Beat Magazine August 1996

Never listens to music.
by Morten Staale Nilsen.

Now, here comes Fiona Apple, and she looks just like we pictured her, after listening to the 18 year old's debut-album, Tidal. We`re talking classic "girlschool"; Thin(very thin, probably not more than 45 kilos..), pale, intelligent expresion, beautiful long hair and rather nervous body language. "Arty". Yes, Fiona Apple is a singer/songwriter of the sensitive and "arty" kind, and during our conversation she manages to fulfill all of the clichès of such.. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with "Tidal", either. A nice piece of advanced pop-music. She comes, of course, from an artistic New York-family; her father is an actor and her mother a singer and dancer.. Did anyone say Central Park`s West liberals..? Nothing wrong with that either.
- I never listen to music, she says, a wee bit disappointing. It`s never been important to me to listen to other artists. I read.

Alright. Why doesen`t she write books, then?

-I started playing the piano when I was eight, and I`ve written songs ever since. Well, not "real" songs.. When I went into the studio to make "Tidal", I didn`t have enough songs for an entire album. I had to write like crazy the weeks before the recordings started, *force* myself to get something on paper. It was hard, and I never actually thought it would work. But I surprised myself.

When BEAT meets Fiona in Amsterdam, she has just done her fourth gig. Ever. Scary?

-I`m getting used to it. I knew that doing concerts would make an enormous impression on me - and it has. But it`s gone well so far.

So young. So sensitive. So talented. Quite a burden?

- I know that a lot of people will try and use my age against me. It`s obvious. But what am I to do? Apologize for being young?
That would be too dumb, says Fiona. 18.

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