Leigh Nash

CMT: We talked with you last year when you launched Blue on Blue (first solo CD since Sixpence). How has the reception been for your first solo project?

Leigh: It’s still selling well. My fans have responded positively. I really haven’t been out on the road promoting it. I have pretty much been staying close to home and spending time with my 3 year old son. My husband Mark and I have felt it was best to spend time growing as a family, so the way I approach my music today reflects that.

CMT: I’m having a hard time pronouncing the name of your newest release “Fauxliage”. How do you pronounce it?

Leigh: It’s pronounced Foli-auge. It’s a French Canadian name. My collaborators on the project Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber (former band-mates in Delirium) came up with the name.

CMT: How was it working with Bill and Rhys?

Leigh: I have only ever met Rhys, because we have collaborated on projects over the last six years. On this project they would just send me the music tracks over the internet, and I would work on the lyrics and vocal melody. It was truly a collaboration of three artists contributing their vision to the project. It was like a puzzle to me, just filling in the melody within the tracks they sent to me.

CMT: Working on Fauxliage at a distance takes the personalities of the various artists out of the project as far as their day to day evolution. I guess in some ways this can be positive because everyone is focusing on just their vision of the music.

Leigh: Yes, it was really nice. You have all the freedom, because no one is saying to do it like this or make it like that. That is really a great way to work for anybody. To have complete control of what you are doing.

CMT: How is your new label going? I know you started your own record label called “One Son”.

Leigh: It’s going fine. I haven’t done anything new with it since “Blue on Blue”. I am currently working on a project with some friends of mine, kind of a Gospel record. My friends are great artists and singers in their own right, and we are doing an Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton thing. Were writing some new material and working on rearranging some covers. It’s just some beautiful songs about God; maybe that’s what we’ll call the record, “Beautiful Songs about God”.

CMT: Since you grew up in the music industry (Leigh started her career at 13 to 14 yrs old) it would be considered in some sense, not a traditional life. It’s not like Dad going to work doing the nine to five thing. How did your music career affect your life?

Leigh: I don’t really know. It’s hard to get a perspective on it since I was in the middle of it. It would probably be easier to ask my parents how they feel it affected me. I went to High School like a normal kid, and I had a record out when I was in High School but it wasn’t a big record so not very many of the kids in my school knew about it. And the band and everyone were all very humble about what we were doing. I was always really grateful for the success that we had, and so I always felt like it was normal.

I’m sure someone on the outside would have said there is no-way that was normal. I mean we had the Number #1 song in the world at one time. So I guess I would probably agree with that statement. But I just don’t know exactly how it affected me. Maybe when I’m 50-years old I will better be able to reflect and determine how my life would have been different. But right now I am still learning how to live in the world, so I am still learning tons and tons all at once.

CMT: With Mark (her husband) being a music producer, does he contribute to some of your projects?

Leigh: Yes, he helped produce the vocals on “Fauxliage”. He would be in our studio pressing the buttons and contributing to the arrangements. It’s always nice working with my husband. He’s my best friend.

CMT: The music industry is in a state of flux today. At our board meetings it’s almost like a revelation to determine where music might be going; the industry, the sound, the people. You know, the Internet has affected it. So how do you succeed in the industry today; how do you get your message out there?

Leigh: Well, I think you’ve got to be authentic and be yourself. Be worthy of people listening to you. Record labels can be the way to go, but you just have to choose very carefully. So many of them are in flux, and you may not know who is being bought out and so everyone gets fired at the label you just signed on, and you find that there is no-one there protecting your interest.

I have always felt very strongly that you should always be authentic and not try to be like someone else. Produce your own message and follow the plan God has for you. If you don’t do that then everybody loses. So if you can’t be an artist and be who you are then you shouldn’t plan on succeeding in the music industry.

Click below to hear some clips of "Fauxliage"

http://www.nettwerk.com/player/fauxliage