When you started working on The Open Door, Fallen had become this enormous cultural moment, and, you’d won two Grammy Awards. Do you remember the first song you wrote for the album?
Amy: The first song was “Snow White Queen,” which is written from the perspective of a stalker, because I had a couple of them. Going to the Grammys was awesome, but also full of anxiety on so many levels. I had to have all this extra security, and I was also writing The Open Door at the same time. I felt these big, large feelings — how amazing, how incredible but also, always on edge, waiting for the next thing to be some kind of disaster.
I’m always making music out of what I need. I’m processing what’s happening in and around me, taking that in, and then outputting something between my expression of it and the quest for a solution.
Can you tell me more about your headspace going into this album?
Amy: Obviously, during Fallen, there was internal turmoil. It often felt like one misstep and the whole thing would be over. It felt very unstable, and The Open Door was me taking control. In a lot of ways, the solution was the music and the way that it was made. I didn’t follow advice. I didn’t do what the label wanted. I didn’t hire writers, and I didn’t let them pressure me into thinking I couldn’t handle it.
It was Terry [Balsamo] and me, and I was so glad to have found him. Terry helped me relax and feel confident that the things in me were good enough. Everything he brought to the table was so heartfelt and sincere.
