“I found out I can only be who I am. I won’t try to describe the relief.”
It would be difficult to write a boring biography about Butterfly Boucher’s career to date. It would have to exclude her youth in Australia, growing up in a family that picked up roots every few months traveling the outback in a Toyota Corolla wagon and eventually up-grading to a small motor-home. You would look past the fact that she’s made records on three continents. And you would have to turn a blind eye to the scars that are just now healing after a three-year battle to release her new album, Scary Fragile.
Raised one of seven sisters, Butterfly grew up around a pile of instruments and music-loving parents, her father teaching her how to use a four-track recorder by the time she was ten. Not often finding any other eleven-year old musicians to hang out with, she learned how to play each instrument herself (a skill that she still puts to use at her home studio).
Her first crack at the big time arrived as the bass player of The Mercy Bell, her older sister’s band. Only 16 years old and too young to sign the deal herself, her parents inked an agreement with a major label and the band made an album, making noise in Australia and giving Butterfly a taste of success. The label wasn’t impressed enough to continue and the band moved to America, chasing new dreams.
An American demo deal came relatively fast. The band hopped between Los Angeles, Nashville and London, making as many Visa runs as they did songs. After three years of development and recording, the band was dropped and an album was never released.
Determined to keep going, Butterfly moved to England and bought a laptop with her life’s savings. She spent months crashing on couches and recording demos, eventually cobbling together enough songs to make a solo album. Her music made its way to industry veteran Mike Dixon, who helped introduce her to Brad Jones and Robin Eaton who would help produce her first album, Flutterby. Word began to spread about her new songs and before she knew it, Butterfly was being courted by labels. She even had a sit-down with Madonna (a meeting at which she chose not to wear her glasses and initially mistook Madge for a receptionist).
A buzzing and excited Boucher signed to A & M Records in 2003 and officially released Flutterby, an album chock full of big, tasty hooks. Songs from the album quickly made their way into television shows. Butterfly began touring in earnest and “Another White Dash” went off to radio stations.
Nobody was more disappointed than Butterfly when the label faltered in promoting the album, not sure how to market music that wasn’t of-the-second. “They’d say that I was too indie for pop and too pop for the indie scene”, she says. To give you an idea of just how flustered they became, they even sent her back into the studio to re-record a single word (“can’t”) which she was told needed to be re-sung in an American accent for American radio. It never occurred to them that the album was recorded in Nashville and was as American as any other.
A break came in the form of one big fan, Sarah McLachlan. Butterfly was chosen as the opener for Sarah’s Afterglow tour, an opportunity that she did not take lightly. She spent hours at the merchandise table after each show, selling and signing over 20,000 copies on these dates alone. While even other labels took notice and began calling Boucher’s management, A&M showed little interest in continuing to help the album along. Flutterby’s case was closed, in favor of making a new record.
Butterfly waited while her new producer, David Kahne finished other projects. She wrote and recorded at home for a year, eventually finding a hole in Kahne’s schedule and putting to bed the best songs that she had written to date. The album was delivered in January of 2006. “And then it just went quiet”, she says.
The next two years would involve tinkering and ‘suggestions’ from the label, a machine which simply had no idea who Butterfly was, let alone who they expected her to be. It was a terrible time for her, with most days spent digging in her heels and still others conceding to demands. There were points at which nobody thought the album would see the light of day.
Sadly, it was also not an unfamiliar situation for her. “That’s what was so frustrating. I had been there before and I managed to do it again.” After a sigh she adds, “I wasted those three years and lost my love of music in the process, trying to figure out what other people wanted.”
Despite the drama, she hoped that her label would perk up after one of the unreleased tracks, “Bitter Song”, was placed in a pivotal Grey’s Anatomy scene. The haunting song (now Scary Fragile’s album closer) rallied impatient fans that couldn’t figure out why an album didn’t follow. Message boards went wild as Butterfly kept her secret, knowing what was coming but unsure of just how to talk about it. And then it was there; she was dropped.
You’d expect to talk to a seriously bitter woman, one year after such a difficult extrication. You’ll get the opposite. Butterfly is radiating with positive energy, alive and happy. Scary Fragile will be released via her own imprint on June 2nd. She’s been touring in advance of the album and playing new songs, including the first single “Gun For A Tongue”. Talking to her feels like talking to a person who is just starting out. She’s completely reborn.
Already on a roll and writing new material, Butterfly has vowed that she’ll never let anyone stop her from holding back what is inside of her again. She’s come to an important realization. “It’s not going to be worth anything unless I’m enjoying it.”
I was supposed to see your show in Portland tonight. I was gonna take the bus up there but it was full up so I couldn't go. I was sooo upset. Oh well. Maybe next time your in Portland?
I've been listening to flutterby in the last week, its just amazing how good that album is 6 years later, Its a true classic in my opinion. Juts bought SF on amazon i wish u could release the CD version, hope u come to the east coast soon
hey Butterfly.i've got the album and i love it.waiting for so long.right now i'm addicted to "i found out":) i wanted to ask you,to add album lyrics on your page,cuz,you see,english isn't my native language and it's a little difficult to understand for me:)
When can we see you on this side of the Atlantic, in Ireland? Hope you can add a date soon. New album is awesome. I especially like "Keeper". Your take on a James Bond theme perhaps?
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