Never afraid to wrestle her personal demons into songs, Juliana Hatfield has carved out an impressive musical career with her brand of self analysis. From her work with indie darlings the Blake Babies and her critically acclaimed solo albums (beginning with 1992's Hey Babe), to last year's Some Girls side project, Hatfield has won fans with songs that blend bright, infectious melodies with lyrics drawn from life's chaos and confusion. While her latest album continues to mine that dark yet appealing vein, In Exile Deo also represents a breaking of new ground for the popular and influential singer-songwriter.
"I've always been pretty confused about love and life," admits Hatfield, with typically refreshing candor. "But I've been digging deep into myself and my past to get to the bottom of things and I'm beginning to understand things much better." She adds: "Before, I was completely unaware of what I was doing-I was just this idiot savant, spitting out these songs that I wasn't really thinking about. Now, I'm more aware of what I'm saying and have more control over what I'm thinking. And the self awareness is making me a more confident songwriter and performer."
Hatfield has clearly had some revelations about both life and her art. "Time and age only add richness to the whole endeavor," she says. "As long as you have something to say artistically, personal growth deepens what you're doing creatively. For me, it was coming to terms with the fact that it's a personal choice to get your life together and become happy, or else let it continue to run its own, screwed-up course. I could either end up like the guy in 'Singing in the Shower,' or take a chance and struggle and try and turn it around for the better."
Hatfield first emerged on the pop scene with Boston-based college radio favorites the Blake Babies, teamed with John Strohm and Freda Love. After going solo, Hatfield garnered widespread critical acclaim with solo albums like Hey Babe, Become What You Are, Bed and Beautiful Creature, and such radio-friendly tunes as "My Sister," "Supermodel," "Addicted," "Universal Heartbeat" and "Everybody Loves Me But You." Meanwhile, her popular song "Spin the Bottle" was featured on the million-selling Reality Bites soundtrack.
I'm just going to post more photos cause I'm bored..
Hopefully she gets well soon.. I suppose it's better for her to get some help sooner or later.
