WorldMags.net MUSIC 0 ALTERNATIVE ROCKER REFASHIONED Alt-goddess St. Vincent strikes a new pose with her fi rst major-label album: “The music industry is the wild west” By Reggie Ugwu Inside a dim, cavernous studio space in before the show, from her East Village Manhattan’s SoHo district, the world’s apartment in Manhattan. “I always have fashion elite jostle for rickety chairs these illusions that one day I’m going to while Annie Clark, 31, the singer-guitarist take time off to learn how to cook soup known as St. Vincent, fixes owl eyes or try organic farming or whatever people on the runway. Recruited by Diane von do. But I realized I don’t care about any of Furstenberg as musical accompaniment that stuff. I just want to make music.” for her Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week It’s hard to imagine an artist less sure show, Clark eases into captivating ren- of her raison d’etre recording an album ditions of “Every Tear Disappears” and like St. Vincent. It bobs where fans might “Prince Johnny” from her self-titled album have expected Clark to weave, beating (due Feb. 25 on Loma Vista), as models with the pulse of previously untapped Karlie Kloss and Karen Elson bobble source material—Parliament, Pantera, down the catwalk. She’s never performed psychedelic Turkish folk music—and bow- at a fashion show before, but you wouldn’t ing away from the artful indie rock she’s know it: Clark’s cool and fluid, with a known for. shock of wild silver hair. Like the amazons In keeping with the theme of reinven- parading around her, she wears a signa- tion, St. Vincent is Clark’s first album not ture Furstenberg wrap dress. Fittingly, to be released by indie stalwart 4AD. however, Clark’s version is customized. Following the end of her 4AD contract “I had it hemmed,” she says last year, she signed to Loma Vista, the backstage after the show. “It 2-year-old joint venture that former makes it a little less disco Warner Bros. Records chairman/CEO and a little more Tom Whalley formed with Republic. Clark rock’n’roll.” says there are no hard feelings, but the Digital Songs chart on Feb. 1 . YouTube views Four albums optics of that switch, from indie to major, for the video are already past 23 million. 0 in, with a grow- seem to make her a little uneasy. She’s “It’s just the beginning for this kid,” ing reputation quick to dismiss the notion that there’s Republic Records executive VP Charlie Walk as one of alterna- any deeper meaning to the move. says. “This is not just a singles game for us— tive music’s most “The music industry is the wild, wild this is an artist game. Everything that we’re reliable agitators, west now. The labels ‘indie’ and ‘major’ doing today is really about tomorrow.” Clark knows what don’t mean the same things they did 20 Garrix, however, has no immediate plans she wants—and what years ago,” Clark says. “If people think to make an album. “Right now it’s too early ,” she doesn’t. She was they still do mean those things, they’re he says. “I just will keep on doing singles.” thinking about the latter, in working off an old paradigm.” “Maybe 2015,” George says on the album a dopamine hangover after Back at the Diane von Furstenberg question. “The album is outdated. [Martin] her 2012 tour supporting show, Clark hangs with her friend Carrie being a 17-year-old, he likes the single Love This Giant, her col- Brownstein, star of IFC’s Portlandia (she’ll model more. It’s what he grew up with.” laborative album with guest-star on an episode this spring). Garrix has a release with childhood David Byrne, when She’s in a bespoke wrap dress today, but hero Tiësto planned, and “Helicopter,” a the embers of her tomorrow, when Clark jets off to Europe co- production with Dutch duo Firebeatz, new material first for a short tour before a longer North arrived Feb. 17 with a dramatic video. A new started to catch. American run, her style, much like her track will follow about every two months. “I started writ- music, will take a more cerebral turn. In the meantime, Garrix still has to f n- ing [St. Vincent] “My fashion icon is Albert Einstein,” she ish school. “Sometimes I play four shows in about 36 hours says. “He wanted to conserve his brain a weekend and then on Monday I’m back in after I got back space, so he would just wear a uniform class. It’s cool,” he says. “I have a deal with my from a year on and go about the day. When I’m on the parents: If my school marks are going well, the road,” says road, I look up to Einstein and wear the then I can do more shows.” Clark days same thing every day.” “Then,” he adds with a smile, “we are ready St. Vincent WET: ALEXANDER ESGUERRA; ST. VINCENT: RENATA RAKSHA RENATA VINCENT: ALEXANDER ESGUERRA; ST. WET: to take over the world.” WorldMags.net MARCH 1, 2014 | WWW.BILLBOARD.BIZ 35.