Carmen Smith from The Voice Releases New EP "They Don't Know Me"

Carmen Smith (The Voice) has released her new single “They Don’t Know Me” today along and has given Throng an exclusive interview about the song and her new EP. *

You have been in the music industry for many years, yet Australia came to know and love you from The Voice – what made you audition? After having and losing a record deal, doing 2 full albums off my own back and finding it hard to survive, I started doing odd vocal jobs here and there, basically trying to survive being a hired singer. That just kept snowballing. It started with Guy, then The Young Divas, Ricki lee, backing vocals for Australian Idol, Stan Walker, Jessica Mauboy. The work came in and I took it. At the time The Voice producers had asked me to audition I baulked at it, but I realised it was now or never to get my music heard, so I decided to take the chance. *What were your thoughts upon Nine asking you to leave “The Voice”, when they knew your history already? My thoughts were “I don’t get it, you knew this was what I did”. I was pretty hurt the moment it happened and the day it went public was a really tough day. People kept saying it was great publicity, but when you are sitting at home seeing your face all over the television with the headline, “singer dumped from show” and every man and his dog saying “she broke the rules, breached this and that”, its tough. Especially when you know you didn’t really do anything wrong. Still, no more than 5 days later I was rehearsing for Guy’s tour so I was kind of forced to not wallow. It was a great thing in hindsight. *Did you or will you follow the show since your departure? I was only watching after I left to see my friend Diana Rouvas. We hit it off from meeting each other on the show. I had heard about her from other musicians, about how amazing she is but we had never met. The best thing that happened from the show hands down. I’ll have a quick peek at the show to see if there’s great singers but I’m not an avid television watcher. The irony. *Do you have any advice for anyone planning to audition for The Voice? If you think it’s right for you, go for it. For me it was just the right time to take a new path, and having a cautious nature meant that I went into this with my eyes wide open. I made sure I understood every aspect of the agreements, a horrendous exercise for someone that just wants to sing. In the end, when I weighed it all up, I gave myself the green light. Trust me, it was touch and go though. *Any chance we will see you with Guy on X Factor? Not at this point, but you never know. * Your EP is about to be released with your first single being “They Don’t Know Me”, did you write the songs? The whole EP is written, recorded and co produced by me. I’m proud of the fact that from the birth of the tracks to pretty much the finished product, I was in control. Those are the skills I learnt from all those years locked up in the studio: the goal being, your mind vision becoming an audio reality. *You have four songs on the EP – can you describe them for me? DARE – This track is driven by a sexy guitar-riff & backbeat. I use a different part of my voice for this track and that is what I love about it. The song is like an erotic journey, using art like metaphors to describe the sensual act of engaging with another. Like all good things this song just wrote itself. GET YA OFF – This track is cheeky and sassy flavoured by a thumping unison riff driven by a horn section. This song shaped the sound for the EP. I love live elements, real musicians playing hard. There is something about a repetitive riff, when it’s in the pocket. You can really sink your teeth into it. BREAKER OF HEARTS – This is where my Aussie influences come into my music. Think Divinyls, Pleasure and pain , Midnight Oils Beds are Burning in a chilli soul soup. I loved this track because it is far away from anything I had ever done, hard hitting guitars and a straight ahead feel. The song brings up those moments when someone takes your heart, chews it up and spits it out. But this ain’t no ballad! THEY DON’T KNOW ME – well the name says it all. Its funk, its soul, its up and it doesn’t say sorry. People will immediately hear this and think; “this is about what happened on the voice”. I actually wrote it months before even auditioning. It’s really about people having opinions on what it is you do or don’t do and knowing that the opinion of yourself is the one that really matters. I have always danced to the beat of my own drum and nothing will change. People who love me are the ones who “know” me. They are the ones that matter. *You are doing a national tour (will publish all dates), what can fans expect and also the people who haven’t seen YOU yet? We are doing a string of acoustic shows with Diana Rouvas as a double bill called “2 Voices”. Expect to hear a raw dynamic and energetic acoustic performance. I love the acoustic setting because everything is exposed. *Can we expect a full album in the future or will that depend on the success of the EP? Have to check my account balance, don’t want to look at it yet or I might craugh (cry so hysterically that it sounds like I’m laughing). Seriously, this is what I do so, yes. As an independent, I have to think practically and doing EP’s feel like the way to go for me at this stage. I’m not ruling out an album though. * Who have your musical influences been and is there anyone’s career currently that you admire? Whitney, MJ and Prince are my influences. I love Janelle Monae, Lianne La Havas and Andre 3000, just because they do their thing and they are quirky cool. *Do you ever think that not becoming “The Voice” was the best thing that could have happened because you now control your future? YES! I always look for the positives. What happened to me wasn’t ideal but I just had to change the way I looked at it. The positives; people know I’m around, people know I can sing. I laugh when I get that “don’t I know you from somewhere, your face looks familiar” look. I’ve never been good with following the herd or being a yes man. This is my music, my vibe, my ideas. I believe the best thing that has come from the whole experience is it gave me no boundaries on what defines me as an artist. Forever an artist always thought of themselves as “I’m an artist I only do my own thing’. Why can’t an artist do their own thing, feature on other peoples recordings, sing BV’s for their fellow peers, lend their talent to anything they desire, without it being centered on only what they are doing. I call it “all encompassing artistry”.