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Teen pop singer Savannah Outen works against the fur trade
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Savannah Outen sings for animals. (Photo - Much and House)
If there’s such a thing as contagious enthusiasm, beware of catching it from YouTube pop music sensation Savannah Outen. A few minutes with the energetic and ambitious 16-year-old singer is enough to shift your day to a higher key. Her active interest in helping dogs and other animals is a bonus bright note.
Outen spoke on the phone today with San Diego Dogs Examiner as she arrived at the Los Angeles County Fair to prepare for her performances this weekend. Although just recovering from a bout with tummy trouble, and in spite of the chaos of being ushered by her management team through noisy security gates and elevators during the entire conversation, Outen carried on the interview with focus, poise, and good cheer.
“Outen, a small town girl from Portland, Oregon, has single-handedly catapulted herself to stardom by posting music videos on YouTube,” reads her media release. Her page, featuring her own compositions along with covers, has attracted more than 30 million views and 100,000 subscribers since she created it in 2007.
Veteran producer Keith Thomas of Levosia Entertainment has signed Savannah for a record deal. While she works on creating a debut album, her latest single “Goodbyes” has hit #5 on Radio Disney’s Top 30 countdown. She wrote the song herself when one of her best friends was moving away from their town.
The Disney countdown also includes Savannah’s “If Only You Knew,” with a top-viewed video featuring Tony Oller from the Disney Channel’s hit show As the Bell Rings.
Savannah’s most moving cut to date is “Hope and Prayer,” a ballad that addresses the plight of needy animals. Teaming up with Zoovolution.com, Savannah narrated an audio book titled Fur Trade to raise awareness on animal issues, including the cruelties of the fur trade in China.
Q&A with Savannah Outen:
San Diego Dogs Examiner (SDDE): It’s pretty impressive that you’ve bootstrapped yourself up. You just decided you wanted to sing and you wanted to get out there in the world, so you started posting your videos on YouTube. How’d you get the confidence to do these things?
OUTEN: I’ve been performing since I was a little girl and I think that being around people and cameras gave me the confidence. But it hasn’t been too nerve-wracking to make the videos or tape them because it’s just my parents behind the cameras videotaping me, so I’m not too nervous in front of them. But it’s more nerve-wracking when I post the video, just to see what other people are going to think or what they’re going to say. You don’t know how they’re going to react to it.
But I’ve been pretty lucky and a lot of the fans like every cover. So that’s good.
SDDE: It’s great that you’re using your talent and your fame to help animals, for instance through your work with Zoovolution.com, and the fur trade issue. What motivated you to get involved in those causes?
OUTEN: Well, I’ve always loved animals, so when I got asked to be a part of that, of course I said yes. It’s just such a great cause to be a part of, and hopefully I’ll get to educate kids more about the issue. I’ve recorded a song called “Hope and Prayer.” You can buy it on ITune and some of the proceeds go to the Humane Society. I hope everyone will check that out.
SDDE: Did you write that song?
OUTEN: I didn’t actually. Todd Macadangdang wrote the song and he’s the head of the whole Zoovolution project. I don’t know… maybe sometime in the future we could co-write a song together, but yes he wrote that song.
SDDE: Are you specifically working on the fur trade issue now with Zoovolution.com?
OUTEN: Yes, Zoovolution.com is this virtual world and the kids can create avatars. It’s just a really great way for them to get educated on the fur trade. And not a harsh way. They learn what it’s about, but at the same time they’re not getting all the facts because that would just… well, you know it’s a very hard issue. Todd, the head guy, he’s been sending me videos and it’s so hard to watch. I can’t even watch them because it just shows how the dogs and animals are getting slaughtered and how they kill them.
But also I’m very into the Humane Society so that’s one of the biggest charities that I support, so the proceeds from the “Hope and Prayer” song and from the fur trade book – the proceeds go to the Humane Society.
SDDE: What are your plans for the future with Zoovolution.com and the fur trade and animal issues? Do you have ideas on anything else you’re going to be doing for them?
OUTEN: Right now I think we’re just gonna keep going with the website, hopefully get it more well-known and I would love to write a song about it. Hopefully I’ll have time to record a song about it and get it out there and keep educating the kids.
And I would love to be more involved with the Humane Society so hopefully I can do that in the future, too.
SDDE: Do you have a dog?
OUTEN: I do have a dog. His name is Colby and he’s a little Yorkshire terrier. He is so cute. He just turned 10. He’s getting his little gray hairs. But he still has as much energy as he had when he was two.
SDDE: What’s the funniest thing that Colby does?
OUTEN: He always… Well he doesn’t really like people. Whenever I have friends over he always barks, so loud!
You know he does his little grrr, then he barks really loud. We have a little gate because he’s so tiny that he would probably break if he was running down the stairs, so he stays upstairs, but whenever my friends come over they have to open the gate, and he just goes crazy. And it’s so funny to see him change. After like ten minutes, he’ll be cuddling with them.
But he hates boys. He will not look at boys. It’s so hilarious. But he’s a boy himself. So I don’t know. Maybe he’s a ladies’ man.
SDDE: Maybe he’s being protective of you?
OUTEN: Yes, actually when I had a boyfriend freshman year he came over and Colby would not stop barking. He was just so protective. It was cute, though. I couldn’t help but laugh.
SDDE: I hope your boyfriend thought it was funny too.
OUTEN: Yeah, actually, you know, we broke up a couple of weeks later.
SDDE: Colby chased him away.
OUTEN: Yeah, he did.
SDDE: Do you have any recommendations for what people could do to help dogs or other animals? To get more active in helping out on the various issues that animals face these days?
OUTEN: Yes. Be educated. I know that I am very involved in researching and trying to get information. Definitely go to Zoovolution.com because I think that kids will definitely like that and they’ll be able to learn more about it and the fur trade in a more kid-friendly way.
SDDE: One of the things I’ve enjoyed learning about you was in a previous interview. The reporter asked you what you would buy yourself when you get your big break and you’re a bazillionaire—what gift you would buy yourself. I loved it that you said that you wouldn’t really think about getting yourself a gift because you’re already getting to do what you love best—performing.
OUTEN: Yeah, I mean, people always ask me, “What are you gonna buy? Do you have anything in mind?” And I’m like—honestly, I don’t have anything that I would want to buy because just performing and getting to know fans and travel and everything is just a reward in itself. So I can’t really think of any huge thing I’d want to buy myself.
SDDE: The other thing that I read somewhere is that you’re maitaining a really high GPA. How do you do that on top of everything else you’re doing?
OUTEN: Honestly I have no clue. But I have really supportive parents. They keep me grounded and they make sure that I keep my education for sure. Because that’s very important. It gets kind of tough. I’m home-schooled right now. It gets kind of tough to maintain the education and touring because I don’t really have all that much time, like free time.
When I’m home I definitely do school 24/7 and get caught up. But yeah I think education is really important so I try and maintain the good grades.
SDDE: You don’t have a CD out yet, right?
OUTEN: Right. but it’s in the works. We’re recording and writing a bunch. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes so hopefully the album will be coming out soon, but right now I’m just working really hard in the studio trying to make some more music.
SDDE: Is there anything else that you would like your fans to know about?
OUTEN: I think you got everything covered but I just want to thank my fans for all of their continuing support and for being there for me. I mean they always surprise me when they come to my concerts and give me, like, cute little gifts, and scrapbooks and everything. But yeah, I just want to thank them so much, and they’re the reason I’m here. So yeah, I can’t thank them enough.
For more info:
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/savannah7448
Official Myspace: www.myspace.com/savannahoutenofficial
Twitter: Twitter.com/therealsavannah
Los Angeles County Fair performance:
Sunday, September 20
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Family Marketplace stage
www.lacountyfair.com/2009/fairevents/ViewEvent.asp
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