A Dirty Dozen with SIERRA LEVESQUE – October 2023

According to a recent press release: “Sierra Levesque, the formidable singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, has taken the music scene by storm with the release of her highly anticipated debut single, “GET OFF MY STAGE.” The track, a masterful blend of Levesque’s distinct artistry and the renowned production expertise of Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, became available on all major music platforms on September 1, 2023. Sierra Levesque is an 18-year-old Rock singer/songwriter, guitarist, pianist, bassist, and drummer from Pembroke, Ontario, Canada. Her goal is to help lead the NEW GENERATION of Rock ‘N Roll.” We get Sierra to discuss new music, influences, and more.

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

I just released my debut song, “GET OFF MY STAGE” on all platforms! It is actually a diss song towards Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) and it was fully self-recorded in my home studio. Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal produced, mixed, and mastered the track back in 2022. The first time through, a fan might not grab the full story of the lyrics, which are all related to things that MGK has done or been in the press for throughout the last few years. One of the hidden nuggets in the song is when we added actual autotune to a vocal line where I was making fun of how MGK uses it. It is a cool feature only in that one specific part.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I grew up listening to my dad’s favourite music from the 70s and 80s like Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Guns N Roses, and Mötley Crüe, so I always knew that rock n roll was “in my blood”. My parents put me into musical theatre productions at age three and from there I really started enjoying live performance. I wanted to start taking piano and singing lessons at the age of seven, and that’s also when I started writing my own songs. That was the age when I knew that I wanted to perform as much as possible and to pursue being a professional musician.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

I would say that Avril Lavigne was a big influence on me, especially at a young age. Her voice, songs, and live shows really inspired me and a lot of people say that I remind them of her, which is a really great compliment. She is definitely someone who I have looked up to forever.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Ghost, Avril Lavigne, Heart, Scorpions, and Bon Jovi.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

It would definitely be Tobias Forge of the band Ghost because I truly admire and respect his writing and performing style. I feel that my sound would blend well with his, and it would honestly be a dream come true to work with him someday.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I usually say that I am a combination of Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart with Ann’s powerful voice and Nancy’s catchy guitar skills blended with Scorpions and Avril Lavigne. One comparison that I disagree with is when people say that I am like Taylor Swift. People see me, a young and blonde girl with an acoustic guitar, and automatically assume that I want to be a Taylor Swift copycat, but that is very far from the truth. Even though I admire Taylor’s music, I want to be a much heavier artist and it is unfortunately difficult to be taken seriously.

7. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

The best thing is being able to create music that speaks to people and that makes them feel as though their voices and opinions have been heard.

8. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Since I am a solo artist, I guess I am the one who does all of these things LOL.

9. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

I was star struck when I randomly met Lana Del Rey at the Nashville airport this past summer while I was travelling and doing my “GET OFF MY STAGE” Mini Tour. She was so nice and took a photo with me, it was a really cool moment and I love her music.

10. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

My dream job would’ve been something to do with teaching music or being the CEO of a record company (anything that I would like to do has something to do with music).

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I don’t feel as though I have made any mistakes up to this point, as I am just releasing my debut song now and everything that I have done (whether it was enjoyable or not), has helped me to become a better and more experienced musician. I’m sure there will be things that I regret in the future, but as of right now I am very happy with all of the decisions that I have made.

12.  If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I would want to be in the room where the Prequelle album by Ghost was being recorded. This is an amazing album and the leader of Ghost, Tobias Forge, recorded the majority of the instruments for it. This means a lot to me because I fully self-record all of my music, so it would have been very cool to watch his process and to see how everything came together.

SIERRA LEVESQUE LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

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Category: Interviews