David is a star-maker, musical wizard and the consummate producer. He is now heading to Broadway with his new musical, Betty Boop. Katharine, a talented singer, is debuting her jewelry line. This husband and wife duo\u2019s latest venture is a magical and enchanting holiday album, Christmas Songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Foster was a child prodigy who grew up to become a renowned composer, arranger, producer, performer, musician, and philanthropist. He is one of the world\u2019s most productive, illustrious, and successful musicians and he has garnered rock star status around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foster has boosted the careers of a wealth of celebrities including C\u00e9line Dion, the band Chicago, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole, Michael Bubl\u00e9, and Josh Groban. He\u2019s the gold standard, a musician\u2019s musician and he\u2019s heading to Broadway with his musical Betty Boop. He constantly shares his time with a wealth of charities and he\u2019s literally saved the lives of those in need of organ transplants through the David Foster Foundation. He\u2019s incredibly gifted and he\u2019s been a gift to so many in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His beautiful bride, Katharine McPhee, is endowed with a voice the angels have blessed. She is currently launching her line of jewelry. Actress, singer, wife, mother, and designer, she\u2019s incredibly gracious and talented. A philanthropist as well, Katharine has built schools in Africa, which she continues to fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Travelgirl: May I start with David? You were born in Victoria, British Columbia, and began piano lessons at five. I read when you were five years old, your mother was dusting the piano, she hit a key and you immediately said it was an E. That\u2019s quite amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Foster: At this point it could be family folklore. I can\u2019t imagine that I knew it was an E, but my father was an amateur pianist and was very patient with me. At an early age he taught me some things and certainly by age five I was playing the piano and taking classical lessons. I don\u2019t know if I really knew it was an E, but that\u2019s the story and we are sticking to it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: Did you have any idea at a young age that music would shape your future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DF: I\u2019m much like most people who find their place in the world and their success, and I\u2019m sure Kat feels the same way. I didn\u2019t know I would end up doing what I do now. I knew I would do music. I didn\u2019t know it would take me to these places and to these heights and get me in all these corners I never thought I would be in. You keep moving the goal posts and that\u2019s what happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: Where did you get your inspiration from when you were young? You were the only son in a family of five girls. They must have absolutely adored and pampered you. Listening to you now, it must have been your father who inspired you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DF: It was definitely my father; he was so patient with me. He played barroom-style, honky-tonk piano and he taught me how to do that. God knows how he found the time, but he did and I\u2019m eternally grateful to him for that. I also have to credit my mother for encouraging me to take piano lessons. Somehow my parents found a way to pay 50 cents per lesson. I don\u2019t know how they did it; we didn\u2019t have any money, but they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: Let\u2019s take a minute to mention your formative years and your activities. You founded the band Airplay with Jay Graydon and worked with George Harrison, Guthrie Thomas, and Ringo Starr. You arranged and co-wrote with Earth, Wind & Fire, and were awarded a Grammy \u2014 the first of 16 to come. Your career included working with Boz Scaggs and you were a major contributor to and helped forge the success of the band Chicago. You worked with Kenny Loggins and I could go on and on. In your early years, you became so accomplished; how did you manage this feat? You must have an amazing amount of endless energy and I am sure you worked tirelessly, without sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DF: Certainly, endless energy; when you are young, you are more fearless. I loved Earth, Wind & Fire and I loved the band Chicago. I was a fan of both before I knew them. You just go in fearlessly with confidence and I\u2019ve always had confidence. By nature, most artists are insecure, including me at times. But that insecurity looks and hopes for direction and that\u2019s what a good producer can do. I think I\u2019ve learned to be a good producer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: Let\u2019s fast forward. You are one of the world\u2019s most celebrated and accomplished composers. You are a mega star, recognized and revered all over the world. You have an enormous following in Asia where you have attained rock star status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DF: Asia is an interesting place because they read the back of album covers, back when there were album covers. They love and respect the people who make the music just as much as they do the people who sing the music, which has given me a great career there. When I perform my music in Asia, as long as I have a great singer like Kat with me, they don\u2019t care that it\u2019s not Celine or Whitney. They just want to hear the songs that I\u2019ve written and produced. They are very appreciative \u2014 a little more in-depth than other audiences elsewhere in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: You\u2019ve influenced and written award-winning gold and platinum albums for many illustrious stars including Barbra Streisand and Rod Stewart. Your work propelled and defined the careers of singers Michael Bubl\u00e9 and Josh Groban. You\u2019ve said you spent 35 years in a room with no windows, churning out music. You write, you perform, you create, and you build careers. I am sure all aspects of the music industry are under your incredible wings, but which most defines you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DF: When I go to the doctor\u2019s office and the form says occupation, to this day, I write musician. I think of myself as a piano player first. All the rest, the arranging, the writing, the producing, and the performing, they came later in my life. I\u2019m a musician. I\u2019m a piano player and that\u2019s always the way I\u2019ll see me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: Your children adore you; you find time to take care of everyone. I admire your philanthropy, which you\u2019ve said is your life\u2019s other priority. Please talk about The David Foster Foundation and tell us how our readers can donate. (Its mission is to provide financial support to Canadian families with children in need of live-saving organ transplants, along with a new focus on organ donor awareness.) You are never too busy for a worthwhile cause, volunteering your time and energy to over 400 charities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DF: I love that question. Thanks for asking it. The David Foster Foundation is a passion of mine. Many celebrities put their names on good causes; that\u2019s fair enough and that really helps. When you get into the trenches; it\u2019s really hard work. It\u2019s also incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. I began this over 30 years ago. We help the families of children who need organ transplants. It\u2019s been so rewarding and we are a family. We have stayed in touch with a lot of the families we helped. Our donors are amazing. The last fundraiser was in Toronto about six months ago and we raised $12.4 million. That is an unheard of number in Canada. We are such a family. Our donors come to our events and I speak to our donors often. We are hundreds and thousands strong. We raise a ton of money and we do an enormous amount of good work. Thanks again for asking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: You\u2019ve worked tirelessly for so many meaningful causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DF: I wasn\u2019t a performer, as you said, I was in the studio for many years just making music. These charity gigs were a way for me to help and also a way for me to hone my craft. I think it maybe started with an Andre Agassi event in Vegas where he just said he wanted me to host his event. These events were mega events with every star you can imagine from Streisand to Santana. I hosted these events and I got to hone my skills as a musical host. I enjoyed helping; I gave my time and it was a responsibility I was happy to take on. If you can help, you need to!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: You\u2019ve won 16 Grammys, including three for Producer of the Year, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, the Canadian Walk of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in the U.S. You received your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Would you please give those young hopefuls who aspire to one day follow in your famous footsteps some sage advice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DF: For sure. It\u2019s always good to get advice, but young people expect someone is going to come along and take them under their wings. It does occasionally happen but you have to do the hard work. One of the sayings that has followed me all my life, the one I love the most is \u2014 good is the enemy of great. If you want to be good, go ahead and be good. If you want to be great, that takes real, real work. It\u2019s hard to do. You can\u2019t do it every day, but you should try to do great work every day and that\u2019s my advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: David, can you give us some insight into the Broadway musical you are writing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DF: Broadway is a moving target. I am not used to being part of a team. Making records is not really a democracy, but certainly being on Broadway is. There are a lot of people in charge; it\u2019s been a happy struggle and we are close. Supposedly, we will be in Chicago next year with Betty Boop and I am working on another musical as well. You just never know. I think I am in a place where I belong and I think I can do well there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: Now to your beautiful and uber talented bride \u2013 Katharine McPhee. You are the daughter of a singer and a vocal coach, Peisha Arten, and Daniel McPhee. Please talk about your formative years and the support and inspiration you received from your parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Katharine McPhee Foster: I had tons of support. My parents were busy with their own lives, but they really believed in encouraging me to do whatever it was that I loved. Singing was something I was naturally good at. My mom enrolled us in dance classes, both me and my sister. My mother thought it was an important element to be well-rounded. She was giving voice lessons all day long and she still is to this day. She is one of the hardest working people I know. She\u2019s always in a lesson and she\u2019s always happy and upbeat. People love taking lessons with her. For me, singing was always part of my environment. I had my mom behind me and it was really great. When I had auditions in high school for the spring musical and even when I was in middle school, my mom was the best person to have in your back door. Literally, my mom would help me get the whole thing situated. She would help me have my audition ready, the song ready \u2014 even, how many bars I should sing. I was always the most prepared and the most professional because I lived with a professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: You began your career as an actress. In May 2006 you made a huge impression on the judges at American Idol and was the runner-up on the fifth season. In 2007 you released your self-titled album, which debuted at number two on Billboard 200. Your second album, Unbroken, was also a huge success. As an actress you co-starred on The House Bunny and you played the role of Karen Cartwright, one of the leads, on Smash. From 2014 to 2018, you starred in CBS\u2019s Scorpion as Paige Dineen. Recently you starred on both the Broadway and West End productions in Waitress. Which genre most defines you most \u2014 actress or singer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KMF: I think people identify me as a singer before an actress, that\u2019s how I was initially introduced. I really see myself as a well-rounded performer. I enjoy acting more; there\u2019s something about hiding behind someone else\u2019s words \u2014 becoming another character. As a singer I love live performing. I\u2019m not as motivated to be a recording artist as I was when I was younger. I\u2019m excited about the Christmas album I just did with David because we got to do it together. He said earlier in the interview, he is that person that comes in and directs you and tells you what to do. No matter the issue you are having at the moment, David always knows exactly what to do. That was such a refreshing experience for me. It was similar to what you do as an actor; you have a director, writers, and it\u2019s a collaborative effort. I think I see myself more as an actor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: You are also a philanthropist. You set-up the McPhee Outreach to finance a school in Africa in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KMF: Yes, it was very philanthropic and I appreciate your bringing this up. It was actually something I started with my ex-husband. It was something we were able to accomplish during that time together and I\u2019m very proud of it. We were able to build schools through that program and I still fund the schools. I\u2019m glad, through my contributions, that I\u2019m still able to keep the lights on at this school and keep it operating. I\u2019ve also done a lot of work and built some schools and done some work with an organization called Build On. I\u2019ve really been fond of their work and of the things that they do. I am very quiet about that type of work, but probably as I get older I\u2019ll be more vocal about the philanthropic aspects of my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: Before I ask about your new album I want to discuss the jewelry line, KMF Jewelry, you recently launched. I\u2019m thrilled about this. Every woman loves jewelry. What inspired you to develop a line of jewelry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KMF: I am really excited about it. It\u2019s one of those passions that I\u2019ve had for a really long time, but initially I kept it in my head. I didn\u2019t talk to anyone else about how much I would love to have a jewelry line. Not in my personality or even in my wildest dreams did I think I would consider picking up the phone and starting a jewelry line. I never even mentioned it to David.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DF: I would say this, when we were first together, five years ago, I noticed she would be playing with her jewelry for an hour straight. As she will tell you, when she was a kid, she loved jewelry. Both Kat and her mom used to watch QVC and the Home Shopping Network. They would ogle over this jewelry. They both had a passion for it. I believe this jewelry line will work because it\u2019s personal and she has such a great love and passion for it. The honesty and the trust will come through. She truly loves what she sells and that will translate to the folks who are watching and wanting to purchase a piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KMF: It wasn\u2019t something I vocalized. One day, just a few months after our son was born, I received an email from a really close friend of ours connecting me to someone I hadn\u2019t met who wanted to start a jewelry line with me. I\u2019ve spent the last year-and-a- half going back and forth planning and working. This is just a really nice partnership and that\u2019s how it started. I really believe in manifesting and writing down goals I want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TG: Please talk about some of the pieces you are designing and tell us where we can purchase some of your treasures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n