Hope Vista – Dominance

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I kind of came up with this little equation to describe it. If you take 70’s Joan Jett, modern day Cody Carson, 2004 Avril Lavigne, ’90s Courtney Love, and a splash of Patty Walters, that’s the kind of mixture! It’s alternative rock, but I grew up with classic rock, 90’s pop and heavy pop punk influences. Some grunge too, so I throw that in there a bit.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) My influences are kind of split up into different eras. I’ve got Mick Jagger, one of my earliest influences, he’s just awesome. There is Joan Jett & The Runaways, Aerosmith, Pat Benatar, The Eagles, that’s a span from the ‘60s to the ‘80s. Then the 90’s with the grunge bands, but also the 90’s pop artists (peep Backstreet Boys). I’ve always loved Hole, that whole kind of grunge-y sound coming from a female. Modern day influences are Linkin Park, Set It Off, PVRIS, the Foo Fighters. Those kinds of bands. “Numb” by Linkin Park was the first song I learned how to play on my Fender Stratocaster, so that band in general has had a massive influence on everything I’ve done. 

Q) Your new single “Dominance” is was released recently. Where did the idea for it come from?

A) It’s going to sound so ridiculous, but I did get the idea for it after seeing the Fifty Shades of Grey trailer for the first time though. It’s not what you’re thinking though! I thought the Christian Grey character was complex and I wanted to see what I could do with the idea of dominance, but not in a dominating way (if that makes any sense). The word “dominance,” because of books and movies like Fifty Shades, has a really negative connotation attached to it. But it can totally be about the fear of falling for somebody who makes you feel like you’ve got an electric current rushing through your body. So that’s what it ultimately ended up being about; the strength of an attraction to someone, how that feels and trying to decide whether or not to surrender yourself completely to whoever that person may be.

Q) What is your process like for writing music? Do you need the lyrics before the music?

A) I have what has been a relly atypical process. I come up with all the concepts via title first. A strong title has always been overly important to me because it’s the first thing a listener sees to grab their attention. Once I do that, I normally write in this order: both verses, bridge and chorus. Writing a chorus is always the most difficult thing for me. I’m not really sure why, but I think it’s because I have a pretty low voice for a female and choruses have to be big. I write the lyrics in tandem with the music though. With the EP I just finished, I went in with the verses all done and no choruses. So, once Zack [Odom] and Ken [Mount] (the producers) heard them, they just started messing around with the chords and once I was able to sit there and listen to them playing, I heard the choruses for all the songs almost immediately. It’s a strange process.

Q) How do you plan to celebrate the release of your upcoming EP?

A) Probably with some Kit Kat bars and diet Dr. Pepper. Those are two of my favorite things ever! All I talk about on Twitter is those two things. I might be having a full weekend of shows during the EP release weekend so I’m kind of hoping that’s how I’ll celebrate! It’d be killer to debut all of the EP songs during the release weekend, with my friends there. Nothing’s definite yet, but that’s for sure my ideal situation.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) I’m really, really stoked about the collaboration I have on this upcoming EP, which is with Nick Thompson. He’s the lead vocalist of Hit The Lights. That whole notion just blows me away every time I think about it. I grew up listening to Hit The Lights. Otherwise, it would be the Backstreet Boys. That sounds dumb, but they’re my first radio and musical memory, they’ve stuck with me since. So, that would be the ultimate definition of a dream come true, even though we have two totally different styles. I’d find a way to make it work!

Q) Your previous song “Wild Girl” was a fan favorite. What do you think it is about that song that fans connected with?

A) Thank you! I released it right near the end of the summer because it has that kind of vibe to it. I think that’s kind of what connected fans to it a little bit. My best friend said it has a beachy feel so the timing just seemed right. But it’s also one of those tracks you can just jump all over the place to. During shows I can’t stand still when I hear my drummer hit those first few bangs. It’s high-energy and that’s what I think captivates an audience best!

Q) What can fans expect from a live Hope Vista performance?

A) Me jumping from left to right and all over the place. I have probably too much energy. In Boston over the summer, I was coming out on stage during my intro and I was so hyped up that I ran into the head of my bass player’s bass. It completely punctured me because I was going too fast. It’s really high energy, I sing everything live. Then, there’s a moment halfway through where I slow down for a few minutes and do one acoustic song without my backing band, just to change the pace a bit, calm down and go back to my roots a bit because I think that’s really important. But the energy is always there. Plus, I get to play my Fender strat towards the end, my signature guitar. That just gets me amped every time. 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) It is SO important. That’s kind of how I’ve built up my career within the last few months. It’s important to be personable. I want everyone who comes across my social media pages and my music to feel like they know me in person and can find something that they relate to on there. That’s why I tweet so much about seemingly silly things, like zebras or Dr. Pepper. It’s because they’re little quirks that might have some kind of relatibility to them. It’s sick when people tweet me random pictures of zebra things and say I was the first person they thought of! I love that. It’s all about that relatibility. I firmly believe that fans are family, so that social media connection is how I can directly talk to everybody and build that connection up!

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your music?

A) Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving the little, sassy alternative rock chick a chance. I know it’s not a common thing in this industry. Anyone is always welcome to join my Hurricane family, thank you again for any support you’ve given <3