Interview With Betsie Larkin Offers Advice To New Dance Vocalists
Anthony Interviews Betsie Larkin At Bal En Blanc
As a massive fan of Trance myself, when I found out that I was given the amazing opportunity to sit down with dance music vocalist and songwriter Betsie Larkin before she hit the stage to perform at this year’s Bal en Blanc, to say I was ecstatic was an understatement.
Known specifically for her collaborations with artists like Ferry Corsten, Andy Moor, Gabriel & Dresden and most recently Lange, Larkin is a force within the industry and has managed to consistently create beautiful music that has at no point compromised the integrity of her sound. In an age where many vocalists are being undercut by producers interested in seeking the credit entirely for a collaborative project, I wanted to sit down and have a real discussion about the direction that ‘EDM’ is going and where singer/songwriters fit in the equation.
Anthony
You have been working with Ferry for a few years now. When you began writing with him over four years ago, did you ever imagine that dance music and the scene itself would have evolved as much as it has?
Betsie Larkin
Honestly no, and that’s a really good point. I was very fortunate since things took off for me in my career before I could really have a handle on the situation. I was very lucky, but before dance music even entered my mind, I was a rocker at heart…It was a struggle trying to work as an alternative act. The crazy thing about this industry, at least in the case of dance music vocalists, is that one song can catapult your career almost overnight. It has both its pros and cons. Working with a big name artist can definitely change your career, but sometimes those artists forget to list the vocalist on the track title or the credits. Things happen which can be frustrating for new vocalists starting out.
Anthony
I found it interesting that when Armin released ‘This Is What It Feels Like’, much of the Trance community reacted negatively to the song claiming that Armin compromised his sound to reach Billboard audiences. In retrospect, it created a massive new audience of people who discovered Trance music as a result of it hitting mainstream radio. Would you ever consider getting involved in a project at that level?
Betsie Larkin
It’s always hard to say. Of course, as a vocalist your dream is for more people to hear your music, but I have never been a planner when it comes to creating songs. I don’t usually write with the intention for the song to be tailored to a specific producer, or a specific audience. I try to write organically…It would be an amazing opportunity, but it’s not something I actively search for. I am just trying to let my music speak for itself.
Anthony
Your recent project ‘Insatiable’ is aptly titled in that it is quite infectious. It just has this great quality to the single.
Betsie Larkin
I’m so glad you like the song. I wrote ‘Insatiable’ on a guitar without any plan at all which is something I do all the time. Lange reached out asking to do another song and I sent him roughly five or six ideas at the time. He chose two, and we ultimately ended up picking ‘Insatiable’. He wrote the music around the song and changed the chords quite a bit, but Sean Tyas did the remix for the song and his version sounds closer to what I originally intended for the composition. Both versions turned out fantastic.
Anthony
We have been seeing recently that a lot of acts are bringing more elements of live music to the stage, making it more immersive for fans. Do you think that’s the future for the scene?
Betsie Larkin
I think there is a lot of room for improvement within the dance music scene, but introducing more live elements can definitely increase the longevity of dance music for sure. Maybe more on the part of the producer, triggering songs and sounds live, much in the same vein as artists like Deadmau5. If you can get more live vocalists up there killing it on stage, it’s fantastic for the audience. That being said, I have always been one to say that making choices that work is important. Taking risks is necessary, if those risks make sense. Putting a harp on stage could be dramatic, but would fans actually be receptive? These are things artists have to think about.
Is there anything we missed? What else would you like to know about Betsie Larkin’s career?
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