Interview with Petrella by James, 11/07/07 15:50:50

Audio Link to Interview

Hello! My name is James Dallas and I am the creator of 4spotlight.com and I will be conducting this interview with you today. Let me start off by saying thank you for your interest in 4spotlight.com and thank you for accepting this interview.

Next, I would like to tell you a little bit about the website and what we do here at 4spotlight.com. Our goal is to sign up and promote artists from all across the globe and take their music to the next level. We do this by spotlighting their careers, (hence the name 4spotlight), who they are and what they have accomplished, interests etc. We support all genres from hip hop to country and artists from all walks of life. Now that you know about us, let’s find out about you.

4Spotlight - Let me first ask you where you are from, (originally/now).

Petrella - Well, I guess you probably need to know my name, first. My name is Petrella and I am the first lady of Country Soul, and I am originally from Hot Springs Arkansas. Now, I just finished a tristate tour so I came out of Cedar Rapids back to Hot spring.

4Spotlight - Next, how did you become interested in singing?

Petrella - Well you know all of us go through the church. I tell folks if it weren't for the lord then I guess we wouldn't be here today. But anyway my aunt was in the choir in a Baptist Church and she just took me on as the next person who would sing the solos. So from 5 years old and on I was just taught how to sing Gospel music.

4Spotlight - Did you come from a musical family? Did they influence your career and style of music?

Petrella - Well yes just like I said My grandmother my mother and my aunt all of these people were all choir folks and of course as you know I was the only girl so quite naturally I had to follow in all of these ladies footsteps.

Here at 4spotlight we encourage new ideas and especially new styles of music. This shows thinking out of the box and we admire that here. People who are not afraid to be who they are and get out there and just go with it.

4Spotlight - Did you grow up listening to country music and if so was it difficult with all the stereotypes with being a young black country singer?
Well you know what, that is a question that is always asked to me James, but heres how it is. If your into country you listen to country music , duh and late at night if you were real lucky and the antennae and the wind were blowing real good you could get some blues out of Nashville. So during the day was country and the night was blues and a little bit of R&B so thats what I grew up on. So to me to be a country singer to me seems just natural and I don't understand why people don't understand why people think its not natural.

4Spotlight - If you had one sentence to describe your sound how would you do so? Have you tried any other styles and if so what were they and were you successful at those styles?

Petrella - My style to me is country just pure country and of course because I have black vocals and I don't really twang, which to me the twang was more of a hillbilly style during my era of country music we had people like Patsy Cline that just had great voices and Kenny Rogers great voices. So I wasn't really used to the twang style so what I do is country music with soul vocal Well I consider my style to be just simply country they call it country soul because of my soul vocals now I as far as trying other styles I simply sing so we can sing gospel, jazz, blues whatever. If you a good singer you just sing I think there is always success anything you do if you have people who come out and enjoy it. Thats what I consider as a success.

4Spotlight - When did you first decide to start recording your own music and how did you feel when you had your first CD in your hands, HOT OFF THE PRESS? You know, your name your sound especially your picture right on the front of it, that has to feel good.?

Petrella - Yeah that was pretty exciting but I have to admit my first time I ever saw my picture on it was on an album you know needless to say, then CD's came out at a later time but it was exciting but they still had 45s then because that was like in 1993. Then we had a tremendous technology change and it was exciting you know but I first started out as a writer I want to make that very clear thats how I ended on the artist side. Was that I pitched some stuff to Nashville it was picked up and I was asked to be an artist for country music. It was cool you know I think it makes you feel good to make any type of accomplishments like that.

4Spotlight - Have you opened for any Stars if so who, and how did you feel when you had this chance to perform? Well yeah we have opened for a lot of people but I think even as an opening ac you don't even know you are opening for people because you come on first and then you trying to go to your next gig usually but yeah, Tracy Lawrence and Rhonda Vincent Gladys Night I guess I can go on forever and ever we have opened for a lot of I guess you would consider them stars I just consider them entertainers.

4Spotlight - Have you done any shows where you were highlighted if so how what was that excitement like?

Petrella - We did a tour 95-96 where I was the opening act and the ending act too so I guess we were highlighted or as you say it the act we took it to alot of smaller towns we were very well recepted and we had crowds up to 6-700 hundred then i've done up to 10,000 and as far as crowds are concerned with the California fan fest I guess you just love what you do so you doesn't matter if you have 1000 people or 1 person.

4Spotlight - What is your biggest accomplishment as a musician?

Petrella - Well I guess to date I guess the other day they told me I had a catalog of about 200 demos that are already finished so I guess thats an accomplishment and the styles range from latin pop R&B Rap I remember that we even did some rap in the 90's that had music put to it and people said that it wouldn't work. And here we are today with this as a norm so I think my biggest accomplishment as a musician is being is to just having the capability of still being in the business after about 16 17 yrs

4Spotlight - Where do you plan to be at in 5 yrs?

Petrella - Now that we have this major from Warner I'm thinking tha we will still be touring and still making music then I want to open up this small little theatre. And just have differenet stars come in and do a night and have a christmas with petrella or something like that right here in my home town of hotsprings arkansas

This is what we are all about here at 4spotlight, we understand peoples wishes and dreams and we are all about promoting that for you. Thank you for your time and hopefully we can help you expand your career even further.

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