Kelly Wiles: The first song of yours that I remember hearing was “Be Be Your Love.” A few years ago, it kept popping up in movies and TV shows, and every time I heard it, I kept thinking, “There’s that song again!” It was everywhere. I was always struck by how much the song seemed to steal the show from the film scenes that it was supposed to be background music for.

Rachael Yamagata: Aw, thank you. [Laughs]

KW: You’ve had a few other songs featured on TV and films. In what ways has this affected your career and/or your songwriting?

RY: It hasn’t affected the songwriting because I don’t pre-plan that. I do think there’s maybe a universality to some of the things that I tend to write about which tend to suit film and TV, but I don’t go in thinking about it. In terms of my career, it’s interesting — eight out of 11 songs from my first record got placed [in film and television]. I think that certainly has brought a new fan-base to me and given an outlet to songs that wouldn’t necessarily make it on the radio. So I think that’s a good thing, but I’m not a superstar because of or not because of it. It’s been good exposure. It’s a little tricky for me because I don’t want that to be my calling card, but I’m grateful for the exposure.

KW: You’ve divided your new album into two parts — Elephants and Teeth Sinking Into Heart. It’s clear that the two parts have two different musical personalities — Teeth Sinking Into Heart has more swagger and snarl than Elephants. Was this the only reason you decided it was necessary to divide the album, like making two different sides of a mix tape?

RY: That probably sums it up. It wasn’t a conscious, pre-planned decision. It happened during the mixing stage, when we got to hear everything we had piled onto these songs. The two vibes are so distinct, but I like thinking about the record as being a very fluid listening experience. I like to think of [Elephants] as a film score — it puts you in a trance — and the vibe of [Teeth Sinking Into Heart] is more lively and it would interrupt the trance-like quality of the listening experience of Elephants.

KW: During a show, do you play them as two separate entities, or do you mix the songs?

RY: I mix them when I perform live.

KW: On your first album, Happenstance, it seems as though the guitar wasn’t as present.  What led you to include more guitar on Elephants…Teeth Sinking Into Heart?

RY: Well, I’ve only ever written [songs] on guitar, and some of the songs I felt would really make the record were more guitar-based this time around. Also, playing live and touring extensively really made me love a good rock song. When I started writing [the songs for the new album], they were more suited for guitar.

KW: What about your creative process; do you do lyrics first, music second, or do they arrive together for you?

RY: I usually do everything all at the same time. There are a couple songs, “Elephants” in particular, where the lyrics and the melody came first, and it took me six months before I figured out the music behind it.

KW: You started writing songs as a kid, didn’t you?

RY: Yes, I did.

KW: Did you always know you wanted to be a musician?

RY: It never occurred to me, actually. I just played piano and wrote little things as a hobby — something I loved to do. Never in my life did I actually think that I could make it as a profession. I went to this private all-girls school where the arts were certainly encouraged, but it was this Ivy League atmosphere — more like doctor/lawyer, all that, so it was almost fluke that this ended up becoming my career.

KW: What kind of music did you listen to as a kid?

RY: My parents were big into the ’70s singer-songwriter thing, so all the music from that time — people like Fleetwood Mac, Simon & Garfunkel, Carol King, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens…also, my mom was a big Barbra Streisand fan.

KW: What kind of music are you listening to these days?

RY: I just got the new Jenny Lewis record, which I love. The Kings of Leon record, I just got that. My Morning Jacket… I just saw Yael Naim perform for the first time, and she was amazing.

KW: Do you see similarities between your childhood influences and the music you are drawn to now? Is there a common thread, or are your tastes more scattered?

RY: I think maybe it’s more scattered. I can see influences in what I write, but as far as what I’m listening to, it’s more scattered. I am really fascinated by production right now, so I guess that’s my focus now.

KW: You wrote Happenstance as a 20-something and you wrote Elephants ….Teeth Sinking Into Heart as an almost 30-something. Were there any major differences in your creative process on the new album, due to being slightly older and slightly wiser?

RY: I think that having gone through two to three years of major life changes just by being a professional musician, you go through so many extreme highs and lows, and your time is no longer your own. It’s a new lifestyle that I had to grasp, so I think that writing these songs was a digestion of being initiated into that world on a high level. When I wrote these songs, it was literally in the middle of the woods in the Woodstock area, so my writing was quarantined.

KW: So you’re not one of those musicians who writes songs on the road in the back of the tour bus then?

RY: Every now and then I catch a lyric and write it down, but for the most part, no. There are 12 people on this bus right now, so [laughs] it’s usually when people are sleeping.

KW: If you could give your younger self any career advice, what would it be?

RY: I would have said to be more brave, to not be afraid to try out my songs, even at an open mic. I was in such a shell with my own stuff, and so timid. After one bad comment, I didn’t show anyone my stuff for the next five years, but as soon as I did, it was like record label showcases, so [laughs]…I would tell myself to be braver.

KW: I read somewhere that you were a theater major in college. Could you see yourself making a foray into acting in the future?

RY: I think if the right fit came along…I mean, I’m so entrenched in music that I think that time would be a big issue, but I think it’s another creative outlet that if I felt like I could pull it off and it were challenging, then I definitely think I’d try it.

Rachel Yamagata is currently on a brief tour through North America. You can check upcoming dates on her website.