The songcatcher: Emmy Rossum is busting out on her own

When some audiences think of Emmy Rossum, their mind may turn to the cinematic version of "Phantom of the Opera." The ingenue was cast by Andrew Lloyd Webber himself after taking what fans felt was an eternity waiting for the perfect Christine.  

For other crowds, Rossum perfected the strong woman in peril role in "The Day After Tomorrow," "Poseidon" and Clint Eastwood's 2004 Oscar-winner, "Mystic River."

'The voice' has released her debut five-track EP on Geffen, "Inside Out." To emit vocal bliss is nothing new to the 20-year-old. She made her debut at the age of seven with the esteemed Metropolitan Opera. Sharing Rossum's stage was a luminary of operatic giants -- from Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti.

Told she was too old for child-geared operatic roles, Rossum effortlessly morphed into the rare thespian treat of creating a character on a soap opera. Abigail Williams on "As the World Turns" found the actress learning a few dramatic lessons in 1999. The next year, Rossum starred in a film to treasure about the organic nature of musical creation, "Songcatcher." The resonance on that film lies in its eye-opening celebration of America's earliest musical form.

Recording an album has always been the material of dreams for Rossum. Finally with "Inside Out," the timing presented itself. She has created a recording that will challenge the impression of what the human voice is capable of producing, unlike any other on today's musical landscape.

Launching your baby into the world can be a difficult task, even for a seasoned professional of twenty. Her conversation with SheKnows found her the most compelling of artistic enigmas, capable of capturing creative majesty with each turn.

SheKnows: Thank you so very much for taking the time for SheKnows.com. You were in one of my favorite films, "Songcatcher"...

Emmy Rossum: Oh my gosh! Thank you! I love that film.

SK: The organic nature of music in that film, how did that affect you as a musician?

ER: I come from a classical background and then going to a film like that where you really have to unlearn everything. After that film, I got to work on the soundtrack of that -- I got to do a record with Dolly Parton, so I learned so much about how to use my voice and cultivate different tones in my voice. It really came in handy making this record as I discovered this layered ambient sound that I wanted to create. I used different tones, even the darker tones that I used then in 'Songcatcher.'

SK: You know it's interesting that you mentioned that because I was going to say that when you sat down for this record it seems like there was such a rich layering of your voice, like the voice serves as a multifaceted instrument even. Was that on purpose?

ER: I think I wanted to test the boundaries of the human voice and see how much of the music itself I could create just using my voice. Sometimes there are up to 150 tracks of vocals on a single track just filling it out, harmonizing. Some of the drum tracks, even staccato sounds were cut up and made into rhythms. It's really fun to see how much organically you can create. I really wanted it to be from my body and from my voice to see what kind of different tones I could use to layer it in that way. It was pretty intensive, the recording process. It was so fun and music is a place that surrounds me with happiness. I really feel like this record is reflective of who I am and what I feel, especially lyrically. I wrote all the lyrics. I really feel it expresses my heart and soul and myself. That's why I wanted to call it "Inside Out" because I really feel this is the first time I'm expressing myself and not playing a character.

SK: Yes, the words you are emitting are yours. Being a creative person in the arts, it must have been invigorating to be in that type of control of the process. How was that for you?

ER: Stressful. (Laughs) I'm a little more well-known for being an actress than a singer. But I think that as an actor you are one part of the puzzle. If you relay it to music, I'm just one lyric for a director, one line in a song. I help him realize his vision. Here, the vision was more mine.

SK: As an opera singer in the chorus and working at the Met, sharing the stage with Pavarotti and Domingo, you can't help but soak in that. For you as an artist, especially at an impressionable age, what was that like?

ER: I think the discipline and work ethic I learned then is the reason that I work as I do now. I think maybe I work a little too much, maybe. Sometimes I have to sit back and say that song is done. It doesn't need to be rewritten five times. I learned you always showed up on time, you're always professional and you treat people with respect. I learned that when I was seven, so I hope that I can go forward and always keep those values.

SK: Well, as someone who has written about the arts for years, when I read about your casting in "Phantom," I initially thought, that is perfect. That is who we have been waiting for.

ER: Ah, thanks.

SK: When you first found out that it would be you inhabiting the Christine role, excitement, nervousness, what all was going through your mind?

ER: First there was a lot of disbelief. I thought my agent was playing a practical joke on me. Because I honestly believe there was no way I was getting the part. I went into the screen test thinking I was going to do a good job and I'm not getting the role. I will go in there and have fun and do my best and leave it there. That's always my policy, do a job and leave it there. What happens, happens. When I heard I got the part, it was first disbelief, and then when it sunk in, incredible excitement, then terror. I hope the fans liked it.

SK: Well, then coming out the other end, particularly the fact the Golden Globe comes from the Foreign Press, and it is such a production that is known throughout the world and not just on American and English soil. Was that affirmation for you because you mentioned you hoped the fans embraced it?

ER: Yeah, it was really exciting. I get really nervous for those kinds of things. I remember I was frantically cleaning my house because that's what I do when I get nervous, I start to clean. (Laughs) I think it's always exciting to be recognized for the hard work that you've done. Award shows are really fun. They're only the icing on the cake, you know I really believe that I am my hardest critic and if I am happy with it, I hope it's good.

SK: Now, during that process or any of the other films you've made, was the idea of an album in the back of your head?

ER: I always knew that I wanted to make a record, even when I was really young. In fact, I never quite knew how or when or what kind of record. I'm glad I waited to this point to make it because I feel that I have been exposed to so many different kinds of music. And those all influence me, whether it's Elliott Smith, or Jem, I think I have been influenced by a lot of different music, like Sinead O'Connor. I think that this was the right time for me to make a record.

SK: I wanted to ask you about the different directors you've worked with because you mentioned Joel Schumacher and you also had the pleasure of working with Clint Eastwood and if there's an actor's director, so I've heard, it's him. What was it like even being around him?

ER: I was completely in awe of him. I still am, I stutter when I talk about him. He's a legend and an icon. He's a very kind person and very funny person, a very warm person. I look up to him. He gave me some great advice. He said don't take every film that comes along because you think it's about momentum, it's not. It's about the long run. It's about doing good work and learning with people you admire and always doing that. I said 'that's why I'm working with you!' I really trust him and his advice.

SK: And talk about a person that appreciates music.

ER: He does, he's incredible. It's funny as an actor you're one piece of the puzzle for the director. He really, like this record is my baby, his films are his babies. He sits behind the camera sometimes, he is right there with the actors. He does the music, he does the editing. He's a master, he's incredible. He produces them, he writes them. He's amazing.

SK: Now lastly over the years as you've performed what are some of your favorite composers to sing?

ER: Wow, I love Puccini, I love Bizet. I actually like Wagner, I know people can't imagine it, but I actually find the darkness of it very beautiful in a certain way.

SK: It really is.

ER: Even all six hours of it. (Laughs) I like Mozart, I enjoy lots of different, even Sondheim, and the Chili Peppers! I like it all.