Rockin the House with Musician Astrid Young

As Seen in Teen Trend Magazine

Do you sing in the shower? Was your best gift ever a karaoke machine? Do you have dreams of performing in front of a huge crowd of people? Teen Trend tracked down the busy Astrid Young to ask her about her experiences in the music industry. Astrid got her feet wet singing back-up vocals for her brother Neil on his early albums, then went on to be the lead singer for the popular Rock band Sacred Child in the 80s. Now the chick with the dynamic voice is enjoying her career as a popular solo artist in Canada.

TTM: At what age did you become interested in music?

Astrid: I've been playing music since I was a tiny spud, my parents had me going to the Royal Conservatory when I was just a toddler. They taught rhythms mostly, but that's where I started to learn to read music, almost before I could read words! So I think music was just in me. I didn't really start thinking of it as anything more than homework for a few years though. I took piano lessons starting from when I was six, but I hated them! I think when I started playing flute at age 8 or so, that's when things got interesting. I had my first ‘pro' gig when I was about ten, third flute in the Nutcracker Suite.

TTM: What sparked your interest?

Astrid: I think the competition at the time, that was my thing. I was never very athletic, but music was something I was actually good at, and it's not a stretch to say that I was better than most of my schoolmates, up until high school at least. Then the competition got really stiff â€" I was third flute in an 160 piece orchestra, and I felt that I was doomed to obscurity! That's when I decided I'd rather play oboe: There were only two oboe players in the school, and I figured my odds were better. So bottom line, I was a but of a misfit socially, but music was an area that I could shine. I was a bit of a show-off. I got into playing guitar when I was about 14. My discipline wasn't quite as focused with rock music as it had been with classical, but I used what I had â€" sheer guts mostly â€" to make myself heard. Eventually, I got good at that too (but my reading went pretty much out the window at that point!)

TTM: What do you use for inspiration?