Alecia Moore began 2014 at an all-time high. As Pink, her 2012 album The Truth About Love had just been certified double-platinum, its accompanying tour grossing more than $150 million. But rather than go even bigger for her next act, Moore, 35, took a left turn by tapping her friend, 34-year-old singer-guitarist Dallas Green (aka City and Colour, formerly of hardcore band Alexisonfire), for a country-tinged folk side project. After holing up in a Venice, Calif., studio for a week, the duo produced nine originals (and one memorable cover of Sade’s “No Ordinary Love”) as You+Me, whose debut Rose Ave. is due Oct. 14 on RCA. The pair spoke about their unique dynamic and the joys of putting Pink on pause.

This project is very unexpected from your respective fan bases. How did it come together?

Pink: I’ve always tried to do different kinds of things within an album; I’ve always been easily labeled as pop-whatever. This really was an opportunity to do something that I wanted to do instead of something I was obligated to do. No one was asking us to do this except each other. There was no record company saying, “We’re waiting for a record” or “You should really do something like this.” It was just us being friends and loving each other and loving to sing.

Green: Having not only just known [Pink] on a personal level, you can always see it in her music, just how at the forefront her voice has been, whether it be in a pop song or a ballad. I always appreciated her voice, so when we became friends one day, she sort of mentioned to me she might like to quiet down for a little bit.

Pink, you’re singing in tones that fans aren’t accustomed to hearing from you. Were you worried about alienating them?

Pink: I don’t think about that stuff ever, ever. My fans are people that would follow me wherever I go. If I told them I was doing a f—ing jewelry line or a perfume, they’d go, “Come on!” But this feels like something I’d do anyway. Whether it’s Germany or Australia or Canada or South Africa or the U.S., they just want to feel something along with me.

So how have your fans been responding to the music?

Pink: My favorite quote so far — I can’t remember where it came from -- was someone who wrote, “So this is what Alexisonfire sounds like swinging from that rope.” (Laughs.)

Green: People are going to have opinions; we live in a very critical society. But I’m just excited to share these songs with the world.

Have you thought about how this music might work on tour?

Pink: Yes, and we’re figuring that out. My fans know that I can fly around like Tinkerbell and then two minutes later I’ll be sitting down in jeans and barefoot singing [Led] Zeppelin. I just want to sing these songs for people.

Green: The running joke was that we were going to have to call this band The Self-Deprecation Society because neither of us could critique the other.

This story originally appeared in the Oct. 18 issue of Billboard.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6281606/pink-on-new-project-you-%2B-me-dallas-green?utm_source=twitter