|
FAB magazine- Toronto Jan 17, 2002 Hartt breaker
Promising to "quench your desire for something new," Edmonton singer Ben Hartt will be shaking his bon-bon and stretching his vocal chords on the Woody's stage on Jan. 20. The sexy and personable 26 year-old singer will be in Toronto promoting his debut Cd, Hyper-blue, hoping to add the gay community to his ever-growing fan base. Citing INXS, George Michael, The Rolling Stones and ABBA as musical influences, Hartt says his music is different from the usual Top 40 pop radio because his lyrics come straight from the heart. " In music, a lot of times, there isn't a lot of honesty lyrically speaking," Hartt says. "My lyrics are refreshing and honest because I talk about love, hope and self-esteem in ways a lot of other artists don't." Not having the luxury of a major record company's financial backing and promotion hasn't hurt Hartt. In fact, it has forced him to be completely involved in every aspect of the musical project- writing, promoting, designing and maintaining his Web site. "The good part about this CD being an independent project is the fact that I was blessed with creative control and the luxury of making sure the project is my vision when it's all done," he says. So business savvy is Hartt that he intends to win over gay fans early in his career, knowing full well the community decides which songs are hits and misses. But will Toronto's relentlessly passionate music fans and critics give his work a thumbs-up? "I hope so. The gay audience likes dance-y stuff and because of the relationships I have had, I think people can relate to the lyrics," Hartt explains. "Plus, I got some really good grooves going on." Hartt already has a growing fan base in Edmonton, which includes gay men and teenage girls. "The audience at my CD release party consisted of gay men and young girls. I get get e-mails from girls all the time asking me to go shopping with them." It's no wonder Hartt prefers not to talk about his sexual orientation. A few months ago, Hartt sent Woody's manager Dean Odorico a press kit and sample CD- and an invitation was soon extended to the burgeoning singer. "I'm going on at 11:30pm and will be on for two sets of 20 minutes. I'll be giving away a few CDs as well," says Hartt. Toronto is not foreign territory for Hartt, who lived here for 6 months in 1996 and 1997. He moved back to Edmonton because it was too expensive for the then-struggling artist. "I liked living in Toronto, but I don't think it's a good idea to move to a Canadian city in the winter. It can be very depressing and dismal," he recalls. With his musical career taking off, audiences may be seeing a lot more of Hartt in the future. "The next step is for me to find a manager, who really believes in me. After that, I know I will probably have to leave Edmonton and move either to Montreal or Toronto," he says. "Although I love Edmonton, it is far away from everything. It's a catch-22. On one hand, I can live cheaply using Edmonton as a home base, but on the other hand, the market isn't there." Despite facing those critical crossroads, Hartt doesn't plan on leaving Canada. Well, not yet, anyway. "Hopefully, when my career and music become known, I can begin travelling all over North America, Europe and Japan. I don't want to move anywhere yet, until I know for sure where the most supportive market is going to be." There's always modelling and acting to fall back on. "I'm still interested in modeling and acting- to me that's all a part of performing. It's a good way to make extra money. And it all goes hand in hand with singing because it's all about image," explains Hartt. "Sadly, it is sometimes more about how you look that determines your success in this business than the quality of the music. As for acting, I love doing impressions and comedy. It's totally up my alley, but it's not my number one focus at this time." Where does this young talent see himself in five years? "I would like to be signed to a major record label; enjoy a really good relationship with a manager; and perfrom live frequently- which is my passion," he says. "I hate that certain artists lip-synch through their concerts, like Britney Spears. It becomes soulless. When I attend a cocert, I look forward to hearing the reality of someone's voice, mistakes and all, which is the beauty of live performing. Finally, to be in a position where people spend their hard earned money on my music- that's definitely where I would like to be in the near future. I'm ready- I want an adventure." Ben Hartt performs Jan 20 at Woody's |