At 17, singer-songwriter Michelle Branch is already on the road to stardom. From opening for B.B. King this past October to anticipating the Maverick release of her CD, The Spirit Room, this summer, Branch is almost a veteran of the music industry.

Hailing from Sedona, Arizona, Branch writes and sings on The Spirit Room with an intelligence beyond her years. Produced by John Shanks (who’s also produced Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge, and BB Mak), the album possesses a refined, elaborate sound that rivals or surpasses most of the current Top 40 material.

Jupiter Index caught up with Branch in between promotional appearances for The Spirit Room.

Stephanie R. Myers: I just finished listening to The Spirit Room and I really enjoyed it. The album has a pretty complex sound - where do you draw your musical inspiration from?
Michelle Branch: It depends - sometimes I can come up with a guitar part first or lyrics first or sometimes I get them both at the same time. I could be in an airplane and look down on something and want to write a song or be watching TV or a movie or something. But it’s really different every time.

What do you want people to come away with when they listen to this new album?
The coolest thing that’s happened so far as far as a reaction to my music is when people my age listen to the record and they realize that they can do what they want to do. I think it’s so great when I get e-mails from people who want to play an instrument after they hear [the album]. I think that’s really cool. That’s the hugest compliment when that happens. I hope people like it and respond to it.

What do you think of the general state of music today, especially Top 40?
The world is a huge place and I think there’s room for every type of music. Music goes in cycles - there’s always the rock and roll, there’s always the R&B, there’s always the pop music and there’s people that listen to every kind of music. I think rock and roll is definitely coming back in. It’s cool ‘cause I’m a huge rock and roll fan. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. A lot of people are worried that it’s going to stay really 'boy band-girl band,' but I’m not worried about it.

How would you classify your music if you had to?
I’d call my music pop rock and it’s a little folky ‘cause it’s more personal and acoustic-oriented.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? Is music something that you want to continue with?
Definitely. Music is a huge part of my life. Hopefully, in ten years, I’m still doing music, whether it’s on the business end or the performing end or maybe teaching music, who knows. We’ll see what happens.

Do you ever come across any people in the music industry who see your age as a hindrance or is it usually to your benefit?
It’s always to my benefit. They always hear the record and think I’m older than I am. When I come in they say 'wait a minute - this is your record?' They don’t believe it. It’s cool because I’m 17 and so I can connect with a lot of different people. I can connect with people my age and younger and I can connect with a lot of older people too, so I have no problem with my age at all.

Do all kinds of age groups comprise your current fan base?
Yeah, I have a group of Girl Scouts in my hometown who love me who are six and seven years old and I have people who are in their 50s and higher who buy my CDs and come to my shows. It’s really cool to be able to connect with people like that.

On your Web site, you mention that you listen to a lot of ‘60s music. Was the song "Here With Me" off of The Spirit Room influenced by the Beau Brummels song "Cry Just a Little"?
Yes, actually. That’s cool that you picked that up ‘cause I mentioned it when we wrote it and no one else really knew what I was talking about. You picked up on that one.

How has your life changed since you’ve gained notoriety?
You know, it really hasn’t at all. I left my school two years ago to be home-schooled, and my best friend is home-schooled and she’s a musician. Whenever I make it back home I hang out with my friends, go to the movies, play music - my family’s really cool about it. Nothing has really changed - it’s a job, that’s the way I look at it. It’s a really cool job. I’m traveling a lot, which can be difficult, but it’s really fun. So, I mean, nothing really major has changed though.

Do you anticipate it to change?
Everyone keep saying that it’s going to be. It’s hard to imagine how it will be because I’ve never done it before. I just take every day as it comes.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given about your musical career?
I opened up for B.B. King in October and I talked to him for a half-hour. He is the most amazing person and just being in the same room with him is amazing. And he told me not to get into drugs and stuff. He said 'whenever I feel like getting high, I pick up my guitar and play.' He said to believe in myself and not to let what other people say get in the way. A lot of people have told me that before, but coming from someone whose music is such an influence, it was really cool.

What’s in your CD player right now?
I have the new Train record. I really like that record. I was listening to the Lifehouse CD a lot. There’s a guy named Tommy Sims. His record’s been out a couple years - a lot of people don’t really know who he is but he’s a brilliant songwriter and he does cool R&B stuff that almost sounds like Marvin Gaye. He’s really cool. His album is called Peace and Love. That’s basically the three CDs I have in my CD player right now.

What are your all-time favorite records?
I love basically all the Beatles records, especially Sgt Pepper’s and Abbey Road. I love Led Zeppelin III, it’s a great record. Queen, A Night at the Opera, I love that album. Aerosmith, any Aerosmith record. They evolve, they sound like a totally different band now.

When you release the new album, what’s your main hope for it?
I hope that it does end up selling good, to be honest. I just hope that’ll inspire musicians who are my age to get out there and do it ‘cause if you would’ve told me three years ago that I would be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed anyone. It really proves to me that you can do anything if you really want to do it. I really hope that people will be inspired by it.

More information on Michelle, including tour dates and information on the Spirit Room, can be found at: http://www.michellebranch.net

- Stephanie R. Myers C 2001