While many bands may have closed up shop following the departure of their lead singer, Flyleaf chose not only to move forward with new singer Kristen May, but also to get their enormous fan base involved in the making of their latest album “Between The Stars”.
amNewYork sat down with lead guitarist Sameer Bhatacharya to discuss “Between The Stars”, the creative process with new singer Kristen May and the impact crowd funding will have on the future of rock ‘n’ roll.
Talk to me about the making of “Between The Stars”: How was the creative process different with Kristen May versus former lead singer Lacey Sturm?
It was a breeze. We couldn’t have asked for anything better. Her delivery is just so spot on all the time and she’ll try anything with lyrics and melodies, which is amazing.
“Between The Stars” debuted No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Current Alternative Albums Chart. Were you nervous fans wouldn’t react to the album or to Kristen before it actually hit?
It’s been amazing the response we’re getting and the way the fans are taking to Kristen. I feel like in a certain way, we’re starting over. There’s a significant gap between “New Horizons” and Between The Stars” and in this day and age if you haven’t released a record in the past year, people kind of forget about you. It’s been awesome.
You guys went through the crowd funding web site Pledgemusic.com to jump start this latest record. What was that experience like?
That’s been one of the best thing we could have done, because it engaged the fans with us. It really helped them feel a part of the process — and they were.
Is crowd funding the future of rock ‘n’ roll albums? Will albums even stick around?
I feel like albums will stick around but they won’t have the same place in our lives like they had. We live in a world of singles. I think with “Between The Stars,” a great feat that was accomplished was that each song stands on it’s own. Each song will take you on a journey. But if you want to sit down and listen to “Between The Stars” front to back that itself will take you on another journey and tell you a broader story.
