Marcie - The American Singer With The Cosmopolitan Voice

Marcie is a Singer/Songwriter and International Recording Artist. She sings various genres, and has releases on various Electronic labels...

... like Deepblue, Robbins, Shah Music, Abora, Curvve and more. Her tunes have had the support of likes of Markus Schulz, Paul van Dyk, Solarstone, and Aly & Fila. She currently resides in Boston, and has many current releases available on her websites and at all major record retailers.

tranceUNITED:

Hi Marcie, thanks for taking time to speak to tranceUNITED. How’s it going? Tell us a little about you. Currently you are living in Boston, but where are you originally from and what was your childhood like?

Marcie:

Hey Miles! It's my pleasure to speak with tranceUNITED. This is an exciting time as I'm able to devote so much of my energy into singing and creating. I am originally from Rochester, NY. My parents have always been supportive of my musical interests. They encouraged me to take lessons in dance, voice, and piano. They made many sacrifices so that I could follow my dream to be a singer.

tranceUNITED:

What were your early musical inspirations?

Marcie:

I have loved music since as far back as I can remember. I have known that I wanted to be a performer since I was 4 years old. I grew up around a lot of musical versatility. My father played in a band throughout my childhood, and I got to go to his gigs sometimes, and listen to him practice in the house. He has a great voice, and stage charisma. I grew up listening to the music of the 50's-80's, since that was his love. My mother is a passionate and talented pianist, and also was a dancer. They never pushed their art on me. They let me try all sorts of activities, but early on I chose music, and never deviated from that.

My early favorites were Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elvis, Whitney Houston, Cher, Barbara Streisand,.too many to name.

tranceUNITED:

Can you remember the first moment where you tried singing, be it in the shower or in front of the mirror and can you remember what song you were singing?

Marcie:

I remember creating a dance to "Thriller" when I was five and performing it in front of my friends. I served them bowls of pretzels. I wore the one sparkly glove, a la Michael Jackson.

I have a memory of singing nursery rhymes in school when I was about 3 or 4. My father had come in to play the piano for the class, and he conducted a chorus of 'Old McDonald' that involved a lot of debate over what sound a giraffe would make on the farm. I also remember running around belting out Steve Miller's "Abracadabra". I thought it was about a magician.

The first time I sang as a performance, I was 10 years old. It was at summer camp, and I performed a song acapella at a campfire. The campfire was meant to be a quiet event, with people taking turns going up in front and singing or reading poetry, so applause was not allowed. When I was done singing, I remember that people immediately started whispering to each other, and I knew I had done well. I loved that I had captured people's attention, and I knew they would listen again.

tranceUNITED:

What type of education did you have and if you weren’t a singer what type of job would you like to have?

Marcie:

It was always important to me to go to University and pursue non-music related studies. I went to a Liberal Arts College on a scholarship because of the well rounded education I could get there. I have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Oberlin College, where I also minored in Dance. I studied for two semesters at New York University's Musical Theater Conservatory. I also studied Psychology in London. I was going to go to graduate school, but I turned it down in order to devote myself primarily to music. I would like to go back to school for either Child and Family Studies or Education, and take a job helping abused children, or as an Elementary school teacher.

tranceUNITED:

How exactly did you become a singer and how and when did you break into the dance music world?

Marcie:

When I got to college, I performed with various pop/rock bands. To be honest, dance music was not something I knew much about before I was about 20. It was while looking for pop/rock opportunities that I met Alexander Perls. I sang for him on an EDM track, which was later signed, and a whole new music world was opened up to me. I have not given up writing and performing pop and Rock music, but I've found a lot of fulfillment in Trance and other EDM genres.

tranceUNITED:

When you are not singing, what other job do you have?

Marcie:

I am my own manager for my singing career, so that is a big job in itself. At the moment, I hold down a day job as a Nanny. I love children, and working as a Nanny allows me to spend time with them, and often to be silly, and creative. I find inspiration in the purity of children, and in their unguarded emotions. They view the world as constantly anew with wonder, and have not yet learned cynicism. It is grounding to be with them, and their contagious smiles. They love games, and creating. My mind stays active on the job, which allows me to more easily access ideas for my songs.

In the past, I've worked as a bartender, a waitress, a secretary, a tutor, a camp counselor, and I've taught SAT prep courses. I used to tour all over the U.S. with a corporate show band. I work my day jobs in order to allow me to sing as much as possible, but I also try to work one that is engaging. I am a people person, and I think I bore easily. It's hard for me to have a job where I am required to sit still.

To be honest, sometimes I feel guilty about the amount of energy I put into music. It is my passion, but sometimes I wish I had been compelled to devote that same energy into Politics or Medicine. I don't always feel as useful to others as I'd like to feel. I feel a responsibility to use my Art to eventually help society as much as a I can, whether through the messages I'm sending out, or hopefully someday through significant financial donations to worthy causes. I guess I view any job I have as part of a greater societal network, and I want to make anything I do as worthwhile as I can.

tranceUNITED:

You have a very distinct voice. How would you describe your voice and what makes it so special?

Marcie:

Thank you! I've sang all sorts of music from Trance, to Rock to Musical theater, and a bit of Opera. My tonal and stylistic range is large, and that allows me a great flexibility in the material I write, and choose to sing. I think being open to all kinds of music, and studying various vocalists over the years has influenced me to push my voice and try new things. I know my comfort zone, but I also like to experiment.

tranceUNITED:

What inspires you to sing such beautiful songs?

Marcie:

Anything and everything. I am often inspired by the endless intricacies and changes in nature. Everywhere I look is something beautiful, or something awful. Writing music and poetry gives my life a momentary sense of order. Music preserves the contraries in a way that I can understand and learn from because I connect both emotionally and intellectually with it. Upon later listening, I return to that moment, but with new perspective.

Love of all types inspires me as well. I don't always wear my heart on my sleeve, but when I sing, I try to tap into my feelings, and express them. I try to be present in a moment in my life, or in one as I perceive it happening for somebody else, and then sing about it. I do not always sing about a feeling that I agree with. Sometimes I keep in mind an imagined possibility, or a perspective I no longer or never held. Music is a way to tell the verbal and nonverbal elements of stories that can be about anything at all.

tranceUNITED:

When you are working on a track, how much input are you able to give in regards to the vocals and song writing?

Marcie:

This depends on the project. If I am co-writing a track, then I usually write all the vocals and lyrics. There is always a back and forth with the producer of the track until both parties are happy with the vocal and the track. I know what my voice can do, so often times I will perform the same melody line in various tones, or with varying intent so that the producer and I can hear more than one option. I think a track works best when both the producer and myself are flexible, and we view the track as a collaboration that has to evolve in order to pull the best performance out of each of us.

tranceUNITED:

There are so many genres in music, how was it that you became involved with dance music and not pop or rock music?

Marcie:

I am involved in Pop and Rock. Pop/Rock has more live performance involved with it, and I like that part. I love EDM though. It allows me to write and get my ideas out, and sometimes I try to bring ideas from Pop and Rock into what I write.

tranceUNITED:

You collaborate with many producers, how are tracks usually produced?? I imagine a lot of files are sent back and forth. Isn´t that sometimes a bother?

Marcie:

I do collaborate with producers in many different countries. While I love to work in person whenever possible, mostly we will send files back and forth via the internet. Sometimes we can chat in real time about the track, but a lot of the communication is done through email. The plus side of this arrangement is it allows each side to work on their own time in their own way, bringing their own cultural influence into the process. The downside is that it is time consuming to upload files and write emails clarifying ideas, and at times hard to put a project aside and return to it later. Each person working on the project has to be open minded, but also capable of calling some shots and making choices without needing immediate feedback. The process has made me a stronger writer by forcing me to figure out how to not second guess myself, and pushing myself to discover things outside my comfort zone. Sometimes when I work alone, I get caught in the trap of perfectionism, and I have no one standing there with me to shake me out of it. I have had to learn to decide for myself that something is good enough to send out.

tranceUNITED:

A month ago you were hanging out in Denmark producing tracks with Ben Bording. What kind of experience was that for you and how did you experience the Danish culture?

Marcie:

I'm addicted to Danish Licorice. I can't find it here in the States, and I dream about it sometimes!! Seriously, though, Denmark was a lot of fun. I spent most of my time in Copenhagen, but I did get outside the city for a castle tour, and a trance party in Sweden. The landscape of the country is gorgeous. The people were very kind, friendly, and patient with my basically zero knowledge of their language. I'm trying to learn Danish, because I want to go back, and it's important to me to be able to communicate with the people I'm with to the best of my ability.

I had fun going out to some clubs, and it was nice to party in a city that stays open all night. Boston closes down by 1 or 2 am. We start partying at 8 pm, but in Scandinavia, people don't even leave their places to hit the town until midnight. That part was a bit rough on my body. I can dance for hours, but I think I need to start before midnight.

Ben Bording and I got a lot of work done as well. We have some new tracks coming out as a result of that time working in person. We had a successful long distance working relationship before we ever met in person, and found that collaborating face to face helped us explore some new ideas, and act more spontaneously. I think sometimes we each wished we had our own studio to go back to for a bit and hash out an idea without someone watching. I'm quite comfortable now with trying ideas that I end up hating right in front of him, but that is always hard to do at first with a new person.

tranceUNITED:

How much of studio producing are you able to learn when you are in the studio waiting to lay your vocals down? Would you ever be interested to produce tracks like that?

Marcie:

I would love to expand my production skills. At the moment, I'm really only proficient at laying down vocals. I have a good ear for what a track has going for it, and what it might need. I learn by hearing tracks get built up step by step, and by analyzing every layer. I would love to learn how to produce a full track, but my focus right now is on improving my vocals and songwriting, and that does not leave much time for learning more about non vocal production. It's important to me to work with a producer that is technically sound, and understands how to hear and mix vocals.

tranceUNITED:

You produced “Butterfly Garden” with Yamin on Shah Music. Shah and Del Mar are big supporters of the balearic sound. Shah has been around for years, but this year he really broke out getting tracks signed to big labels like Black Hole. How was it working with Shah and did you learn anything from him?

Marcie:

Yamin and I are so happy to have "Butterfly Garden" on Shah Music. The label consistently puts out solid tracks, and Del Mar and Shah are hard workers who care about their artists. “Paradise“ is my track with DJ Shah. I have learned that Shah is always at the cutting edge of production. His final mixes for the release of „Paradise“ is incredible.

tranceUNITED:

What do you think about the German trance scene? What do you know about it and what DJs do you respect?

Marcie:

I think the German trance scene is open minded and inventive. A lot of new ideas have come out of it over the years, which have benefitted everyone. Someone somewhere has to think outside the box, or the scene will get static. I think the top DJ's have a responsibility to play the best tracks they can find, and to take risks by breaking out of the mold. The German trance scene is a good place for this.

I really admire DJ Shah and Pedro Del Mar. They have found a way to bring much music to the masses in Germany and beyond. They are both kind, intelligent, and talented.

tranceUNITED:

I also adore “Blanket of White” What is this track about? When you are writing songs, how much of your own personal life do you incorporate into the writing?

Marcie:

The song is one of seduction, but with a twist. At its core, the song is about recognizing that someone is in pain from a broken relationship. Sometimes detachment is a way for us to deal with a pain because it means we don't have to feel it. Unfortunately, if we let ourselves go numb to pain, we inevitably become numb to positive feelings as well. The person I am singing to in the song feels they were just left out in the cold, and have frozen instead of trying to return to someplace warm. In the song, I acknowledge that I'm not first in their mind, but I feel I can still help. It's about accepting someone's baggage, while helping them see that a new relationship can be better than the one that hurt.

I used the visual of a snow angel to show how frozen they are, and also because a snow angel is something a child will make. For me, it represents the innocence of a time when lying in the cold snow is magical and full of possibility, and not a submission to the urge to fade away. A snow angel has wings, and even when we feel like we're knocked down in the cold, we can still find the strength to deal with our emotions, and lift ourselves up again.

tranceUNITED:

I love “Liberation”, what a beautiful track. Who produced this track and tell me a little about the production of this track? Did this take a while, and how was it writting the words to the track?

Marcie:

Alexander Perls wrote the vocals for this track, and he and Miikka Leinonen worked on the production. It is a beautiful tune. I recorded it in one day at Perls's studio. I'm not entirely sure of Perl's intent behind the lyrics is, as any lyric means different things to each person. I found my own interpretation to bring to them. Liberation is a term that is used on a grand scale in politics, and it also applies to personal freedom. It's amazing how freeing it is to openly love and be loved.

tranceUNITED:

Your tracks have done very well in the charts. Are you sometimes surprised by all this success?

Marcie:

I'm happy that people are responding positively to my music. I'm extremely grateful that I'm able to have an audience for it. I have been fortunate to collaborate with some extremely talented people. I work hard, and would like my tracks to do better than they do. The music industry is often so hard to break into and navigate. It takes steady work, but also some luck of being in the right place at the right time. There is so much talent out there, and not everyone gets recognized for what they do and what they give their life to. It is not a fair and equitable industry, and I am grateful for my place in it.

tranceUNITED:

What was the nicest compliment that you have gotten in your career?

Marcie:

Anytime I'm complimented feels fulfilling. It's especially nice when people who see me perform tell me that I look like I'm enjoying myself on stage. Singing and performing is one of the most engaging things I can do. It clears my head and makes me feel whole, and when people are captivated by my performance, then I know I am giving them my all, and not hiding from the audience. Being on stage is tricky because I aspects of performance, which are inherently 'unreal' and 'larger than life', to share very deep aspects of myself. I try to use song to elevate the moment and make sense of the fleeting nature of my life. I try to sing with intent, so that whatever I'm saying is true in that moment that I say it. It's wonderful if someone can relate to my lyrics, or feels that my music is inspiring to them. Mostly it's just nice to know that people listen. I like to know what other people are thinking when they hear my songs. I'm always learning from my listeners.

tranceUNITED:

What is your long term goal as a singer?

Marcie:

I would like to sing forever! I want to be known as both a singer and a songwriter. Perhaps I will end up writing songs for other voices someday. I would not be happy if music is not in my life, so while I enjoy large scale success, mostly I just need to find a way to always be able to sing. I would like to cross back into Pop and Rock, and maybe some more theater. I have a lot of lyrics and topic ideas that don't necessarily fit for the Trance genre. If you look at my Trance lyrics, I think you'll often find a battle of opposing forces. Trance requires a certain softening, optimism, and poetic self reflection. Sometimes I write things that are dark, angry, and cynical, and the language doesn't suit the Trance sound. Trance is not always the best form of music to express my consequential experiences. That's why writing in other genres allows me to say more. Trance is also not a vocal heavy genre. Sometimes my lyrics are not contained enough for it. I want to use lyrics to tell stories and convey conflict, and Trance is not always the best place for those lyrics.

tranceUNITED:

What new tracks can we expect from you in the future?

Marcie:

I won't give away all my secrets, but I have new Trance tracks coming with Yamin, Aly & Fila, Global Warming, Matthew Hoag, JJOY, Christian Rush, Miikka Leinonen, Beetseekers, Paulo Der Munoz and others. I have progressive tracks coming with Sied Van Riel, and Santerna. There's some dirtier house stuff in the works with Flavio Grifo, David Sense and Rhythm Code. 've also got beautiful downtempo tracks in progress with Kopi Luwak and Andrew K. I'm working on a lot of new material, and I'm very excited about the diversity and quality of the new work!

tranceUNITED:

With what producer would you like to produce a track with?

Marcie:

I'd love to work with Armin van Burren, or Markus Schulz on a new track. I'd like to do new work with DJ Shah and Pedro Del Mar, Solarstone, Darren Tate, Mike Koglin, Moshic… the list goes on. I want to work with anyone who is skilled, inspired, dedicated, and a true Artist who is driven by their passion for music. I want to work with people who are powerful songwriters, who understand the genre, but who also want to push the boundaries and bring new sounds and ideas to the listeners. I think a lot of up and coming producers want to do this, but it's the big names that have the power to help the new ideas break out and gain exposure.

tranceUNITED:

What other singers that are around in the trance world do you respect and have you met any of them? For example a Kirsty Hawhshaw, Tiff Lacey or Jan Johnston etc.

Marcie:

There are so many that amaze me. All 3 that you mentioned are ones I truly admire. They each have undeniable talent, a unique sound, a powerful individual presence in the scene, and an incredible body of work. I'll also mention Jes Brieden and Nadia Ali. Their songs are full of emotion, and they are obviously skilled vocalists and hard workers. I think they all have genre crossover potential as well, (some have already proved this). Their voices are full of experience and life. I have learned a lot from these women, and hope to meet them or even share a stage with them soon.

tranceUNITED:

Do you think you will ever go on a type of a club tour in Europe? What is the most important thing for you when you are on stage?

Marcie:

I would love to go on a club tour in Europe. I hope to soon have a single that does well enough to fund that. When I'm on stage, the most important thing for me is releasing, giving my all, and connecting with and feeding off the audience.

tranceUNITED:

What are your five favorite alltime tracks?

Marcie:

I think you mean my five favorite Vocal Trance tracks, so I'll list five in no particular order, okay? These tunes all make my chest heave and my body weak, can't be ignored.

1) Andain- Beautiful Things

2) Motorcycle- When The Rush Comes

3) Armin Van Burren- Shivers

4) Cara Dillon vs. 2Devine- Black is The Color

5) IIO- Rapture

tranceUNITED:

Where do you want to see your singing career being at in five years?

Marcie:

Hopefully I will be closer to my long term goal. I don't have the five year mark figured out just yet. There's so many possibilities and I'm not sure on which I will focus.

tranceUNITED:

If you were stranded on a remote island, what DJ would you like to have there with you?

Marcie:

Is this a possibility? I guess I should start taking applications! Okay DJ's, if you want to be stranded with me, let me know.

Hmmm, and in order to weed out the applicants, it would definately have to be a DJ who is also a producer, so we can continue to create new tunes. It would be interesting to hear what two people who are removed from society would create. Would we be stuck in the past, and bound by the limitations of what is popular now? Maybe our music would be brilliant because there'd be no predetermined format that we'd have to stick to to get label support. It would also have to be a DJ that wouldn't go mad because there was no crowd to perform for. I'm not sure I could substitute for the rush of the crowd. But I guess I could try.

tranceUNITED:

What are your hobbies?

Marcie:

I took a belly dancing class, and a pole dancing class this year just for fun and to keep my dancing skills fresh. I miss school, and so I find ways to learn new things and stay up to date with current events. I'm learning Danish. I spend time outdoors in nature, and hanging with friends. I like to go clubbing, to hear live bands, and to travel and meet new people, but sometimes I like to simply sit alone with bubble tea, and a good book. I read at least a book a week. I'm involved with some nonprofit work as well. I work with Captive Daughters which is an organization that fights the sexual trafficking of women and children around the world.

tranceUNITED:

Thanks for the chat Marcie, and all the best in the future!

Marcie:

Thank you Miles! Let me know when you're in Boston. Thanks to all the tranceUNITED readers! Send me an email if you'd like. I'd love to meet you!

Miles

Miles@tranceunited.com