Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Salt Lake’s (Not Nashville’s) Angie Petty. Together we discussed their time with the School of Rock Program, their time at Snow College, working with artists such as Jon Bastie, their debut album “Timing”, and their latest single “Friends.”
1. Hello! Mustard would like to thank you for joining them. How are you?
Hey Mustard, I’m a big fan. I’m doing great!
2. Growing up you participated called School of Rock. Did this program help inspire you to make music?
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at School of Rock and its a huge part of my development in my voice and stage presence but I wasn’t necessarily inspired to pursue songwriting. SOR inspired me to progress as a singer and performer. I was really inspired by Robert Plant and listening to him really helped me learn how to belt and be a badass on stage.
3. At Snow College you honed your vocal skills. What lessons did you learn that you still use today? What tips could you give to artists working to improve their vocal performance?
Snow College really helped me become a versatile musician. I studied classical music which helped me get the fundamentals of vocal technique under my belt. I was constantly singing and developing endurance which has helped me so much today. Beyond my vocal ability, I also learned how to BE a musician. My professors at Snow often used the metaphor of hats: to have a successful career in music, you have to be able to put on different hats. You have your singer hat, your songwriter hat, your recording hat, performing hat, teaching hat, etc. Because of Snow, I’m able to have a career in music and work using all of my different hats. Another amazing piece of advice I was given from a professor is that success happens when preparation meets opportunity. By staying ready, you don’t have to get ready.
4. You’ve worked with a slew of well-known musicians such as Jon Bastie and Kurt Bestor. Could you share how these collaborations came together? Those looking to network what advice would you give them?
Definitely! Kurt Bestor is a sort of relic in Utah. A previous mentor at Snow contracted me to record vocals for a piece of music Kurt Bestor wrote for some kind of big event. I can’t remember exactly what it was for.That was a cool experience and since then, I’ve done a few other similar projects with Kurt.
The Jon Batiste opportunity came from my jazz professor at Snow College, Philip Kuehn. Phil is a jazz bass player out of Julliard in NYC. Jon Batiste was his roommate and peer at Julliard and they still play together to this day and are great friends. In Salt Lake City (my hometown), there’s the really awesome venue called The Gallivan Center. It was built to house some events when the Winter Olympics were held here. In 2018, the venue was celebrating their 25th anniversary and held a huge concert to celebrate. They wanted to get a big artist and so they asked if Philip could help get Batiste out here to do a concert. Phil did that and put together an amazing show with a jazz orchestra and he asked me to sing. It was such an amazing show and so cool to perform with Jon and the entire band. It was definitely the biggest show I’ve ever played!
5. Mustard wonders who (or what) influences you?
In my earlier years, I was super influenced by Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Carol King and Nora Jones. Currently, I feel super inspired by R&B artists Jill Scott, Marie Dahlstrom, Mac Ayres, Sinead Harnett and Snoh Aalegra.
6. What is your songwriting process?
My songwriting process varies from song to song. Sometimes it starts with a melody, sometimes a beat. I’m working on a song right now that started with the song title. It just depends on what the song and concept call for. That’s the coolest part of the process, it’s never the same.
7. Mustard loves the themes throughout your debut album “Timing” such as patience, self love, and emotional acceptance. They’ve noticed humans sometimes struggle with these things. Could you share more about your debut album? Are these things you continue to work on? For those who may struggle with self love, what advice would you give them?
I’m so glad Mustard loves Timing! I’d love to share more about it. These topics are definitely things I still work on and will probably always work on. When I first started releasing music, I never had the intention to release an album. At one point, releasing my own music felt like a far fetched dream and something that just wasn’t in the stars for me. But, at some point, I got tired of singing other artists songs at bars and weddings and I wanted to sing my own music. So I started writing. The whole album started off with me just releasing singles. Eventually, I had enough songs to make up a 7 song album. Each song is about a specific time in my life where I may have felt impatient about the things that weren’t moving along the way I wanted. The last song I wrote for the album was the title track “Timing” and that’s when I felt like the interwoven theme came together: “trust the timing.”
8. Nashville has such a rich incredible music history. How has being in Nashville helped your music? Do you have a favorite place to perform? What spots do you recommend other humans check out?
I actually don’t live in Nashville, never been! But would love to. I can talk about my perspective of living in Salt Lake City, UT? There’s a few places I love to perform! I love The Gallivan Center, Urban Lounge and Lake Effect. I definitely recommend checking out any of these places as there’s music happening 24/7.
9. You collaborated with Omega Horns on your latest single “Friends.” You’ve made it clear that you do not want to be friends. What are red flags in a human that could terminate a friendship before it begins? Was this single based on actual events?
Let me make it a little more clear haha…it’s not that I don’t want to be Friends with EVERYONE but rather, I don’t want to be Friends with any romantic partner who dumped me in the past. There’s a clear storyline in my song Friends. It’s about a time I was dating a guy that I really liked but he dumped me but still wanted to be Friends…with benefits. I was like, yeah, no. Bu-bye. I’m more of an all or nothing type person so the red flag comes from someone just wanting a little snack instead of the whole meal (a meal in which I would put mustard on 😉 )
10. How has social media platforms such as TikTok helped you as an artist?
Tiktok has been a really great platform to connect with other artists and reach a fanbase that I wouldn’t be able reach otherwise. Other social platforms have been great over the last few years but Tiktok has that ability to show your vulnerability in a different way than you can with others. People want to see vulnerability as it makes you more relatable instead of some unattainable figure in the void of that which is the interest.
11. Do you have any upcoming projects? Or shows readers could catch you at?
Yes! I have a couple collaborations coming out this summer with other artists I met on Tiktok and I’m also working on an EP. Im really excited about this next era of my music.
12. Where can listeners find your music?
Look up Angie Petty on Spotify, Apple, Youtube, Soundcloud, Tiktok, Tidal, Amazon, Google…basically anywhere on the internet! I typically direct people to my Spotify so here’s the link babes ❤
Music Shelf With Mustard 