26 September 2014
Newsdesk
LeAnn Rimes credits The Sneaker Pimps with inspiring her new dance record.
The 32-year-old singer rose to fame at the age of 13 with her hit single Blue and carved out her career as a country music artist.
Nearly two decades later, she’s switched gears with new album Dance Like You Don’t Give A…., including remixes of some of her biggest hits.
And she says it was the ‘90s band’s chart-topping track Spin Spin Sugar that ultimately led her to explore a new sound.
“This was the first house music I ever heard. It opened my mind up to a whole new genre of music,” she told Press Enterprise.
“Hearing that led me to do more remixes of my music and ultimately a dance record Dance Like You Don't Give A…”
LeAnn cites ‘90s music as a large artistic influence.
She’s a huge fan of English indie rocker David Gray, and still remembers the “obsession” she had with his 1998 track Babylon, including it among the top five tracks that have influenced her the most.
"I first heard this song in Hawaii on vacation probably around 1998/99. I went right away to Tower Records there and bought his album,” she recalled. “This kicked off my obsession with his music. He's such a talent and incredible writer."
She also has powerful memories of Bruce Springsteen’s 1997 single Secret Garden.
“This song breaks my heart every time I hear it,” she said. “It's so beautifully written. I relate to the lyrics. Don't we all have a secret garden?”
LeAnn believes it’s important to connect to fans through lyrics. And it was Bruce’s track, as well as Patsy Cline’s 1961 classic Crazy, that taught her “how to convey real emotion”, she says.
She also cited Amazing Grace as one of her largest influences, even inking lyrics from the hymn on her body.
"As I get older, the more and more I truly understand these lyrics,” she said. “A different lyric moves me every time I sing it,” she explained. “It's much more than just a hymn to me. I have ‘grace will lead me’ as a tattoo on my right arm."
