Interview: Dominique Pruitt
5 min read
L.A born and raised beauty Dominique Pruitt may not be a name that you will be familiar with right now but she will soon be one of your favorite artists as the singer, who combines elements of mainstream pop with gorgeous musical scents from the 50’s and 60’s, decades that have heavily influenced the musicians latest EP, To Win Your Love.
The new EP contains five stunning pennings and is led by its first single, the EP’s title track. Speaking to us from the singers sunny Californian home, Dominique Pruitt introduces herself to RenownedForSound.com, giving us an insight into her latest release, her musical influences and whether a full length studio record is in her plans. Here is what she had to tell us:
Brendon Veevers: How are you Dominique?
Dominique Pruitt: I’m great, thank you!
BV: Where does our interview find you today?
DP: In my backyard with very strange weather overhead. It’s 90+ degrees but very ominous & gloomy out!
BV: You have recently released you brand new EP, To Win Your Love. Firstly, can you tell us a little about the EP and where you drew your inspiration from when putting the record together?
DP: While I love contemporary music, something about the sounds of all the different genres spanning the 1950s and 1960s really struck something in me from a young age. I pulled all sorts of inspiration from those eras, of course. The surf rock bands, Phil Spector’s wall of sound, The Wrecking Crew, all of the R & B and Soul greats, The girl groups, and so on!
BV: How does it feel to have your first EP released?
DP: It’s surreal. A lifelong dream has finally come true? Pinch me!
BV: Your music combines many different genres including Americana, soul, pop and a hint of Jazz in parts. Who have been the biggest musical influences?
DP: My parents have been a big inspiration to me. They are both musicians, so that was my whole world growing up – watching them play and all their friends, too. As far as musicians go, the list is quite long, but to sum it up I’d say Elvis, Sam Cooke, The Shangri La’s, Aretha Franklin, Wanda Jackson, Patsy Cline, The Ronettes (and ALL those girl groups really!).
BV: There are a lot of 50’s and 60’s influences heard throughout the 5 tracks on your EP so we thought is was safe to assume that you are heavily influenced by music of those decades?
DP: Most definitely!
BV: What has been the reaction been like toward the EP from your fans?
DP: I have gotten a lot of wonderful feedback! I love hearing “I can’t wait to hear more” or “Can’t wait to see you live” from a fan.
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BV: We want to ask you about a couple of tracks on your EP – firstly, You Don’t Have A Heart. Is there a back-story to this track as it sounds like quite a personal song.
DP: It is a true story about a woman my dad knew back in the day, who was cheating on a good friend of his. My dad is my co-writer, but that song is actually all his own that he wrote in the late 70s.
BV: The title track is the EP’s lead single and a stunning introduction to your EP. Can you tell us a little about this track and what the song is all about?
DP: Thank you! This is another one that my dad wrote back in the day. He co-wrote that one with his friend Pierre Munch, and it’s actually written about my mom. He met my mom, and she had boyfriend, but my dad was determined to win her love. He did! And 31 years later they’re still together.
BV: Being born and raised in Los Angeles, do you think that being raised in such an eclectic, vibrant city and success driven environment has helped you in your own journey?
DP: I would say LA is a huge inspiration. There are so many different facets to the city and it’s so huge – there’s a little bit of everything. Also, it’s so close to so many gorgeous natural spaces that it’s easy to have city life and escape to nature- which is very inspiring!
BV: If you could collaborate with any 3 artists, dead or alive – who would they be and why?
DP: 1. ELVIS. Those moves, that voice, the gold lamé suit.
2. Dan Auerbach – The Black Keys are one of my favorite bands, and they are just SO damn good. I love the grit and the soul. I would LOVE to work with Dan and could imagine it being an awesome pairing. One day, it’ll happen!
3. Sam Cooke. Do I need a reason? He’s THE BEST.
BV: With To Win Your Love serving as your debut EP, are there any plans to begin work on a debut full length studio album?
DP: I actually did record a full length album last year – but we have only just released 5 songs for now as an EP. There will be a full length to follow either later this year or early next! And I’m REALLY excited for people to hear it.
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BV: What is it that you enjoy the most about being a musician and performer?
DP: I love the spontaneity of it. While the inconsistency can be intense, it’s also motivating and exhilarating! I love that I can wake up one day and have an interview, have a show another day, a photo shoot, a song writing session, etc. I get to work with creative people almost constantly, and that’s REALLY fun. I love every new twist and turn the journey has to offer. The playing music and singing my heart out for a living part is pretty great too.
BV: Will you be touring the EP or performing at any festivals this year?
DP: No festivals, and no plans *yet* for a tour but stay tuned!
BV: What else is on the Dominique Pruitt calendar for 2013?
DP: Lots of radio performances, lots of shows around LA, NY, and hopefully beyond! Taking over the world too maybe?
BV: Thanks Dominique
Dominique Pruitt’s brand new EP To Win Your Love is out now.
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.
