Broadway leading lady and country singer Laura Bell Bundy spoke exclusively with BroadwayWorld recently about the upcoming release of her sophomore album, Achin' and Shakin' (Mercury Records, a division of Universal). A follow-up to her previous Dixie-flavored pop/rock Longing For A Place Already Gone, Achin' and Shakin' is a concept album - part soulful and sultry "Achin'" ballads and part upbeat and sassy "Shakin'" tracks. Says Bundy of the idea: "'Two records, one woman' is my motto."
Laura Bell Bundy has been performing lead and feature roles in New York and in Regional Theater since she was nine years old. A triple threat, she originated the roles of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical, and Amber Von Tussle in the Tony Award winning musical Hairspray. She also performed as Glinda in Wicked. On screen, Bundy has appeared in "Dreamgirls," "Life With Mickey" and "Jumanji." She has been seen on television in "Guiding Light" from 1999-2001, "Cold Case," "Veronica Mars," and Comedy Central's "Strangers With Candy."
Bundy's first two singles from Achin' and Shakin', "Giddy On Up" (on the Shakin' side) and "Cigarette" (from the Achin' side) will be released on iTunes tomorrow Tuesday, January 19. Her music video for "Giddy On Up," featuring fellow Legally Blonde tour star Brian Patrick Murphy and choreography by original Rock of Ages choreographer RJ Durell, premiered this morning on CMT and CMT.com. Watch the video premiere right here on BroadwayWorld.
In this interview, Bundy talks to BroadwayWorld about making the jump from Broadway star to recording artist, what it took to put together a country album, and just how much Legally Blonde has changed her life.
Congratulations on the new album. Up here in New York most people identify you with Broadway. How did you come into a recording career?
This is my second album, actually. I did my first album, Longing for a Place Already Gone, before I did Legally Blonde. That one I co-wrote, co-produced and funded on my own. Before that I had a band with another girl, Amber Rhodes, and we would do gigs around the city during when I did Hairspray and Wicked. After that when I finally did my own thing with Longing, I realized the true passion I had for writing all of the time and producing my own stuff. So while I was doing Legally Blonde I pursued my writing and would do gigs in New York on Mondays - my days off - at Birdland and clubs like that. Looking back, I probably shouldn't have because I exhausted myself, but I really loved having that outlet of being able to perform my own music and having a band. Of course, my band was guys from the orchestra pit of Legally Blonde (laughs).
At what point did the record deal come?
You know, at the time, while performing in Legally Blonde I wasn't really pursing a record deal. I was working on some variety show project ideas with regard to my music, actually. I thought I would do variety show things first and then maybe the record deal would happen - and in the meantime I could do my own records like I had done before and fund them myself. I've always wanted to put on these Bette Midler meets Dolly Parton kind of concerts -you know what I mean, with all of the theatrics and dancing, but country style. So for me, that was the next thing to pursue, as it had been in the back of my mind and a dream since I was a little girl. But, while I was doing Legally Blonde, I got a really amazing manager from Nashville and throughout the last six months of my run I was taking trips to Nashville on my days off - just once a month if the time allowed and my health allowed - and had some meetings. I got noticed by two different record labels, Capital Records in Nashville and Universal Music. And literally for the last two months of my run in Legally Blonde record execs would come up from Nashville and see me do the show. I would have meetings with them in the dressing room, while I was eating soup with pin curls in my hair! That my showcase for Nashville - it was wild. I already had my first CD so they knew that I was a writer and a country singer from Kentucky. And then they saw that I could perform do whatever other skills Legally Blonde required. Actually, for my last performance in Legally Blonde, the president of Universal Music flew a private jet up with a bunch of people from the Nashville office to see me do the show because otherwise they were going to miss it. Of course, being my last show it was the craziest, most out of ordinary show that you could possibly see in your entire life! By the time I left Legally Blonde I had two offers, one from Capital and one from Universal. But, my intention was to move to Nashville anyway, even if I didn't have a deal. But within the next few months I made the decision to go with Universal and I really officially made the move in the fall.
