Seger treks across globe, into new musical genres

  Shea Seger Shea Seger‘s debut album will
be released nationwide on Tuesday.

By David Holmberg
Daily Bruin Staff

The Texas-born, London-based, bluesy-country, pop-singing Shea
Seger is clearly not your average musician. Seger is miles ahead on
an undiscovered road, making music that is undeniably distinct,
certainly catchy and, without a doubt, poised to rock the
continent.

Already a success in Europe, it was not until late April that
Seger returned to the United States, where she was born and raised,
to begin taking the country by storm. Although absent from the
states for two and a half years, the 21-year-old musician is now
touring on and off throughout the nation with fellow budding star
David Gray. Seger’s debut album, “The May Street
Project” is being released on Tuesday.

After opening for Gray in Burlington, Vt., the assertive yet
soft-spoken Seger talked about her childhood, her music and the
future of her career.

Raised in the small Texas town of Quitman, Seger was introduced
early on to the exhilaration of music. It would have a great impact
on her life.

“My dad was a real rocker. I grew up on his records of
blues, Pink Floyd, James Brown and even Beethoven,” she said.
“I began singing when I could talk. Music was a member of the
family; it is part of who we are.”

While it was clear that the rhythm of music was guiding her, she
was unsure where exactly it would take her. Seger attended a
theater arts high school in Virginia, hoping to pursue a possible
acting career. It took several false starts before she discovered
her current avenue of expression.

“I started with musical theater but didn’t really
care for it. After I finished that last show, my ass was on the
next plane to London,” she said.

In part, it was this move from her American homeland to a
completely foreign country that became a major influence for
Seger’s breakthrough.

“London is the most diverse place on the globe.
There’s inspiration at the doorstep, and yet a constant
reminder the world doesn’t revolve around you,” Seger
said.

A rising star who is not at the center of the universe seems to
be an odd concept in this nation where celebrities are sometimes
treated like gods.

While Seger is a star in Europe, fame in that part of the world
is a bit different.

“In Europe, people don’t run around and recognize
who you are,” she explained. “Celebrity culture is a
bit different, so I guess it’s not that weird coming
here.”

Regardless of her relatively recent renown, Seger has been
writing music since she was a child. It was not until four years
ago, however, that she actually started showing her work to
others.

“I began writing and recording for personal reasons, to
simplify things for myself. I had to get a lot of stuff out for the
sake of understanding my brain,” Seger said.

On her album, Seger takes a voyage back into her rural childhood
roots. The title, “The May Street Project,” is actually
derived from the street she grew up on as a young child. In many
ways, the whole album is influenced by those early days.

With so many diverse influences and various fountains of
inspiration, it is unclear exactly what kind of music Seger has
used to simultaneously cleanse her soul and offer to the public.
This fact helps to explain Seger’s unidentifiable style.

“Any label has a massive stigma. Some say I am more
R&B, some say more country; all that is a bunch of hock. My
style has enough of everything, but not too much of one thing, sort
of a hybrid,” Seger said.

With a heavy dance-music beat, the uninterrupted flow of
thought, characteristic of beat generation author Jack Kerouac, and
a bluesy gospel soul, Seger is marching into an unknown territory
of music. And on such a trek, it is always good to have
company.

“The band was put together out of London. The more we play
together, the more we grow and adapt our sound. You get to know
everybody more personally,” Seger said. “I know
I’ve grown a lot musically, emotionally and even
physically.”

With Seger’s band firmly in place, her musical style
continuing to blossom and her success already secured in Europe, it
seems to be just a matter of time until her full bloom.

Although it is hard to know if Seger will follow the paths paved
by renowned female musicians like Madonna, or the more recent rises
of such stars as Natalie Merchant, Bjork and Dido, there is one
thing for certain.

“It’s all too much to chew up right now to know
about the next album. I don’t know in what capacity
I’ll be playing in the future, but I know I’m gonna
rock ‘n’ roll forever.”

With Seger’s enthusiasm, ambition and uniquely talented
style, fame of one sort or another will inevitably follow.

MUSIC:Shea Seger’s debut album,
“The May Street Project,” will be released in stores
nationwide on Tuesday.