Hot pop diva finds success on her own terms

When she was in her teens, Amanda Marshall was hailed as the new Janis Joplin.

A powerhouse singer who belted out rock and blues covers with mature, soulful authority, the Toronto teenager was adopted by The Jeff Healey Band, who signed her to a management contract and took her across the country as their opening act.

At 18, she almost seemed destined to follow Joplin's footsteps when she signed a U.S. record deal with Columbia, the late singer's record label.

Then Marshall did the unthinkable: she left the company three months into the deal.

"I didn't have a clue as to what I wanted to do,'' recalled Marshall last week from her Halifax hotel, where she

began the first leg of a Canadian tour with Tom Cochrane that stops at Lulu's this weekend for a pair of

"I didn't have a clue as to where the record was headed, and I wanted to take some time to figure out exactly what I wanted to sound like. I wanted it to be the product of a lot of time, thought and effort on my part.''

Now 23, Marshall said she's glad she waited. She's spent the last five years touring the country, hooking up with different writers and finding her own voice. After joining forces with Alannah Myles's producer David Tyson,

Marshall recorded her self-titled debut for Sony Music Canada last year, and has watched it sail out the record

"The older I get, the more I realize that you really have to trust yourself and your judgment and your heart,'' says

Marshall, nominated for Best New Solo Artist at the Juno Awards this Sunday at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.

"I've made a couple of decisions in my life that, looking back, I'm really proud of. Leaving Columbia was one of

them. I'm really, really glad I waited to make this record. I'm ecstatic at where I'm at now.''

Perhaps the biggest surprise for the folks who have seen Amanda Marshall at Lulu's one of the half-dozen times she's played the club is the adult pop detour her music has taken with such hits as Let It Rain and Sitting On Top Of The World.

Marshall, who has just returned from a successful two-week European promo tour, says she never considered

"I think the whole association came about more because of my association with Jeff,'' she says. "I was never a

traditional blues singer. We did a lot of eclectic covers, and I was 18-years-old at the time.''

As for the Joplin comparison, Amanda Marshall says it will eventually disappear.

"It has sort of followed me around since the first day I opened my mouth in front of a mike,'' she says.

"It's tremendously flattering, since she's somebody that really obviously made her mark. At the same time, I take it very much for what it's worth. It's an easy media tag. When people don't know your name, they compare you either to the person who had the most recent amount of success, or if you happen to be female and a belter, you inevitably run into the Joplin comparison.

"If you're quiet and folkie, you ultimately run into the Joni Mitchell comparison.''

The daughter of a sales executive and private school administrator, Marshall says she knew she wanted to sing for a living since she was five.

"I was really lucky because I think my parents discovered I had a real affinity for it when I was young, and that it

wasn't just a phase. They didn't push me, but they made sure I was afforded the opportunity to get out and try

Marshall also says they instilled self-confidence in her by treating her as an individual rather than a child.

"I was always taught that my opinions counted, and that what I had to say was worth something,'' says Marshall. "I was always made to feel that I could do whatever I wanted, which is a leg up in the entertainment business if you've got that on your side.''

One of her earliest professional affirmations was performing at Lulu's with The Jeff Healey Band.

"Lulu's is a little bit of an odd experience for me, because I'm kind of phobic about heights,'' she laughs. "The

stage is really high, and every time we play there I have this recurring nightmare about falling off.

"My earliest memory of Lulu's is that I opened for Jeff there, and the crowd was so far back. Then I started

singing, and it was like lemmings over a cliff. Everybody just came and rushed the stage at once. It was really


	Hot pop diva Amanda Marshall finds success... on her own terms By Nick Krewen, The Kitchener-Waterloo Record, March 7, 1996 When she was in her teens, Amanda Marshall was hailed as the new Janis Joplin. A powerhouse singer who belted out rock and blues covers with mature, soulful authority, the Toronto teenager was adopted by The Jeff Healey Band, who signed her to a management contract and took her across the country as their opening act. At 18, she almost seemed destined to follow Joplin's footsteps when she signed a U.S. record deal with Columbia, the late singer's record label. Then Marshall did the unthinkable: she left the company three months into the deal. "I didn't have a clue as to what I wanted to do,'' recalled Marshall last week from her Halifax hotel, where she began the first leg of a Canadian tour with Tom Cochrane that stops at Lulu's this weekend for a pair of appearances, Friday and Saturday. "I didn't have a clue as to where the record was headed, and I wanted to take some time to figure out exactly what I wanted to sound like. I wanted it to be the product of a lot of time, thought and effort on my part.'' Now 23, Marshall said she's glad she waited. She's spent the last five years touring the country, hooking up with different writers and finding her own voice. After joining forces with Alannah Myles's producer David Tyson, Marshall recorded her self-titled debut for Sony Music Canada last year, and has watched it sail out the record stores to surpass gold status (50,000 copies) in just a few months. "The older I get, the more I realize that you really have to trust yourself and your judgment and your heart,'' says Marshall, nominated for Best New Solo Artist at the Juno Awards this Sunday at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. "I've made a couple of decisions in my life that, looking back, I'm really proud of. Leaving Columbia was one of them. I'm really, really glad I waited to make this record. I'm ecstatic at where I'm at now.'' Perhaps the biggest surprise for the folks who have seen Amanda Marshall at Lulu's one of the half-dozen times she's played the club is the adult pop detour her music has taken with such hits as Let It Rain and Sitting On Top Of The World. Marshall, who has just returned from a successful two-week European promo tour, says she never considered herself a blues singer. "I think the whole association came about more because of my association with Jeff,'' she says. "I was never a traditional blues singer. We did a lot of eclectic covers, and I was 18-years-old at the time.'' As for the Joplin comparison, Amanda Marshall says it will eventually disappear. "It has sort of followed me around since the first day I opened my mouth in front of a mike,'' she says. "It's tremendously flattering, since she's somebody that really obviously made her mark. At the same time, I take it very much for what it's worth. It's an easy media tag. When people don't know your name, they compare you either to the person who had the most recent amount of success, or if you happen to be female and a belter, you inevitably run into the Joplin comparison. "If you're quiet and folkie, you ultimately run into the Joni Mitchell comparison.'' The daughter of a sales executive and private school administrator, Marshall says she knew she wanted to sing for a living since she was five. "I was really lucky because I think my parents discovered I had a real affinity for it when I was young, and that it wasn't just a phase. They didn't push me, but they made sure I was afforded the opportunity to get out and try things. They were really encouraging and supportive.'' Marshall also says they instilled self-confidence in her by treating her as an individual rather than a child. "I was always taught that my opinions counted, and that what I had to say was worth something,'' says Marshall. "I was always made to feel that I could do whatever I wanted, which is a leg up in the entertainment business if you've got that on your side.'' One of her earliest professional affirmations was performing at Lulu's with The Jeff Healey Band. "Lulu's is a little bit of an odd experience for me, because I'm kind of phobic about heights,'' she laughs. "The stage is really high, and every time we play there I have this recurring nightmare about falling off. "My earliest memory of Lulu's is that I opened for Jeff there, and the crowd was so far back. Then I started singing, and it was like lemmings over a cliff. Everybody just came and rushed the stage at once. It was really cool.''