world!  My fans on Facebook, Twitter, ReverbNation, and YouTube have always been so supportive of my original music in the past, even though none of it was available for download!"  

Missy: You have a new EP called "Grey" due out on October, 30th, 2015. Can you tell us about the album? (# of tracks, who wrote, anything you want to include!)  

Amanda: "The Grey EP consists of five of my original songs, plus a bonus track.  All of the songs were written at very different times, spanning over 7 years of my life!  Some of these tracks, especially Running Away, were waiting a very long time to see the light of day!  Though I have always had a pull to write and record Country music, I didn't want to limit these tracks with a focus on genre.  The songs have been produced to represent how I heard them as I wrote them.  The Grey EP was produced by Barrett Slagle and myself, engineered by Kyle Griffin, and mixed and mastered by Susan Nogues."  Preview the Grey EP here: http://ReverbNation.com/AmandaDove

Missy: I know you are also a songwriter. Do you mostly draw from personal experiences when writing, or are you able to just envision a scenario and imagine the emotions when writing?

Amanda: "Writing music is truly my passion.  I would feel totally satisfied with a publishing deal, writing music for the rest of my life and listening to other talented artists perform them.  But more often than not, it feels like the songs find me.  They just come, in the car, in the shower, while I'm falling asleep.  I'm just lucky enough to get them down on paper.  I usually realize what they mean to me as I'm perfecting chords, or editing, and they often give me a glimpse into how I am perceiving that situations in my life that I don't usually take the time to think about consciously.  Sometimes, though, someone will say something and I'll run with it, or I'll have an idea, or a line, that I've been thinking about for a couple hours, and then decide to put the pen to paper."

Missy: You have a video that I found to be very powerful and creative with Josh Gracin's, "Leave Me Alone". You said you imagined that song as a duet. It blew me away. I found it to be very powerful.  After filming that video and posting it, did you receive any feedback from Josh or the songwriters of that song?

Amanda: "Thank you!  I am a fan of Josh Gracin on social media, and I was blown away by the beauty of such a simple song.  I found myself singing along, and it just felt like a duet.  I heard from the original songwriters, Paul Taylor and Tammy Jacobs, who said they dug it!  You can listen to the "duet" here" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOaXttbYUDY

Missy: OK...now there is a lot more to you than just music. You have the cutest bunny ever! I love the videos you post. I have to know, what breed do you have? I have a friend that is getting a Flemish Giant, but never have I seen such a cool bunny. 

Amanda: "Those Flemish Giants are so silly!  My bunny is pretty cute, for sure.  She is a Holland Lop and she's almost 7 months old and weighs less than 2 lbs.  She loves getting good rubs, eating lettuce, apples, bananas, and oats, and her special bunny popcorn.  When I went to choose a bunny back in May, I thought for sure I wanted a boy because I heard they were calmer and more cuddly, but she stole my heart!  She was curious and playful.  She is a good listener (most of the time) and is litter-box trained, so she gets the run of the house when I'm at home.  I named her Khaleesi, after my favorite show, Game of Thrones (of course), but most of the time, we just call her Bunz.  Side note:  My nine fish are named after the Game of Thrones cast, too...  I almost have the whole show!"

Missy: In addition to your music, I see that you were in the Indie Film, "Daughter", and you played a character named Kate. How was that experience? Do you have the desire to keep acting? 

Amanda: "Daughter was an amazing experience.  I had taken a couple acting classes in college and really enjoyed it.  What I loved about acting is really the reacting.  For me, it was nice to let someone else's words have an impact on me and being raw, instead of holding back my emotions, or being strong, or giving people what they want to see.  At this time, I have no plans to act -- unless it's in my music video!  Plug:  Stay tuned for my Grey video… :)"

Missy: What can we expect next from you? 

Amanda "After The Grey EP, I will begin selecting original tracks for my first Country album!  Nothing is set in stone yet, but I'm hoping to record in Nashville."

Missy: What is the best way for your fans to connect with you?

Amanda: "Please KIT!  It's easiest for me to reply on Facebook, especially."  Here are my links:

http://Facebook.com/AmandaDoveMusic

http://YouTube.com/AmandaDoveMusic

http://Twitter.com/ADoveMusic

INSTA: @ADoveMusic

http://ReverbNation.com/AmandaDove

Missy: Is there anything else you want fans to know about you? 

Amanda: "I am so thankful for all the love they have given me over the years!  It can sometimes be hard to put yourself out there as an artist, but my fans have kept me inspired and excited.  Please always let me know your thoughts and feelings on my music.  I live for it! Thanks Missy!"

Thank you all for taking the time to read these incredible answers and allowing yourself to connect with Amanda. She wants to hear from you, so be sure to hit her up on Facebook or Twitter. Go check out her music and watch the video we talked about with Josh Gracin. As always, we make it easy for you here and have included all of Amanda Dove's links to her social media outlets. Connect. Listen. Share. Like and Follow. Stay tuned for more soon! ~Missy