Jordin Sparks will be performing tomorrow at the Royal Oak Music Theater
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Following the success of her sophomore album release Battlefield (19 Recordings/Jive Records) and 2009 tour with the Jonas Brothers and Britney Spears, Jordin Sparks is out on a Summer headlining tour.
Spark's tour will hit over 35 major theatres across the U.S., ending on July 18th. Tickets for the “Jordin Sparks, The Battlefield Tour, Presented by MIKE AND IKE®”, are on sale now.
The tour will be making a stop tomorrow night at the Royal Oak Music Theater. Tickets for the show are $25 in advance or $30 at the door.
I got a chance to talk to Sparks this week about the tour and the success that she has achieved over the last few years since she became the youngest person to win the American Idol in 2007.
Q: How is The Battlefield Tour going so far? How has headlining been different from being an opening act?
A: It's going great, thank you. Being able to headline is a lot different than opening. Instead of warming up the crowd, I'm the main act. Instead of having 15-20 minutes on stage I have an hour. Instead of 5 songs, I sing 15-17. It's a lot more to handle, I'll tell you that!
Q: You are playing a lot of smaller, more intimate venues on this tour. Do you prefer that to the larger venues that you have played in the past?
A: I like them both. I will say there's nothing like coming out on stage in an arena and hearing the screams. It sounds larger than life. With the smaller venues though, I can practically see each person. Hopefully I can touch each person there with my music. It's just a different sort of feeling in a smaller venue. I can stand underneath the spotlight and everyone can see me but in a bigger venue, I'd need to keep moving so everyone there can see me.
Q: Do you like to change up your set list during the tour or stick to the same one throughout? Are there any particular songs that stand out for you live?
A: The good thing about my own tour is I have the ability to do just that. I can change the keys of the song, start a song over, skip a song, etc. I like to change it up. I'll stick to the skeleton we've created but sometimes I'll just look at my band and tell them to chill and I'll bust out in something acapella. I like to add songs too. My whole thing is, people can see what I do on the Internet. That means I need to change it up because they could stay home and watch it. If I keep changing it up, they'll never know what they're gonna get. As far as songs that stand out, the songs everyone knows are definitely so fun for me to sing. I love the feeling of my fans singing the words back to me.
Q: The Battlefield album is a step in a new direction for you. Some of the songs on the album have more of a rock feel to them and a harder edge. You also have more dance songs on the album. How did that come about? You played a larger role in the recording process of Battlefield. How was it different than working on your debut album? What was it like writing more of your own songs and having a say in how the music turned out?
A: Well I didn't have a goal saying that's what I wanted the sound to be like. It just happened to turn out that way. I'm very open minded when it comes to my music because I'm still learning about myself and growing up. The Battlefield album was a fun process for me because it had been 2 years since I recorded the first cd. I had grown up, gone through some things and learned a lot. The songs were so much fun to write and record because my thoughts and feelings were in them. Some of the songs I didn't write but the ones I did, I go to a different place when I sing them. It's like it brings me back to the time I wrote about or how I felt in that moment. As far as how the songs turned out completely, I did have a say and it was nice to say, "Well maybe we should put an ad lib here, or a harmony there."
Q: You do a cover of Fefe Dobson's "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" and sample Shannon's "Let The Music Play". Why those two songs?
A: The funny thing about "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" is that I was singing the song waaayyy before I recorded this record. I was working at the Buckle when I was 15 and that song came on at least 4 times a day. I loved it and still do. I've had her version in my Itunes since then. When they handed me the cd to record I was like, "Are you kidding me?" I was so happy to record it because I loved the song and I wanted to put my own spin on it. With the "SOS" song, I had no idea there even was a sample in it until after I recorded it. The original was in 1983 and I wasn't even thought of yet.
Q: In the past you have toured with a number of different artists from the Jonas Brothers to Britney Spears to Alicia Keys. Is there anyone you would like to tour or work with in the future?
A: Off the top of my head: Fergie, John Mayer, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Leona Lewis. I would definitely love to work with Alicia and Justin Timberlake. That's all I can think of right now.
Q: From a young age you were entering and winning talent competitions and, of course, you were the youngest contestant to win the largest competition of them all in American Idol. Would you suggest that route for other young people looking to break into the business?
A: American Idol may not be the avenue for some people to go through. With technology and the Internet it may be Youtube, sending a song to someone, being found at church or a coffee shop, or doing a karaoke night. It can happen anywhere at anytime so I really can't say that the way I went would be right. Everyone has their own path to discover. But I would suggest working as hard as possible and also just making your musical repertoire as broad as you can. Work on singing and performing in front of other people and just work on topping yourself to make you better.
Q: You are well known for your philanthropy with your work in your organization "I'm M.A.D. Are You?" and your Battlefield tour is being sponsored by Mike and Ike and their charitable partner the ALSF. Why is this work so important to you? You have teamed up with All-State on the "Thumbs Up to X The Txt Campaign". How did you become involved with them? What is the idea behind the campaign and how can fans help out?
A: My family and I have always loved giving back and when I won Idol, I was so excited to use my name for something bigger than me. There is nothing better than seeing the smile on someone's face when you've done something for them. It doesn't matter how big or small. I just love that feeling and hopefully they'll do something for someone, who will do something, and so on. It's a never ending circle. I got involved with All-State last year when they asked my mom and me to be a part of their campaign. We teamed up together to show that texting and driving not only effects people my age but my mom's generation as well. "X the TXT" is all about stopping texting and driving. It's just as distracting, if not more, than taking a call behind the wheel. It's all about making our streets safer. Currently, "Allstate X the TXT" is on tour with me and we have a booth where my fans and parents can take the pledge to not text and drive. If they can't make it to a show, they can take the pledge at facebook.com/thumbsuppledge.
Spark's tour will hit over 35 major theatres across the U.S., ending on July 18th. Tickets for the “Jordin Sparks, The Battlefield Tour, Presented by MIKE AND IKE®”, are on sale now.
The tour will be making a stop tomorrow night at the Royal Oak Music Theater. Tickets for the show are $25 in advance or $30 at the door.
I got a chance to talk to Sparks this week about the tour and the success that she has achieved over the last few years since she became the youngest person to win the American Idol in 2007.
Q: How is The Battlefield Tour going so far? How has headlining been different from being an opening act?
A: It's going great, thank you. Being able to headline is a lot different than opening. Instead of warming up the crowd, I'm the main act. Instead of having 15-20 minutes on stage I have an hour. Instead of 5 songs, I sing 15-17. It's a lot more to handle, I'll tell you that!
Q: You are playing a lot of smaller, more intimate venues on this tour. Do you prefer that to the larger venues that you have played in the past?
A: I like them both. I will say there's nothing like coming out on stage in an arena and hearing the screams. It sounds larger than life. With the smaller venues though, I can practically see each person. Hopefully I can touch each person there with my music. It's just a different sort of feeling in a smaller venue. I can stand underneath the spotlight and everyone can see me but in a bigger venue, I'd need to keep moving so everyone there can see me.
Q: Do you like to change up your set list during the tour or stick to the same one throughout? Are there any particular songs that stand out for you live?
A: The good thing about my own tour is I have the ability to do just that. I can change the keys of the song, start a song over, skip a song, etc. I like to change it up. I'll stick to the skeleton we've created but sometimes I'll just look at my band and tell them to chill and I'll bust out in something acapella. I like to add songs too. My whole thing is, people can see what I do on the Internet. That means I need to change it up because they could stay home and watch it. If I keep changing it up, they'll never know what they're gonna get. As far as songs that stand out, the songs everyone knows are definitely so fun for me to sing. I love the feeling of my fans singing the words back to me.
Q: The Battlefield album is a step in a new direction for you. Some of the songs on the album have more of a rock feel to them and a harder edge. You also have more dance songs on the album. How did that come about? You played a larger role in the recording process of Battlefield. How was it different than working on your debut album? What was it like writing more of your own songs and having a say in how the music turned out?
A: Well I didn't have a goal saying that's what I wanted the sound to be like. It just happened to turn out that way. I'm very open minded when it comes to my music because I'm still learning about myself and growing up. The Battlefield album was a fun process for me because it had been 2 years since I recorded the first cd. I had grown up, gone through some things and learned a lot. The songs were so much fun to write and record because my thoughts and feelings were in them. Some of the songs I didn't write but the ones I did, I go to a different place when I sing them. It's like it brings me back to the time I wrote about or how I felt in that moment. As far as how the songs turned out completely, I did have a say and it was nice to say, "Well maybe we should put an ad lib here, or a harmony there."
Q: You do a cover of Fefe Dobson's "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" and sample Shannon's "Let The Music Play". Why those two songs?
A: The funny thing about "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" is that I was singing the song waaayyy before I recorded this record. I was working at the Buckle when I was 15 and that song came on at least 4 times a day. I loved it and still do. I've had her version in my Itunes since then. When they handed me the cd to record I was like, "Are you kidding me?" I was so happy to record it because I loved the song and I wanted to put my own spin on it. With the "SOS" song, I had no idea there even was a sample in it until after I recorded it. The original was in 1983 and I wasn't even thought of yet.
Q: In the past you have toured with a number of different artists from the Jonas Brothers to Britney Spears to Alicia Keys. Is there anyone you would like to tour or work with in the future?
A: Off the top of my head: Fergie, John Mayer, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Leona Lewis. I would definitely love to work with Alicia and Justin Timberlake. That's all I can think of right now.
Q: From a young age you were entering and winning talent competitions and, of course, you were the youngest contestant to win the largest competition of them all in American Idol. Would you suggest that route for other young people looking to break into the business?
A: American Idol may not be the avenue for some people to go through. With technology and the Internet it may be Youtube, sending a song to someone, being found at church or a coffee shop, or doing a karaoke night. It can happen anywhere at anytime so I really can't say that the way I went would be right. Everyone has their own path to discover. But I would suggest working as hard as possible and also just making your musical repertoire as broad as you can. Work on singing and performing in front of other people and just work on topping yourself to make you better.
Q: You are well known for your philanthropy with your work in your organization "I'm M.A.D. Are You?" and your Battlefield tour is being sponsored by Mike and Ike and their charitable partner the ALSF. Why is this work so important to you? You have teamed up with All-State on the "Thumbs Up to X The Txt Campaign". How did you become involved with them? What is the idea behind the campaign and how can fans help out?
A: My family and I have always loved giving back and when I won Idol, I was so excited to use my name for something bigger than me. There is nothing better than seeing the smile on someone's face when you've done something for them. It doesn't matter how big or small. I just love that feeling and hopefully they'll do something for someone, who will do something, and so on. It's a never ending circle. I got involved with All-State last year when they asked my mom and me to be a part of their campaign. We teamed up together to show that texting and driving not only effects people my age but my mom's generation as well. "X the TXT" is all about stopping texting and driving. It's just as distracting, if not more, than taking a call behind the wheel. It's all about making our streets safer. Currently, "Allstate X the TXT" is on tour with me and we have a booth where my fans and parents can take the pledge to not text and drive. If they can't make it to a show, they can take the pledge at facebook.com/thumbsuppledge.
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