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SINGAPORE : There is something incredibly attractive about Aimee Mann that you can't quite put your finger on. She is not an A-lister in the world of pop stars, but she still makes people sit up and listen. She's not drop-dead gorgeous, but you can't stop looking at her.
Maybe it's her voice - hypnotic and powerful - that drags you in. Maybe it's the fact that she's one of the few singer-songwriters who've been there and done that. And lived to tell the tale.
Well, you can find out for yourself when she performs on August 29 at the Esplanade. This concert, part of her summer acoustic tour, will feature a "stripped-down approach to the songs", she said over the phone from the United States. "I usually play a mix of songs from all different records so it's not all new or old - it's a variety."
"Variety" is what she's had throughout her life - at least musically. Mann attended the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to sing with her first punk rock band, The Young Snakes.
In 1983, she co-founded new wave band 'Til Tuesday. The debut album, "Voices Carry" (1985) and its title song, despite its controversial content - Mann sang about a dysfunctional relationship - became huge hits, with the band winning the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist.
By 1990 though, the band was history, and despite her success with 'Til Tuesday, Mann's solo career sputtered at first. Her first two albums, "Whatever" (1993) and "I'm With Stupid" (1995), only sold modestly, despite both receiving positive critical reviews.
In 1999, however, Mann scored her biggest commercial success with the Grammy- and Academy Award-nominated song, "Save Me", one of eight tunes she penned for the movie "Magnolia".
Disillusioned with the lack of support by her record label, she set up her own record company SuperEgo, and finally released her much-delayed third album, "Bachelor No 2" (2000) independently. It was a palpable hit.
Mann's 2006 effort, the concept album called "The Forgotten Arm", earned her a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package; and her 2008 album, "@#%&*! Smilers", gave her one of her highest Billboard positions to date, and also landed at No 2 on the Top Independent Albums chart. Not bad for someone who claims she just does songs that she likes.
So, you really don't try to top your hits like "Save Me" or "That's Just What You Are"?
I don't think about it at all. I think what makes a song a hit is usually a record company doing certain things, or a song is used in a movie and people get to hear it. It doesn't have that much to do with a song per se, so I just like to make the song a song that I personally like.
Are your songs are drawn from real life?
I always try to have something that I can relate to, but even when I set out to write about something, I almost immediately start changing the details ... such that at the end of the day, it doesn't resemble real life at all.
You reportedly don't listen to pop music.
I tend not to ... because I don't want to unconsciously be influenced by what I hear that much. I usually listen to classical or jazz when I'm in the car - something totally different from what I do. Just for a refreshing change.
Do you and your songwriter husband Michael Penn co-write regularly?
Not very much. We only play each other music when we're asking the other one for professional help. (If) I needed a line to rhyme; (he'll give) me a couple of suggestions. It's usually that kind of thing, you know, troubleshooting. He's like the genius bar!
What's your musical guilty pleasure?
The closest thing would be musicals - show tunes, like "Guys And Dolls". I love the way they're written and how clever they are and how much they play with language.
Would you write a musical?
My producer and I are going try and write a musical. It'll probably take a long time, though. But someone else had an idea to turn The Forgotten Arm into a musical, so the idea at the moment is to write some extra songs for that and see if we can turn that into a musical.
How would you describe yourself?
Analytical, because I enjoy analysing whatever the properties of anything are. I like to solve puzzles and I'm interested in people and fascinated by people's behaviour.
So do you like shows like "CSI"?
I don't really watch that show, but I like the real life crime shows like "The First 48", which follows a homicide detective in the first 48 hours of every homicide. It's interesting because it makes you realise how completely senseless and almost mundane most murders are. There's nothing glamorous about it.
What's best or worst about being Aimee?
I feel like I've been really fortunate, and I have the opportunity to do interesting things like play in Singapore. I don't think there is a worst thing. If there comes a time when it's not fun or there's no point, I'll know it then. For the foreseeable future, I'm enjoying myself.
Catch Aimee Mann in concert on August 29, 7.30pm at the Esplanade Concert Hall. Tickets at S$68 to S$118 from Sistic. - TODAY/rs
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