Photo by Eddie Chachon

“I’ve been doing a lot of interviews lately,” quipped Vanessa Carlton from the stage at Toronto’s Mod Club before launching into her 2001 alt-pop hit “A Thousand Miles.” A few hours earlier Carlton and I were sitting in a sweltering hotel room talking about whether or not the song was still worth playing, as it doesn’t really line up with her more recent material. Take for example her latest album, 2015’s Liberman, which comes across as a subtle mix of piano folk rock and trip-hop. 

Back on stage Carlton slyly concluded that she continues to play the song just because she’s “really nice.” In addition to waxing nostalgic on her biggest track, we also talked about how she arrived at her current sound, and how being a new mom has changed the way she performs live.

Vanessa Carlton will kick off the winter leg of her North American Liberman Tour in Vancouver on January 14th. The album is available now on Dine Alone Records and you can watch the video for “House of Seven Swords” here.