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Rachael Lampa
interview by Paula K. Parker (Paula's bio)
When you are seventeen years old and you've spent the past three skip-hopping around the globe, getting your picture taken by the likes of “TeenPeople,” “Seventeen,” and “USA Today,” making live appearances on everything from “The Miss Teen USA Pageant” to “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” and garnering every award available including a Dove Award for Inspirational Song of the Year, it's easy to lose focus. It is perhaps fitting that Miss Rachael Lampa decided to name her latest album, Blur.
The remix album which features updated, skip-hop versions of hits from her previous projects gives perhaps a more accurate view of the teenage performer than either of the aforementioned CDs. More akin to J-Lo or Christina Aguilara than Mariah Carey, Blur definitely captures the club beat that is so popular with the pre-twentysomething set (and nearly incomprehensible to anyone else). The production is tight, the beats steady, and Miss Lampa delivers the vocals with passion and conviction.
Meeting with Miss Lampa at Word Records Nashville headquarters revealed a seasoned performer who was neither frazzled nor unfocused. If anything Rachael Lampa looked relaxed, refreshed, and ready to take on the world. Although the surroundings were formal, the diminutive Miss Lampa kicked off her shoes and got comfortable.
I suggested that perhaps we could talk about something other than the music. After all, I surmised, anyone could listen to her records and read all the other articles that have already been written about the music. My suggestion was greeted by a Miss Lampa's trademark pixie grin.
“Great. I wonder why we talk so much about music anyway. You want to know what's really on my mind - that Bronco's game last night. It was pretty sad. I had some high expectations, but every time I turned around it was interception after interception. It bummed me out. So that's what's on my mind. But it's okay. I'm over it now. I've let it out. I'm cool.”
While sports is obviously an important part of the former Jr. Varsity point guard's life (besides being a rabid Denver Broncos fan, Rachael frequently sang the national anthem for the Colorado Rockies), she confessed the most important thing on her mind is her family.
“I love my family so much. If I sat here and talked about my family long enough I would start bawling. I can't describe the way that I feel about them, and I miss them a lot because I am away from home so much. They all still live right outside of Boulder, Colorado. Being away from home has gotten easier, but every time I call home it's like, I wish I was there.”
To help cure the homesickness, and to keep her out of trouble, her older brother, Ryan, travels with her, handling both her travel arrangements and her sound. Rachael adamantly denies needing him to keep her out of trouble, though.
“I'm a goody-goody,” she laughs. “I don't get into trouble. The worst thing I ever did was once when I saw a rated “R” movie. I felt horrible, probably because the whole time I was worried my mom would find out. And she did. It was stupid. I told my mom I was at “Patch Adams” and it ran late. But my older brother's friend was there and he told on me. That was the last time I ever lied to my mother.”
“But it is amazing what a difference it makes having Ryan travel with me, just to be able to be messy and sloppy and ugly in front of him. And he makes it easier to perform because he knows my voice and he knows when I'm about to sound horrible so he can turn my mic down and the track up. It's really nice having him around. Yeah, my family means a lot to me.”
She gives high marks to her mother, Marianne, not only for supporting her desire to sing professionally, but also just for being a great mom. “She worked for a long time while we were growing up but quit when I started traveling so she could go with me and get my feet wet. Now she stays home because I've got two younger siblings at home that need her too. She's an incredibly strong lady. So godly. She always has something perfect to say, tiny things that are just exactly what I need to hear. I guess that's just the mother's touch.”
Copyright 2002, Paula K. Parker. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
 About Paula K. Parker: Paula K. Parker is an author, playwright, arts critic and hired-gun freelance writer. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 27 years (so far) and is the mother of five homeschooled teenagers. From her home in Nashville, Tennessee, Paula frequently writes about the contemporary Christian arts and music scene. Visit her web page at: www.wordcrafts.net |
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