Heartbreak breakdown
By Amelynn Liong, TODAY | Posted: 15 February 2007 0731 hrs

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SINGAPORE: American singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata may deliver heart-wrenching, piano-pounding melodies effortlessly, but she is quick to say that she is no emotional basketcase.

Performing in town at the Esplanade Mosaic Festival on March 17, the 29-year-old singer of Japanese and German-Italian parentage has been labelled a poster-girl for lovelorn 20-somethings since the success of her moody debut album Happenstance in 2004 .

Speaking to TODAY in a phone interview from New York, Yamagata shared that not all of her romances are shaded in despair and melancholy.

"I'm not comfortable with such labelling because I've never set out to be like that. This is not how I view life - I'm not depressed or cynical," said the self-taught pianist and guitarist.

"But I'm starting to accept it. If I didn't know myself and I listened to my songs for the first time, I would probably think that this songwriter is lovelorn too," added the husky-voiced Yamagata with a laugh.

Having toured extensively in parts of the US and Europe for the past two years, Yamagata has popped up numerous times on music pundits' "must-watch" and "next big thing" lists. Yamagata credits the sincerity reflected in her music for her fast-rising career.

"The feedback I've received from fans is that they appreciate the honesty in my songwriting. I say the words that they haven't been able to say themselves," said Yamagata, who fronted Chicago funk-fusion band Bumpus for six years before launching her solo career in 2002.

While confessing to previous binges on tarot-card reading, the free-spirited Yamagata is not leaving the future of her career to chance as she has been working for the past nine months on her new album due for release by the middle of this year.

"I know what I want and this new album redefines me. The songs don't sound like pop rock from the first album. They are more uninhibited, guitar-driven, the Nick Cave kind of rock songs," said Yamagata.

Having incited countless comparisons to fellow female singer-songwriters such as Norah Jones, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, Yamagata feels that her music style should be more than clear now.

"I don't agree with all these comparisons, but I think it's normal for critics to put newcomers in a mould," said Yamagata.

"But in all the live sessions that I've done, nobody has walked out saying I sound like somebody else. So, it'll be ridiculous for these comparisons to continue." - TODAY

What: Rachael Yamagata at the Mosaic Music Festival
When: March 17, 7.30pm
Where: Esplanade Concert Hall. Tickets available through SISTIC.