Meredith Edwards

(Q)- Place of birth and age please.
Meredith Edwards(ME)- I’m from Clinton, Mississippi and I’m sixteen years old.

(Q)- Is Clinton a suburb of Jackson, Mississippi?
(ME)- Yes.

(Q)- When is your birthday?
(ME)- My birthday is March 15.

(Q)- The new album is a definite departure from traditional country music. In your own words, how do you feel Meredith Edwards debut single, “A ROSE IS A ROSE” and hopefully your debut album fit into Meredith Edward’s new album fit into the current country genre?
(ME)- The country genre is changing. And, it changes every year. I believe that country music is beginning to become ‘cooler’ for younger kids. That is where I fit in. I think we’re trying to target the younger audience as well as the twenty to thirty-five-year old females. I believe in firmly in country music, I want to generally make an impact with younger people and see that it’s cool to listen to country music. I believe country music is cool again.

(Q)- What country songs did you grow up listening to?

(ME)- Pam Tillis, “Queen of Denial”. Patty Loveless.

(Q)-Have you gotten feedback from younger fans telling you they previously never would have considered listening to country radio or checking out CMT, prior to seeing you in-concert? Or, from hearing your single and logging onto your web site?
(ME)- Yeah. Definitely. We have a web site and there’s message board and I go in there almost every day and I like to reply to fans who send me messages. A lot of kids logging onto my web site say that they’re not into country music but now they’ve checked out my single and web site or my video and they’re starting to get into country music more. I’m flattered by that. Since I’ve done some of these N SYNC shows, opening for them, these kids who don’t normally listen to country music, now they’ve heard my music, they’ve told me via the web site chat room that now they think that country is cool and maybe they ought to check it out. They’re telling me they’re going to reconsider country music because it is cool again. So I definitely get feedback about that.

(Q)- So you’re wired then.
(ME)- Yeah. (Lance Bass, of the pop act NSYNC, is her close childhood friend and manager.)

(Q)- Were you and NSYNC’s Lance Bass (her current manager) was a close friend to you years ago, when you both were growing up in Clinton, Mississippi?
(ME)- Yes.

(Q) Did you two share a dream of success as singers and stardom?
(ME)- He always said to me,” Meredith, if I ever go anywhere in the music business, I’m going to take you with me.’

(Q)- Why? (ME)- You know, I’m not trying to sound arrogant, or whatever but he always said,” I’m going to take you with me.” It was because we were always really good friends. He what I sang, my choice in music and the way I sang it. So when he got involved in NSYNC, he became so mesmerized with the business, that he wanted to have something else do with it. To look at it from a different perspective and to be able to help other people.

(Q)- So you two did share a dream together of one day making it and becoming a success, this is nothing new to you two?
(ME)- So, yeah, we’ve always thought about that (success in the music business.) We’ve always thought this. It was one of those far-fetched dreams and a goal that we never really believed would actually come true but it’s sort of funny that it has now.

(Q)- What’s it like watching Lance and what he has to do working with you and N”SYNC at the same time?

(ME)- I have watched him and known him, since the very beginning. I’ve watched him become huge (in popularity). I’ve watched him develop his talent and I’ve watched him and N”SYNC become huge. People think it’s this glamorous lifestyle and that other people do Everything for you, but that’s not true. I’ve learned that myself firsthand. It’s not as easy as I look. I mean this is a job, it’s your career.

(Q)- It’s twenty-four, seven lifestyle.
(ME)- Exactly. I’ve learned that firsthand. It’s not nearly as easy as people think it is. It’s just like any other job career. You have to work hard at it, in order to succeed. I’ve learned that it’s not as easy for him (Lance) as it looks. He’s doing his job you know? This is his career you know? They guys in N’SYNC and I’ve met them, are the some of the hardest working guys I’ve ever met. And I’m being truthful when I say that. I look at them and I’ve looked at it from the outside and I’ve seen the success that they’ve achieved and I want to be on the inside. I have to work just as hard to be on the inside.

(Q)- Most people want to be on the “inside” Meredith. Getting there is one thing, however when you’re at that point, what happens once you’re at a previous personal goal and that point is achieved, is a dynamic moment, not a static one. In that, we are not fixed in time, time moves forward and the table is always turning.
(ME)- Yes, you have to work hard at it for yourself to succeed. Then I’ve learned from Lance. So I look at him and I see the success that he has achieved with N’SYNC and I want to achieve that level of success. So I believe that I have to work very hard just as hard as he has to reach that level of success.

(Q)- How old is Lance?
(ME)- He is twenty-two.

(Q)- But has he changed at all because of NSYNC’s phenomenal success in your opinion?

(ME)- No. He definitely is still so still grounded and hasn’t let any of his success, go to his head. He’s taught me that, in this business you’ve got to be yourself. And that’s important.

(Q)-Are you going to be touring with NSYNC on their upcoming stadium tour?
(ME)- Yeah. Definitely. I’ll be going out on tour with them. It’ll be great and it’ll be such a rush. I think that these kids who are N’SYNC fans, deserve to hear country music like mine, because country music is awesome and cool. And I think that kids are finally beginning to realize that. And I hope that when I go out on tour with NSYNC that the kids will say, ‘Hey who is this I want to go and buy her album and find out what she’s all about. I wanna go over and switch my radio station to this other country station and see what other cool sounds I can find.

(Q)- Do you get a lot of friction because you’re young and most folks in the country music business, especially on the business side are older then you? Do you hear the question, “You haven’t lived enough to sing about life?”
(ME)- Yes. All of the time.

(Q)- Well, young people’s feelings are valid. When we’re young, in most instances, our feelings are very intense, because we’re young. So, why couldn’t you sing about your feelings?
(ME)- I totally, totally agree. Because you have to have songs that have meaning to you, or else whenever you’re singing, you’re not going to sound real to the people who are listening to you sing. You’re not going to convey your feelings or the meaning of the song, if you don’t have good songs that you can relate to. Of course, I’m seventeen and I’ve had my heart broken (in a relationship) before. And while many older people don’t take that comment seriously, but feelings are feelings. And I definitely have serious feelings. You know, I don’t want to sing songs that are about things that I don’t know about. Yet, you always have to watch out that you jus don’t sing, just the “teenybopper songs”.

(Q)- You have to be careful.
(ME)- you have to have songs with substance. Good songs. We call my music, “contemporary country music”. And to me that’s an accurate description. I don’t want to sing pop music. That’s not what I set out to do. I set out to sing country music. I didn’t want to sing honky tonk country music, because that’s not what I do. That’s what I set out originally and what I want to do and that’s what I feel is appealing to listeners right now.

(Q)- So, how do you do that?
(ME)- It was hard, so hard. Because I knew that I didn’t want to sing songs that were about divorce, things that I know nothing about. But I also knew that, I’ve been in love and I’ve had my heart broken, so I can sing about that, because I know what that feels like. It’s such a tough box to fill, because there’s not that many songs out there for someone my age to record.

(Q)- You probably had to go through a million tapes.
(ME)- Yeah. We wanted two things, you want to like the songs and two, you want to feel right about it. Now it was tough, but I definitely think we achieved what we were going for.

(Q)- Image wise, you’re different. You’re not wearing the, “cowgirl” look.
(ME)- No. You’ve got to be yourself. You’ve got dress the way you want to dress and sing the songs that you want to sing. You’ve got to dress what feels comfortable to you. I’m seventeen years old, I want to dress in what’s cool, what’s in. You know? What’s in style. I don’t want my appearance to be “old school country look”, because that’s not what I feel always feel comfortable in. I wear what I love to wear. I like to be different and to have people notice me. While I’m talking to you, I’ve got on gold shoes and a tight gold shirt. You know?

(Q)- Yes.
(ME)-I feel like this is what I’m comfortable in. I don’t people should judge you by your image at all.

(Q)- There’s not a generic look as there is not a generic country fan.
(ME)- No. There’s true country fans and they’re in it for the country music. But I don’t think they can judge you by what you’re wearing.

(Q)- Why do you deserve the spotlight on that big stadium tour with N’SYNC?
(ME)- I love to perform, that’s the reason I’m here. I’ve been singing in front of people and performing in front of audiences, ever since I can remember. That’s my purpose here. I love to have people listen to me. It’s so great. I love to entertain. It’s such an adrenaline rush, when you go on-stage and that spotlight hits you.When you get on-stage and the crowds are yelling for you, it’s such a rush. If I can get these people on this N’SYNC tour to listen to me, then I deserve to be up there.

(Q)- And the fact that Lance Bass is your manager, helps you? He’s been there he knows what this is like.
(ME)- Yes. He’s been here. We started at the same age when we started in the music business. He has told me, ‘Meredith it’ll happen for you, I believe it will.’ And,” You’ve got to trust the people you’re working with and me on this.”, which I do. Your team, knows what’s best for you and I believe that. have a great team working with me on this album and tour. I mean, I’m a new artist and my single is just starting to move up (the charts) so I’ll have to wait my turn. It’s exciting time for me and I’m excited. I believe that if