ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did you get involved withThe Hamilton Mixtape?
I was a complete mess, but I was like, Its beautiful.
Ill try and do it, but I cant promise you I can get through the dang thing.
Credit: Weiss Eubanks
What did you think when you first heard it?
I was like, Which one am I?
And [Kallman] was like, Well, try it as a solo first.
Thats what Im saying!
And Im having a son [too]!
It was really hardcore, emotional hell for me.
And then they were like, Oh man, cant wait to hear you perform this live!
And Im like, Oh, guys.
If you know the scenario from the musical, [the song] is hard to swallow.
But if you dont, you have no idea what the unimaginable is!
Its horrendous, obviously.
The melancholy state of the entire song is pretty intense.
Did you end up feeling like you were singing it more as Eliza or Angelica?
I think I felt like him.
That one line hook, line, and sinkered me.
Well, sinkered isnt a word.
What aspect of the song was most difficult to get?
I cannot express enough how many times I had to sing this song.
It was the hardest thing to sing.
I was just so emotional.
The forgiveness part was pretty dang hard.
Or the switching places line: I would trade his life for mine.
It was literally the hardest thing Ive ever done in the studio.
What was your experience like finally seeingHamilton?
My husband and I just flew in and out of New York to see it.
[My husband] Brandon got tickets from Craig and surprised me.
It was so sad [though] because it was the day after Lin stopped doing it.
The night before was his last night.
We were like, Oh my god, are you serious?
So I was like, Wait, I love this guy.
Had you met Lin before at least?
No, but he sent me the loveliest email.
I live in Nashville, so I dont really meet anyone.
Thats his baby, you know?
[But] he was so excited and flattered.
I was like, Are you kidding?
I cant wait to meet you just to say I have!
Hes this revolutionary guy!
When I said yes, I had no idea what I was saying yes to.
But what its turned into has just been this crazy fan thing.
The amount I get tweeted about it is insane!
Has it been overwhelming?
Im so glad I had no idea going in, because I would have felt a lot more pressure.
We were just doing it because it was fun.
It would have been a lot different if I had known how crazy-popular this thing is.
Im so glad I was in pregnant-world.
Its amazing, too, what Lin did.
So its amazing how many artists, how many different walks of life are affected by it.
And were all from different backgrounds, different genres, everything!
Thats pretty powerful for Lin.
