Q: I love the sound of “Catch.” What are some influences in this release?
MANDY VENTRICE: Thank you! I actually started writing this song as a joke. It was right in the thick of the pandemic and I was stuck at home feeling really frustrated with songwriting; the repetitiveness of pop music specifically. I remembered this lyric by Eminem where he says “the chorus repeats the same four words for us”…and so I jokingly repeated the first five words of the hook over and over. I wrote the rest of the song around that, but ended up really liking it once I was finished. The journey I went on in finding my husband inspired the lyrics, so it ended up turning into a very personal, albeit somewhat comedic, song about my experiences being single and finally meeting my person.
Q: Can you share with us your journey with music?
VENTRICE: I’ve been in the music industry since the age of 15; I was in a girl group based out of Boston, in rock bands in New York, working the DJ dance circuit in Europe, was a signed writer in Los Angeles, and now I’m back to writing for my own projects. It has been an illuminating experience to say the least, but I’m finally where I really want to be. Like most artists, I’ve hustled for most of my career, but now I make music purely for the joy it brings me, and am just grateful to have an outlet to share that with others.
Q: Who are you currently listening to heavily?
VENTRICE: Oh my goodness, I am all over the place, but I would say right now I am really into H.E.R., Giveon, and Anderson.Paak. I just saw H.E.R. at the Hollywood Bowl and it was magical.
Q: What do you love most about making music?
VENTRICE: The challenge. Writing songs is kind of like putting together a puzzle for me. I have all these ideas in my head that are like the pieces and I have to lay them all out and figure out how they fit together.
Q: What are some challenges you faced?
VENTRICE: Everyone telling me who I was or wasn’t, especially as a woman in this industry. “You’re not an artist, you’re a writer”, “you can’t sing R&B, you’re voice is too pop”, “you can’t get married or have children, your career will be over”. Well, here I am. I’m an artist, a writer, a mom, a wife, and I make music in any genre that I want, and I am busier (and happier) than I’ve ever been. I no longer concern myself with this industry’s standard [for women], or what their version of “success” looks like.
Q: Something exciting for us to look forward to?
VENTRICE: I hope so! I’m working on more songs with OHMR as we speak, and we’d love to put out an album or E.P. packed with fun and quirky songs by next year.
Interviewed by Katrina Yang
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