L-word: Your latest album “The Crossing” just came out after a six-year break. I know it’s a little more personal to you because you began working on it after your father’s death, so tell me about this album and what it means to you.

SH: I made this album because it’s so pure, it’s so personal and I wrote it, thinking it will never come out. I wrote all these songs thinking that no one will ever hear them. But it was great just to be able to write for myself. I knew that I was going back. It’s like I have to be successful, I have to climb the mountain but I have to do all of that in a different way. The first time when I had success, I had to work all of those years since I was 14 years old to have that hit single. I worked and worked as an artist and when I got it I was like, “Wow, this is really hard.” It’s harder now to be successful then before when I was successful. And then I had to deal with all my changes, which all needs a story.

Then I left the label and then I had to work to build myself as a brand. Now when this album finally came along I said, “I can’t fight against the wave, I can’t try to have a hit single, I don’t have the money to produce the album…oh well.” I’m still happy, I’m still healthy, I have a great relationship so I was writing just like I always was. The beauty is that I didn’t have an engineer, I engineered it myself so it’s so pure. This is just me. I engineered it, I produced it. The musicians came over to my house and I made the record and all my demos and I love it for that. It’s just a little rebellious in that sense, you know? I’m really not trying to be anything except great, always trying to make greater song, always trying to make the greatest arrangement. I think that I learned from it and with my next album I could be even more sparse but maybe after doing Janis I want to be more Rock-n-Roll. I don’t know but it’s kind of exciting to do Janis Joplin and I feel the power of that music. This is undeniable this kind of music.

L-word: What do you think about social networking sites like the Kickstarter that enables artists to produce their art with the help of fans?

SH: A lot of people told me to do it and I could have done it but I really don’t want to give myself to the people. I want to give my art to the people. And I don’t want to take people’s money in support of my art. I really want to find the support from the money sources that I know will come back to me. I thought that if I did the Kickstarter I would be giving too much away. People say, “Offer a guitar, sign a CD” and I’ve seen it but I said to myself, “Why wouldn’t I just do it? Because some day you’re going to be Sophie B. Hawkins again.” I know people who did great with the Kickstarter and I know people who did horrible with the Kickstarter. I don’t want people to look at me and go, “You are not good anymore.” I don’t want to communicate that I don’t have enough money and I’m going to wait until I get the support. And I did get the support, and I’ve waited and I think it was right because now look at Janis, look at the possibility of me doing the Broadway. All I’m saying is that I don’t want to beg. I know when you pay the piper and you sign with somebody and they say, “You’ve got to go to New York and do a tour,” you go and you do your best but that’s a clear deal. That’s not a fan who’s giving you a thousand bucks for a guitar and then you own them your life. I just can’t make that connection. A fan gets my music, that’s what they get. And they get a group performance, and they get a hug and an autograph. They get my music whenever I can get it out there but they shouldn’t have to give me money for my guitar just to have a record. That whole idea didn’t work for me.