Mindy White: My parents were musicians, so I was always around music. All genres really- but the ones I remember loving the most were The Beatles, The Temptations, The Carpenters, and Michael Jackson. First tape that I purchased was Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart.
JA: Do you have a "top 5 favorites" list of records at the moment?
MW: Fantasies by Metric, Parachutes by Coldplay, Everything to Nothing Manchester Orchestra, Emotionalism by The Avett Brothers, and Futuresex/Lovesounds by Justin Timberlake.
MW: Well for me, singing in general is the best feeling- but show wise it's about connecting with fans, and hearing how they took songs that you wrote and then putting their own meaning to it.
JA: How would you define the current state of the music industry, the good and the bad.
MW: There's both great and terrible things to it. You witness bands who didn't work as hard as others to get where they are, or see the bands you really respect and want to succeed barely scraping by to continue to tour because of no money. The downfall of CD sales and illegal downloads, and management or labels taking huge chunks of money from the bands are incredible. It's not fair how it works, but if you play it smart and watch where your money goes, you can come out on top.
MW: It was awesome, we loved being able to play a longer set. It's great to get on stage and hear the entire crowd singing along to your songs. Most shows we'd start with a set list- but by the end we didn't even follow it because we just went with what the kids would yell out that they wanted to hear. So much more fun.
JA: Which model of keyboard do you play on?
MW: At home I have a sad little Casio (laughs)- but on tour I use a Nord Electro 73. It's got some of the most beautiful piano sounds on it.
MW: Coldplay, Justin Timberlake, or Brand New.
JA: What is your personal favorite song you have recorded?
MW: Personally, it's a song called Dancing Days. I can't wait to play it live.
JA: What do you enjoy doing most when you are not making music?
MW: Cooking! Also exploring, reading awesome books, easy nights with friends, trying new restaurants, hanging with my pets, and scrap booking.
MW: I once worked for the Nashville Predators, standing outside the games trying to get people to sign up for a credit card for Chase Bank. When I, myself, don't even want a credit card yet because I know they're trouble (laughs). I felt bad trying to 'work', but I had to try and persuade. It was so annoying. That, or when I worked at this BBQ joint where I had to dress up in a big pig suit and sweat bullets the whole shift.
MW: Get work done. Don't procrastinate. Write the music you love, just what you think will be 'cool'. Seek inspiration. Don't let others influence you too much. And most of all- be patient, but don't settle; stay smart, and be human.
JA: If you had sum up your life so far with just one word, what would it be?
MW: Blessed.
Follow Mindy on Twitter at: @mindywhite