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Corr Values
Advice on love, life and jetlag from the Corrs by: Lilledeshan Bose,
Seventeen Magazine Philippines
The Corrs is one easy-to-hate band. Think about it: Siblings Jim, Sharon,
Caroline and Andrea come from an incredibly good-looking gene pool; they’re
overwhelmingly popular (there songs are ubiquitously hummed by colegialas,
jeepney drivers, MTV VJs and lolas in videoke bars); and they’re all talented
and accomplished musicians (classically trained by their musician parents).
Except that you can’t. Everything about the Corrs- from their effervescent
pop songs to their charming Irish black hair and green eyes – is so dang
likeable that you can’t help thinking only good thoughts about the band.
Apparently, the whole world feels the same way, otherwise, The Corrs wouldn’t
have sold 25 million records. And contrary to popular belief, their transformation
from small-town Irish band (Jim says he was inspired to form the Corrs
because “the bond within the family gives you a very unique sound. My sisters
were very talented so I felt strongly that [we had] great potential.”)
to being invited to play for the Pope wasn’t always a breeze.
After all, it wasn’t as if their manager just waved around a photo
of the girls before a music company and immediately got a record deal.
To get to their rockstar status, they’ve done everything – from playing
before a drunken crowd to camping in front of a record producer’s office
just to get heard (yup, this was how they first got signed!). And as Irish
luck would have it, today, the corrs have four multi-platinum records,
numerous number one hits and have been touring all over the world. In their
irresistible interview with SEVENTEEN, The corrs tells us how they survived
the long trek to stardom:
How to survive your family
The Corrs have made their name as a family band, but they resist pinning
labels on each other, like who’s “messy” or “affectionate” (Caroline says
Andrea and Sharon are both affectionate) or the “leader” (they unanimously
state there is no leader – “we make all the decisions together,”
Caroline explains.)
Andrea says, “It’s very difficult for us to describe each other. Each
person is pretty complex and has a lot of different elements. And we’re
so close to each other all the time – it’s hard to be objective.” But even
the tightest cliques get edgy when spending too much time together, so
how do they deal? Caroline says, “We have to give each other space,” while
Andrea clarifies, “We don’t really fight much anymore because when we start
we just get bored. But we did so much fighting years ago!” Andrea adds
that sometimes, it was just as simple as pressing the wrong button on the
elevator. “If you’re tired, those things become very important,” she laughs.
“There’s also a tendency to pigeonhole your family and say, you
did this when you were six, and you’re still doing it [now]!” Andrea says.
“It gets frustrating, because you don’t want them to presume that [you
haven’t changed].” Caroline explains, “But it doesn’t make us as upset
as much as it used to. We fight about stupid things.”
Their solution? They keep a close relationship with each other so they
don’t take each other for granted. “You’ve got to work at it. You are bonded
by your [relationship with each other], but love and friendship is not
guaranteed. It’s about mutual respect and being good to each other,” Andrea
says.
How To Be Successful
“It didn’t happen overnight,” Caroline says. “We worked really
hard to get to where we are – which is a good thing. If it was really fast,
you don’t get to appreciate the hard work you did.” The most important
thing, Andrea says, is to keep with your goal and be free to learn new
things. “Make mistakes and explore musical possibilities!” Andrea enthuses.
In fact, their most powerful quality is “we love our songs, we love the
songs we’ve written and we love to go to different places to perform them.
That is the most essential ingredient to survive. Because it’s tough; you’ve
got a lot of jetlag, you’re stuck together; you miss home all the time.
But music keeps us ambitious.” Being family also helps: “We’ve been through
so much together at this stage – it’s been 11 years now – and our bond
keeps us together, helps us survive,” she adds.
The best thing about their success? The Corrs says it’s the devotion
of people from different cultures and backgrounds all around the world.
“That’s very fulfilling, when you write something that you believe in,
and other people are moved by it,” says Andrea.
Caroline narrates that people would write them about not feeling alone
about their problems because of Corrs songs – “that’s got to be the most
rewarding thing.”
How to get through a big show
No, The Corrs don’t have lucky underwear or carry rabbit’s feet pre-concert.
They don’t do group hugs and prayers ala Madonna’s Truth or Bare documentary.
“We find that quite funny, actually, because it looks really fake,” Andrea
laughs. Their rituals include getting ready together: they do their own
make-up and hair. They also peek at the audience beforehand to get a feel
of the crowd and “to get excited, ” Andrea explains.
Surviving Heartbreak
Andrea wrote “I Never Loved You Anyway” as a kind of a funny way of
getting over heartbreak. “You write a list of all the things you didn’t
like [about a guy] and think of all the things that bugged you and gain
some pride, in a way. I actually think it’s kind of silly but sometimes
silly things work.” Listening to and making music helps as well for the
band. “It makes you feel like everyone goes through [heartbreak] as well.
It’s romanticizing your tragedy,” says Andrea.
Caroline agrees: “Music itself is very powerful. In moments of grief,
people find solace in music.”
Surviving Homesickness
Jim says they make sure they’re home every fix or six weeks to keep
from getting homesick. “When we started touring, we worked a lot harder
and stayed away for a longer period of time, and the homesickness was terrible!
It’s obviously harder on the girls because they’re all in steady relationships.”
The funny thing is, although they all live apart in Ireland, they still
miss each other when they’re not touring! “If we’re off the road for a
good bit of time we generally call each other up and ask what’s happening.
Kind of weird, isn’t it?” Caroline says with a laugh.
Surviving Youth
When Jim decided he wanted to form a band with his sisters, he’d already
been playing in other bands for a while. “We were still in school so we
didn’t even know what we were doing,” Caroline says. But by then Andrea
was already a budding performer: “I loved it when I did musicals at my
school, so I knew I wanted to be something on the stage anyway.” Andrea,
who had a bit part in the movie Evita, says: “I personally don’t like the
idea of singer-turned-actress, presuming you can just step into that role;
I think it’s almost insulting to the many wonderful actors that have been
doing it for years. But I’d keep my mind open if I really fall in love
with a script and I thought that I would be very good at it.”
Andrea’s advice to young people? “Don’t worry so much! When you’re
young, you don’t have problems. You have love, so make the best out of
it. I think children are too worried these days – life is for living!”