Interview with CHLOE TRUJILLO/Artist,songwriter,wife of METALLICA Bassist, ROBERT TRUJILLO

Cry Of The Wolf Magazine Interview Questions for CHLOE TRUJILLO

Wife, Artist, Mother, Musician. CHLOE TRUJILLO has seen and done it all and continues to push boundaries to bring her unique artistic vision to life on many fronts. You may know her as the wife of METALLICA Bassist ROBERT TRUJILLO, but CHLOE leads a life all her own dedicated to the pursuit of artistic value and connection in a chaotic world.

Thank You for taking the time to do this

Tell us about your upcoming album.

I'm actually working on 2 at the same time...

Take us through the writing process.

Usually when I paint is when I start "hearing" melodies and words, and thanks to nowadays technologies, I can just record my ideas immediately on my phone and keep painting. Later on I listen to my ideas and put together a song.

Sometimes though I would be more traditional and play some chords or single notes on piano or guitar or bass and start my writing process that way. I also write poems which become songs.

In your ears, what makes a perfect song. What key elements does it have to

have?

For me to like a song, it has to have an edge to it, no matter the style of music.

As an artist do you feel a piece of artwork or a design is ever truly finished or does it evolve?

An artist decides when a piece is finished, but to me it's always the hardest decision to make...I still re-work and transform pieces from years ago...Art can always evolve...That's why I like deadlines, it forces me to "finish" a piece.

How do you balance family with being an artist/musician?

Luckily my whole family is artistic, whether it's music, art or design! And I grew up that way too, so I have some experience on being the daughter and grand-daughter of artists and now the wife and mother of artists.

Still, it's not always easy, and balance never really exists. When my husband is on tour, I am like a single mom and have to juggle school, kids activities, house work and work. But I wouldn't change a thing, I get inspired by my children all the time and I love that we are all creative!

Any subject matter you would not write about?

Not really....

How did you get involved with MUSICIANS WITHOUT BORDERS?

Well when I started this collaboration with the guitar strap company, we wanted to give back, I researched a charity that has something to do with music, as I truly believe music is a powerful healer! I found out about Musicians without Borders and their amazing work on providing music education in zones of conflicts and decided to donate proceed from the sales of those guitar straps to them. They then came to me to design their 20th anniversary t-shirt and I agreed to design it and to become an ambassador for them, spreading the word on their work, trying to expand their potential in helping many lives.

Do you feel politics is something artists should weigh in on?

I am not a politician, but I think art and music is stronger than politics, and brings people together in harmony.

Obviously your involved with social media platforms. Do you see this medium as ultimately positive for an artist or is it something else?

Social media is weird...It's great as it gives everybody a platform to present themselves and their work to a whole lot of people, it gives us artists a certain independence, but it can also be a trap. I see too many friends addicted to this thing, and so much that they are counting how many likes they've had every day, trying to post to get even more likes, more followers instead of focusing on their craft...I've been there...and I catch myself! It's a crazy vortex that can lure you in easily....

What has been the most challenging aspect of being a musician/artist?

Not knowing what tomorrow will provide...It's a very solitary work, being in the studio all day, not having direct feedback on your work, continuing no matter what...Keeping the faith and staying on it... Even with music, I write on my own, and yes I do get together with other musicians to finish a song, but even that, we are never sure what will come out of this collaboration?

Believing in yourself and your work, it's very hard! Plus no one is there to tell you what to do, it's freeing, and it's amazing to be free, but you have to be sustainable, make sure you sell your art or your music to survive...and that's another hard part...I am not a sales person or a marketer, and most artists aren't...

What got you first involved in music?

Music has always been part of my life! It has always helped me survive through the toughest times... My grand father was a touring singer, my parents were listening to a whole lot of music, mostly heavy rock, they always used cool music for their runway shows. Then I became a teenager and really got into grind core and death metal, I started hanging out with the punk rockers in the Paris metro, quickly became friends with venue owners, musicians, roadies, music fans...and they became my extended family in a way...That's a long story...

Being a metal magazine, we have to ask: favorite Metallica song?

It used to be Leper Messiah. There are now tons of new ones that I love...it's the most difficult question...