Here’s the complete transcript of my interview with Kristen Alderson of One Life to Live, conducted for this Popdose feature about the show soundtrack album One Life to Live: The Sound of a Kiss.

Let’s start off by talking about the way your musical aspirations have developed. Obviously, you’ve been on the show for quite awhile, and you’ve started singing more often over the last few years…

Well, I’ve always loved singing. My first job was being Molly in Annie on Broadway, and I’ve always had a love for it, and I think one of the things that’s so great about One Life is the way they utilize the fact that so many of us can sing. We’re lucky that they’ve done that. And there have also been a lot of events, like Broadway Cares and the Super Soap Weekends, where I’ve been able to sing and perform. Every time I do, it reminds me how much I love doing it.

To a certain extent, soaps in the ‘80s seemed a lot more open to singing, and it helped the careers of performers like Jack Wagner and Michael Damian. Why do you think One Life to Live has continued to maintain that tradition where other shows haven’t?

It helps that we have a lot of musical guests. Paul Glass always tries to get popular artists that are appropriate to the whole vibe of the show, and we’ve also done two musicals — first “Prom Night,” and then “Starr X’d Lovers.” He’s done such a great job — and with this last musical, it wasn’t just original songs, either. We got to mix in some hits.

Do you think there are more singers acting in daytime, or does it just seem that way because you have more leeway to sing? Even actors who don’t necessarily sing on their shows have released albums.

It must just be some kind of weird coincidence. I mean, we all don’t go on daytime, or on One Life, because we can sing. It’s like, “Oh, you can sing? And you can sing?” It just sort of happens. I guess there are a lot of singers on daytime. I mean, it seems like there are a lot of people singing in general — Kim Kardashian is recording an album. Maybe that isn’t the best example. [Laughs]

Have you ever talked musical shop with your co-stars? For example, Scott Clifton was on the show for awhile, and I know he’s released an album.

Well, I did talk to him about that, actually, because we both did the first Broadway Cares, and he did two original songs. When he joined One Life, I asked him about that, and that’s when I found out he had a whole album, and got to hear snippets on his laptop. It’s really cool when people get to showcase that other side. And of course, I own all of Kassie DePaiva’s albums.

I follow you on Twitter, and see you talking about music sometimes…

I’m a Twitter-holic! I’ve been diagnosed!

Usually, when soap characters sing, the songs tend to be ballads, and ones with a lot of big production. Kind of adult contemporary stuff. And it seems like Kristen Alderson listens to music that might be a little edgier than the songs Starr Manning sings.

Yeah. When Starr sings, it’s always really storyline-oriented, and she’s had a lot of dark things happen to her. Sad times. And so these are songs that are meant to give her strength — songs like “We Belong” and “I’m the One.” Power ballads. For me, in real life, knock on wood, I’ve had things a little easier than Starr does. [Laughs] Maybe that’s why I’m not singing about things like that.

But it’s always hard to pick songs to sing publicly. I do like to sing slow songs; I’m used to it, and that’s kind of where I’m comfortable. But you know, when you’re singing in front of a crowd, you want to do something a little more uptempo, to get them into it, and get things going. It’s difficult to choose. That’s why I just want Paul Glass to pick them and give them to me. [Laughs]

And also, Paul has pushed me to sing things I didn’t think I could. Like “We Belong” — I thought there was no way I was going to be able to sing a Pat Benatar song, but he said, “You’ll be fine, I have faith in you. I know how you sing. You can do it.” And then I actually sang it! I think sometimes I get in my head about stuff, and Paul is really encouraging.

I know things in daytime tend to have to come together pretty quickly. Was that true for The Sound of a Kiss? What was the process like for you?

We didn’t have much time at all. We would record the song maybe the night before filming it the next day — actually, I think it was a week before we started filming this stuff, we had a day where we had a big rehearsal space, and we learned all the choreography. The next week, we went in and recorded the songs, and then filmed the scenes the next day. It was a very fast, fast pace. But I sort of like it like that — it makes it more of an experience, because everyone is so focused, and I just like being busy anyway.

Do you have any plans for music beyond the show? Any thoughts of recording something on your own?

I don’t have any plans, but I would really like to do that someday. Anytime I perform somewhere, or I sing — like, for instance, on this soundtrack — it makes me want to do it more. I just feel like I’m still finding out what kind of singer I am. I don’t know what my singing identity is yet. Once I figure that out, I really would like to make an album.

You’ve mentioned the various extracurricular appearances that a lot of daytime stars make — you guys stay busy connecting with your fans outside the show. More, I think, than most television stars. Does this ever feel like an imposition? I mean, anyone with a regular 9-to-5 gig would start to think, “God, my boss is making me come in on a weekend…”

No, you know, I can definitely see how people might feel that way, but I think it’s a huge blessing to be able to do these events. I look forward to them. It’s more like an extra bonus to my job.

Were there any surprises for you while making The Sound of a Kiss?

I was really excited because Rie Sinclair, who wrote the song I perform for the album, “Hard to Give,” also wrote “I’m the One,” which I did during “Starr X’d Lovers,” and that’s my favorite song that I’ve ever recorded. She’s just such a wonderful songwriter, so when I heard she was doing this one, I couldn’t wait to record it.

I recently found out about Rie. She’s had some of her own recordings on daytime, hasn’t she?

Yeah, she’s a singer/songwriter, and she’s terrific. You know, when we pick these songs, we hear the demos, and so I heard Rie’s versions of “I’m the One” and “Hard to Give” before I recorded them. Every time, I’m like, [whimpers] “She sounds really good singing it!” You know what I mean? I try and copy some of the things she does when I record her songs.

And do you approach these songs differently when you’re singing them as Starr than you would if you were doing it as Kristen?

Oh, it adds a completely different element to be aware of. I mean, we’re not singing live when they film the scenes — they’re playing the recording and we’re singing along. But yeah, it’s just a whole different thing when you’re singing to the sky or whatever. It’s almost like a Broadway thing, which I love, because it brings me back to where I started, in a way.

Here’s the complete transcript of my interview with Kassie DePaiva of One Life to Live, conducted for this Popdose feature about the show soundtrack album One Life to Live: The Sound of a Kiss.

So here’s a funny coincidence: A very good friend of mine, Fred Wilhelm, has written a few of the songs you’ve recorded, both for your albums and for the show.

Yeah! He wrote [singing] “Too little money, too little…” He’s a very talented writer, and a really nice guy, too. I met him through Liz Moran, who is a publisher down in Nashville.

I was listening to your most recent album last night, and one of the things that really struck me about it was how unvarnished the production is. It’s a lot subtler than the type of thing you tend to do on television.

Well, that was kind of the point of that record in particular — to have an unplugged sound, more acoustic. David Nichtern, who produced it, just loves bluegrass, and that’s just kind of the feel I wanted for that particular album.

I had taken a more produced approach with my second album, No Regrets, and did a vanity project with my first release, Naked. So this was more just singing pretty ditties with a little production.

This leads me to another question, which is: How do you approach song selection when you’re performing on the show? How much is up to you?

Well, it’s interesting. Sometimes they let me sing songs from my albums on the show — [Executive Producer] Frank Valentini has been very generous that way — but most of the songs…you know, by the time I find out that I’m singing, it’s already been in the works for a couple of weeks with the writers and the music supervisor, Paul Glass — who is brilliant. He already has something in mind. And now because of production, and ABC wanting to own publishing and such, I kinda just leave all that up to them.

Paul certainly knows my voice, and he knows where the story is going, probably more than I do, and he gives me options, definitely. I just say “At least give it to me 10 days in advance so I can learn it!” [Laughs] You know, be true to it. Give it some justice.

The music is just like anything else with the show — it’s about the story. And ultimately, it shouldn’t be our choice, because we’re not the writers and we don’t have the overall picture. I could pick thousands of great songs, but how is it most appropriate to tell the story? Are they using it in Act Six, or is it me singing to Starr, or is it me singing to tell Todd I hate him?

That’s what I think the true strength of One Life to Live is, and how they use me. They can use the songs in different ways, whether it’s a performance or really using it to tell a story. I think Frank Valentini really loves music, and it shows. He uses it to really enhance the palette.

We spoke with Paul Glass a couple of years ago…

Well, Paul’s brilliant. I mean, just with The Sound of a Kiss, he worked so hard. He and Dave Marino are really the ones who put their hearts and souls into it. Paul produced the vocals, he found the songs, and he’s just a dream to work with. He’s had this vision for music — in fact, we both shared this vision of music for ABC, long before they started selling it on iTunes.

It’s just so hard for a television company to realize that there is music to be made, and money to be made selling it. You’d think one hand would feed the other, but sometimes things are so disconnected. Finally, though, I think things are coming together as far as bridging that musical gap with the show. But Paul is a genius, and he should get all the glory on this one.

A consistent theme in the commentary surrounding One Life to Live is the thought that the show has been neglected by the network in terms of promotional efforts.

Oh, yeah. It’s interesting — I was watching the show yesterday, and there was this big thing about the Oprah episode that focused on daytime, all these commercials. And the show was all about Susan Lucci and all of Erica Kane’s husbands, and, you know, Luke and Laura. I didn’t see it, because I had to work, but I was watching our show while I was here, because I think it’s really good right now. And I was sitting in the rehearsal hall thinking “Dang, why couldn’t it have been Erika [Slezak, who has played Viki Lord on the show for 40 years] up there, talking about all of her character’s personalities?”

Our show has had just as many iconic moments and actors as any show, and we contribute to the ABC lineup too, and it seems like we’re just the red-headed stepchild sometimes. [Laughs] It’s frustrating sometimes, after being here for 18 years, not to go, “What is it?” I think it’s consistently strong. I mean, do you watch the show?

I do, yeah. I grew up during ABC’s “love in the afternoon” era, and my mom was at home during the day; she watched the whole ABC block, so I did too. I fell away from it as I got older, but during the writer’s strike a few years ago, I read that OLTL was in a creative renaissance period, so I decided to check it out again, and I’m still watching it. I think just as a format, the five-days-a-week serial is really fascinating, and it holds a lot of potential that’s often hard to tap into because of limitations at the network level –

I agree with you. I so agree with you. And I think our show in particular, at the moment, we have so much on the canvas that we could even do a spinoff. We could do two hours a day.

I think one of the greatest areas of potential in these shows — and one that they really don’t utilize as often as they should — is the way you can really anchor a character into the canvas over a long period of time and build connections with newer characters as you go. The magic of the “umbrella story.” But especially recently, OLTL has been smart about keeping veteran characters involved.

Oh, yeah. I’m unfortunately getting into that upper echelon [laughs] where all I can do is just tighten my bra straps and hopefully I can hang in there awhile longer! You start off as an ingenue, and before you know it, you’re a matriarch. Oh my gosh, Blair has grandchildren. I am thrilled, though. Like you said, it’s one of those unique things about working in daytime — not only have I lived my own life, but I’ve lived Blair’s life too. I can look back over her life and think “Wow, it happened so fast,” and my life is certainly not as exciting, but all that water that goes under the bridge is pretty amazing.

Does it add another layer to the performance for you when you’re singing as Blair?

Yes, definitely. I can’t often give the performance that I would if I were recording an album, because I’m coming from an emotional place that’s about the story. Performing on One Life to Live is usually within the context of an oven of emotion, you know, some deep-rooted emotional story to tell, whereas on my albums, I’m just trying to convey an emotional connection to a song, so there are a lot more variables on the show. Plus, you’re shooting a video at the same time — you’ve got to hit your notes, and hit your marks.

What are your future plans for your recording career?

I’m not working on anything right now. You know, I was singing with Kathy Brier [ex-Marcie, OLTL] and Bobbie Eakes [Krystal, All My Children] as the Divas of Daytime, and I love that more than anything. I mean, if I could give up my day job and do anything, I just love singing with those women. The harmonies give me chills. But with Kathy off the show and Bobbie out in California, the logistics make it a little more difficult. But we do some concerts every now and then, and we have some possibilities for 2011 — nothing etched in stone, which frustrates me a little, because that is just such a nice break from doing whatever I do. I get so much joy out of being on stage singing with those ladies.

Have you given any thought to recording with them?

We’ve done some recording — we did a little Christmas CD, and we have some ideas and thoughts about recording. But again, it comes down to getting us in the same town. But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and you end up doing the things that you love, and if we want to keep it going, we’ve got to do it.

Well, I did really enjoy that most recent album. I think that within daytime, there’s a certain predilection toward…well, I guess melodrama is one way to put it –

Well, it is melodrama. I mean, soaps don’t need to be fixed. It’s heightened and it is melodrama, and that’s what makes it great!

But you still need actors who understand when to bring subtlety to a performance. It stands out in that context, and you do it. I appreciate it.

Well, what’s nice about Blair, I think, is that she is an over the top, in your face, life’s-a-bitch kind of woman, but when she’s around her children, or when she is wounded, those are real moments for her. I really try to get those across, otherwise the character is just a one-note pony, and I like to show the variety — play the octave, you know? [Laughs]

Right, and that’s also what I appreciated about I Want to Love You, because most music associated with soaps only reflects that melodrama — lots of bombast, lots of production — and it’s nice to hear someone proving that doesn’t always have to be the case.

My second album had more of what you’re talking about, and it had a lot of songs that I thought would have worked for Blair. But this last album, there really aren’t many — I think I’ve performed three of them on the show. I mean, Frank Valentini isn’t a huge country fan.

Well, I hope you continue to maintain your dual careers. I know juggling them must take some skill.

Well, thank you. I appreciate that. It’s just the craziness of it. You know, for my last album, I did a proper release through a label, and I have 10,000 CDs sitting in my barn. [Laughs] If you can think of any way to get rid of ‘em, let me know!

I have the same problem! I’ve released CDs of my own, and I have boxes full of them in my basement. My wife is not amused.

Yeah, and that’s the crazy thing of it. I don’t like the business aspect of it. If someone else would take care of that…now, you can just take your music straight to iTunes without worrying about a physical release, and that’s probably the smart way to do it, but then you still need someone else to administrate all that stuff. I’m too busy! [Laughs]

In the meantime, there are your two songs on The Sound of a Kiss.

Right, and it’s just a question of getting the word out. Our fans will find out, but how do you get the information out there?

Well, we’ll try and help a little with that.

You’re kind and generous, and it’s appreciated.