A Conversation with Kathleen Edwards (continued)

PM: So, on the one hand, a fantastic amount of work has gone into your apparent overnight success. On the other, the relative speed of your rise in international fame must be mind blowing, right?

KE: It is and it isn't. It's not like I've sold a million records. It's not like I want to, either. And I was kind of worried at the beginning when things started happening, like Jay Leno and Letterman and blah, blah, blah. I was thinking, "I don't want this to all be over in two years." I don't want to sort of do all of the things I'm going to do in music in my first three years of it. I want that to come in ten, twenty years from now.

PM: Right. On the other hand, if you don't get a real bang at the top, in this world you can't get anywhere.

KE: Right. But on the other hand, selling as many records as I have is really kind of peanuts compared to what people consider a big success. And so in that sense I still feel like I'm--my perception of what big success is is definitely a lot more moderate now. And I realize that overnight success takes ten years.

PM: It sure does.

KE: I feel really lucky to be able to do what I've been able to do. I mean, God, I can't think of a city I haven't been to in this last year. I've been to Europe three times.

PM: Wow! How was Europe, and where did you play? A lot of countries?

KE: I played all over. I played Denmark, Sweden, Norway... And you know what's so funny is Scandinavia is just like Canada!

PM: [laughs]

KE: It looks just like Canada. It's very funny. And the UK has been an especially great place for me to play. Ireland and Scotland, the people there are very interesting. When you play a live show here in the U.S., I find people are loud in between songs and they heckle, and I really like that.

PM: [laughs]

KE: But in Europe, they don't say anything from the beginning until the end.

PM: It's amazing.

KE: And I thought at first it was the language barrier, but that's the way that they listen to music in concerts. They really listen in a way that's quite fascinating. I thought maybe no one liked the show. But at the end of the shows I would have people hanging out for hours to just chat and it was just a really amazing reception.

PM: So was that how it was in the UK as well?

KE: Yeah, the UK, Holland, I mean, all over.

PM: Wow. Because I've seen that--I've played a lot in Germany, and I saw that they're such culture vultures there, and it's just that they're waiting on your every word, your every lyric, your every note. It's unbelievable.

KE: Yeah, there's a big world out there. [laughs]

PM: Is "Hockey Skates" doing well? [the latest single from her sparkling debut, Failer--see our review] I know they're playing the piss out of it on Lightning 100 here?

KE: Are they really?

PM: Yeah.

KE: That's so cool. Well, it's kind of funny, because my record label is putting out another single now, and Lightning 100 is the first station to play it as heavily as I guess they're playing it. But I'm hoping that the pitch to radio doesn't go really well, I hope not everyone plays it, because that way I can go home. I think if it were a successful song--not a huge hit, but gets played a lot--that would probably mean I would have to be on the road after it--

PM: You'd have to stay out, yeah.

KE: Yeah, have to stay out. So I'm kind of crossing my fingers that I can just be one of those people who does well on the radio once, and not have to tour too much.

[laughter]

PM: I'm afraid that's not a likely story at this point.

KE: Yeah, well, so...  continue

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