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New York Monthly Herald. May 2006 Issue P. 20  Beginning of the article   Continued from page 19   Continues on page 21

NEW YORK'S DIVAS                                       JODY SANDHAUS:  "I am who I am on stage and off.  I do not create a "persona".  I believe people respond to honesty..."

 

CANDID CHAT WITH DIVA JODY SANDHAUS

Q-What would you do to stay on the top?                                                Jody Sandhaus: The same thing I am doing right now.  I am consistent.

Q-And if luck turns against you?                                                                Jody Sandhaus: I see the large picture in life.  I am a singer and always will be.  I cannot imagine anything that would stop that.

Q-The best idea you ever came up with?                                                  Jody Sandhaus: My best idea was to go into the recording studio.

Q-What makes Jody Sandhaus , so different from other sparkling stars? Jody Sandhaus: I am who I am on stage and off.  I do not create a "persona".  I believe people respond to honesty.

Q-What is the most pleasant sound to your ears?                                  Jody Sandhaus: The giggles of children.

Q-And the most beautiful site to your eyes?                                            Jody Sandhaus: My family together on a beautiful day at our house in the Adirondack Mountains.

Q-What do you fear most in life?                                                                 Jody Sandhaus: ?!

Q-What do you cherish most?                                                                    Jody Sandhaus: Life and family.

Q-If you had to write your memoirs or biography, what title would you give to your book?                                                                                        Jody Sandhaus: Jody Sandhaus at Howlng Dog Farm.

Q-What goes in your mind, right before you appear on stage and facing your audience?                                                                                               Jody Sandhaus: I tell myself that it is out of my hands and that I must remember to be truthful.

Q-And upon leaving the stage?                                                                  Jody Sandhaus: Excited relief that I accomplished something terrific...and had a great time doing it!

Q-What do you notice first about a person you meet for the first time?                                                                                                             Jody Sandhaus: Their Face.. and whether they smile.

Q-And what people notice first about Jody Sandhaus?                     Jody Sandhaus:  I don't know.

Q-Stage is an elixir of illusion. Do you bring your life to stage, meaning Jody Sandhaus, the human being, or the Diva in you?                        Jody Sandhaus: Never the Diva.  I am who I am and that's enough for me.

Q-What are the virtues of a real singer?                                                Jody Sandhaus: Hopefully the voice is a good instrument, and more than that, an ability to communicate and open listener's hearts and/or eyes. I heard Mabel Mercer at Lincoln Center years ago-she had no voice left, but had me in tears.  She spoke truthfully from her heart.

Q-Do you tolerate vicious artistic ambitions?                                      Jody Sandhaus: I don't know people that have vicious artistic ambitions. And I am not a vicious person.

Q-What does success mean to you?                                                      Jody Sandhaus: Success to me is people coming to my performances, buying my CDs and looking forward to my next performances. 

Q-To YOU, what is more important success/fame or talent?               Jody Sandhaus: I don't think you can have success without talent. 

Q-Any price an artist must pay to reach for stardom?                         Jody Sandhaus: Artists work for little pay (in the beginning) and get the experience they need to become better artists. Hopefully getting more financial rewards as they progress.  As an artist, however, it is not the financial reward that is the driving force.  It is the desire to play music that motivates me.  I just love singing.  I love to be paid for what I love to do, but I won't stop if I do not achieve "stardom".  It is not a passing fancy, it is my gift.

Q-Did you pay that price?                                                                        Jody Sandhaus: Yes.

Q-What's next on your agenda? Performance, concerts, deals?         Jody Sandhaus: I always have concerts on the horizon.  I look forward to a new recording in late 2007.  In the meantime I do keep busy performing and love that.