Up close and personal - ESL interview on her 3rd Thailand Tour
Orsley Entertainment presents Up Close and Personal w/ Erica Sunshine Lee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R7-woeHCys
OE: So how do you like going to Asia?
ESL: I love being able to travel to all sorts of places all over the world, but there's something magical about being in Thailand, "The land of the smiles!" People there are so appreciative, grateful and happy to welcome travelers. Not only is it way less expensive over there, but the culture is a much slower pace (except on mo-peds on the roads), and it's such a beautiful part of the world. The water is such a crystal clear turquoise, and the white sand beaches are indeed paradise.
OE: What do you like most about playing in Thailand?
ESL: It's so great to see people from Europe, Australia and Asia who love to listen and dance to my music. It's amazing at how universal music is! People always ask me, so people in Thailand like country music? I think people everywhere like to listen to music they can relate to, and especially with all the tourists in Phuket at the Blues Cafe, The Hard Rock, and Skyla's Beach House really enjoyed the authenticity of having a real southern girl sing country music with genuine stories growing up and living in the southeast...it's quite a phenomenon for most of the people who've only heard of such, and never met or seen a country singer live.
OE: Do you ever feel scared traveling alone?
ESL: Thailand felt like one of the safest places I've ever been. I never felt threatened or scared, even walking down dark alleys at night, I've felt more scared in parts of New York City than Asia.
OE: Do you think you'll go back?
ESL: Of course, I will travel pretty much anywhere they pay me to play! I love to share my music with people from all walks of life, and get my music out there, while simultaneously getting to travel, see the world, enjoy different diverse cultures, and enjoy their way of life, especially the Thai food....it's amazing, as well as the $6 Thai Massages...nothing beats that!
OE: What's next for you?
ESL: I'm currently touring in the southeast for the month of April, heading to the midwest to play out in Missouri in May, back to the southeast and then back to the west coast for late June and July and August out in California. I'm really trying to get my next album finished before I leave for touring on the west coast, but there's always so many things to take care of. I don't think a lot of people realize how much time, love and tenderness goes into recording 10 songs...and I want to make sure this next album reflects where I am in my life, the experiences I've had on the road for the past 5 years straight, and who I am, where I come from, and what being southern means to me. When I (and all those amazing people working with me, Jimmy Dulin, Kent Wells, all the musicians, etc.) can choose, finish recording, tracking, mixing, mastering, perfecting those next magical 10 songs, then package it all together and wrap it up all nice and neat for sale, then y'all will be the first to know it. I'm aiming towards releasing it this fall. I'm really excited about the songs so far, and have a vision for this album to be explosive on the country scene with my new single "GEORGIA FOR THIS" already getting such awesome reviews and response!
OE: What inspires you to keep going?
ESL: Music is in my blood. It has been since I was born. If I'm not singing, I'm probably whistling, humming, or thinking of a song in my head. I'm constantly writing, lyrics are always rolling through my brain, and my life is a song. I just take clips of my days and write them on paper, and my albums are pretty much diary entries. There's so many songs that I write that so many people have never even heard. Certain songs are more bluegrass, some more blues, some more rock, and many are country. I love to write different styles so that I don't get bored. Anyone that knows me, knows if I'm not playing music, writing it, or recording it, I want to be out at a venue listening to other musicians playing! That's why living in Nashville is so awesome, because at anytime, anywhere there's a great band playing on Broadway, midtown, east nashville, and even on the outskirts. The town is overflowing with talent, and it's so encouraging to be around so many other people doing the same thing I'm doing. I laugh when people ask, 'what do you do for a living', and they're surprised to hear I'm a full-time musician. I guess it's not that common as an independent artist to support myself playing music all over the world, but I've proven it's possible, so for all you folks out there stuck in a miserable day job you hate, I suggest you find what you love to do, and find a way to make ends meet doing it. Who says you have to be rich to be happy? To me, happiness is everything, and life is way too short to spend it doing something you don't enjoy, and I can say without a doubt...I love my job!