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Here is the image of the printed interview
of LULA on HX. if you click on it you can read the published HX interview on
the HX site (The DIVA Issue OCT 2008).
LULA’s full HX Magazine Interview UNEDITED!(HX published only 1/3 of the whole
interview… read the whole story below!
relationship with the gay community in particular when you were living in NYC
between 1993 and 2000. Which gay men influenced you and your career most?1: well, first of
all I have to tell you, as long as I can remember the majority of my friends
were gay men. What else can one need? Who could be better friends than my gay male
friends? No one. In 1994 I won an aerobic competition at the gay games in NYC,
i have my gold Medal right here. of course all my fabulous trainers were gay
man. And one of them, the wonderful, always happy Jim Shallal, took me to Cafe
Con Leche at sound factory bar and to junior at sound factory. Jim was a
biiiiiiiig influence for me. Without him I would not have started going to
these places so often. and I would not have won gold either!Junior Vasques of
course taught my ears how music in a club should sound like. Oh my…. his
unbelievable music taste… it was 100% pure, dark, underground… the best.
THE BEST. I could cry thinking of his music and the feeling in that place…
aaaahhhhh.And then of course
Danny Tenaglia when SF became Twilo. Meeting him and hanging out with him was
one of the best things that happened to me ever. All the great people I met
through him. All this great music he introduced me to. And of course the fact
that he let me get behind the microphone…. without him I wouldn’t have any
record out until this day, I believe.2 How’s the gay scene in
have a lot of gay friends in your life there?2. Yeah, same here
like in NY…. the best parties are gay, OF COURSE, the only parties I go to
are gay, of course, almost all my friends are gay men, of course. Always were,
always will be.When I have a
party in my house, mostly I´m the only woman. Just cute guys all over the
place, with six packs, hanging out, barbecuing, cooking, listening to music,
having a good time, laughing together and all that. That’s when I feel happy
and free.Many of our readers won’t have experienced
Twilo, to which you pay homage in your latest single, “Twilo.” What
made that particular club so special, and what impact did it have on you?3. Twilo…
Twilo… oh God… its part of my life. I‘m SPECIFICALLY talking about Sunday
mornings at Twilo. It was the most perfect place of them all. Everything there.
Everybody there. All the promoters, the security guys, door men, bar men,
dancers…. (Oh my … Ray, Marcello, and Ivan… I m sure everybody remembers
these mega sexy guys?) All the friends I
made there…. sooooo many. And I loved them all so much. What times we had
there. It was all love, happiness. Every week. For all of us. And of course the
sound system. To die for. The big, black speakers right next to our bodies. We
could feel every sound, every beat in our heart and souls. Coming right at us
from the dj booth were Danny was doing his magic. Danny’s music was to die
for…. these were the best nights of my life. Filled with friends, laughter,
love and tears. We let all our emotions out right there on the dance floor. No
worries to be judged or criticized. We were all a big family that night.Thank god I had
the privilege to be there. Every weekend. We couldn’t miss it. I lived for it.
We all lived for it. It was our heaven. Our paradise… enough….. I have to
stop…. I get too too sentimental…4 It all began there, as the lyrics say, in
front of the speaker. How might your life have turned out had you never
discovered that club?4. Actually this
great, great club in the 80ies in
called the U4 got dark, underground music and me hooked on nightclubs. It was
THE place to be in
actually. Falco was there, Sade, Prince, everybody went there. It was like a
small Sound Factory. Great sound system, very dark, and cool people. I started
going there when I was 16 years old and from the first night on I was hooked.
Really. I felt like I couldn’t live without these nights anymore. I was
absorbing it all, listening to the music, feeling whatever there was to feel,
even falling asleep behind the speakers sometimes, with the beat banging inside
of me. (And of course I was falling asleep in school the next day, too). But I
loved it. looooooved it.And then when I
came to NYC the best place to be for me was the old Sound Factory with Junior.
So actually before Twilo was born I was all the way in the speaker with all my
heart.Twilo was the
icing on the cake of course. That’s where Danny started noticing me when I was
all over this big, black speaker for hours and hours. That’s were I met all the
great producers like Cevin Fisher, Johnny Vicious, Merritt. Everybody who loved
music was there. And because of Danny I am Lula now. And I met even more
wonderful producers. If it wasn’t for him and Twilo I wouldn’t have the honor
to answer to your interesting questions right now. It’s fabulous.5 How often are you able to get back to NYC
these days? And now that the days of Sound Factory, Twilo, and other ’90s
big-room clubs are over, does NYC clubland even still appeal to you?5. Sadly I m not
in NYC too often. I wish I could be there at least once a year. It’s not even
that often…. I still love the City, even though it changed a lot. I just love
NY. It’s the best City for me (I made a new song about
again one day. Maybe when my son is bigger. I miss NYC so much.You are asking me
about the nightlife…. well, to be honest, I m really spoiled from these good,
old nights we had. It’s very hard to enjoy the clubs now. Not just in NYC.
Everywhere I go to. The Sound Systems are not how they used to be. Sometimes I
don’t even hear a bass!!!!!!! A nightmare!!!!The lights are too
bright. They are just so different now. They are not about the music anymore.
Even though the music is great, I heard Behrouz and Calderone last time when I
went out in NYC to shoot my Video with Alan T and I got sad and depressed in
the clubs. What’s up with dancing and getting into the music???? Isn’t that
what a club is for? I see too many after work yuppies talking and standing
around on the dance floor, making photos with their phones…. what is this? I
don’t get it. There should be rules in a club. No talking, no cameras, no
drinks on the dancefloor. No bottle service, no velvet booths to sit around.
It’s called a dance club. So DANCE! I
also miss my friends from back then when I go out.6 You have an eight-year-old son, correct?
How has motherhood changed you?6: yeah, that’s
correct. My son is big already… god, next year he will be 9 years old…
that’s crazy…. motherhood changed me, in the way that I care and think about
my sons well being more than I think of myself. I do what’s best for him.
That’s why I live in Austria rather than NYC, that’s why I hardly travel to do
my shows, that’s why I hardly go out, and if I do, I will bring him to school
the next day, no matter what.I also thought it
would change me as the artist LULA. But it didn’t. Except that I had to turn
down many gigs. When I was at this
Madonna party in
with the Perry Twins and they played my track I felt the same like I used to
feel being on the stage in 1999, before I became pregnant. When I finally
performed my new Album in
2 weeks ago, the moment the music started playing I was in my Lula world and I
forgot everything around me.The moment I hear
good music, I can just be the same person that I was at Twilo, I can just let
it all out and dance and dance and dance. All night. I still love that. I still
love to be in front of a speaker with good music. It’s still my heaven and my
life. And it will be until the day I die. I know it.7 Tell me a little bit about the message of
“Last Night A Dj Saved My Life (While A Dj Gave Me Trouble).” We can
imagine that Danny Tenaglia saved your life in a way, but how did a DJ also
give you trouble? And were there any other DJs who have “saved you”
over the years?7. Yeah Danny
saved my life many times in the past, also Dj Vibe. Now this days its Eddie
Cumana, Carlos Fauvrelle, Jiggy and Kobbe who took over. I need to be saved a
lot…. and they are always there for me when I need them. They are all so nice
to me. That’s why I love them….The overall
message of my song is that some DJs have the ability to change our life with
their music journeys. Using the Artists lyrics just at the right time the Dj
has the strength to open up doors in our soul we did not know existed. We can
get answers, we can see the light, we can find the right way when we are lost
right on the dancefloor. A Dj can give us the information we need through a
song they are playing. They can save our life with a song. It’s the truth. They
let us feel their soul through their music. You can just feel what they feel and
I love that. I am on my knees when a Dj gives me a piece of that inner feeling.
When he allows me to get a glimps of his heart and soul and this song is a tool
in that journey. What I don’t love, what I detest are the ones that want bad
things to happen to other people and I am not featuring them in a good light.Sadly there is
this NYC based Dj who has been giving me and my label Kult Records some dirty,
annoying DRAMA. He has also been telling the craziest lies about me. One is
that I had disappeared somewhere in the country side of
in a deep depression and I was nowhere to be reached for years…. hahahaha….
how ridiculous….Thank God my great
producer Eddie Cumana, my lawyer and my big strong Papa Joe are sending him
DOWN THE DRAIN. Ah! Ah! Bye, bye…. HAHAHAHA!NEXT!
8 I hear that one of the locations for your
video shoot in
was at the Madonna’s Record Release party for Hard Candy. How did that come
about, what was the crowd reaction—and most importantly, did Madonna not mind
sharing her spotlight?8.That was
cool…. and fun! Yeah, we were shooting my video for my new above mentioned
track “Last night a DJ saved my life” featuring the wonderful vocals
of Papa Joe (Coming out on my label, KULT Records of course!) that same evening
in Beverly Hills. Eddie Amador’s wife (Maria), works for Warner brothers and
invited us there and got the permission to shoot for my video (As Eddie Amador
is also involved in the single) which was directed by Peter Rocca.Can you imagine? I
was in
video at a Madonna party? Its crazy…. I guess I am not in such a deep
depression hiding in some Hut over the Hills and far away after all….
Hahahahaha…. a pretty glamorous life rather… I’m sorry to disappoint
whoever would wish me to disappear in the Austrian farmlands….Aaaannyyway…
yeah, Madonna didn’t mind sharing the spot light at all, because she wasn’t
there. Hahahahaha… Thank God… I would have never gone on any stage if she had
been there, of course not, no matter what the director would have told me…
NEVAH!(Alan T. would
have for sure. hahahaha. He is too funny. I can just imagine him screaming in
Madonna’s ear with his megaphone. “Threes only one…. Lula”….
oooopsss…sorry… “Madonna” of course… hahahaha. I am joking!)Sorry… I talk
too much; I know… where was I? Oh yeah, the sweet Perry Twins (Funny enough
the Perry Twins had interviewed me and Alan T 2 months ago for their blog) were
djing that night and the crowd was really great. When the floor heard my track
and saw me on stage they went crazy. It was sooooo cool. After my long “baby
breakâ€, it was the best feeling ever…it had been so many years. To still have
so many fans, no matter where I go, was an amazing feeling. I was so happy. I
loved it and got excited for my first gig in
following week!9 I hear you also have a close—and
handsome—gay doctor friend who let you shoot part of the video at his pad as
well. Sounds like so much fun! Is he single?9. My handsome
friend is single, yes. And he has a great house in
will see it in the video…. he’s a good catch!!! GET HIM!!!!!I met him at the
Roxy, a looooong time ago…. before Twilo…. God… when was that???? And
since then we have been best friends. He was very generous to let us shoot the
video there. But it was fun, and it will be cool to see his house in my video.
For all of us. My son and I might move to LA to live there with him… lets see….10 Are there any contemporary non-dance
artists that fans might be surprised to hear that you listen to?10. Mostly I
listen to electro, tech house, minimal… I like Radio Slave, Chaim, Audion and
Alex Smoke for example, mostly European stuff really….. Its dance too, I
guess, but not what they would play in NYC clubs.I was always a big
fan of Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, Gus Gus, Tricky. I love Drum and Bass, I
also love Rap/Hip Hop…. always did. When I stared collecting vinyl in the
80ies it was mostly Rap. And I still love it.But whatever I
listen to has to be new music. I do not listen to old music ever. I don’t like
it. It has to be brand new…. I just cannot listen to old music. Silly,
really….11 This interview will appear in our
“DIVA” Music Issue. Do you consider yourself a diva of dance music?11. Diva? Me? I
don’t think so. No, no, no. Well, I don’t know…. maybe? Maybe a little?I don’t like to
cook; I don’t like to clean… I want my photos retouched so that nobody sees
my wrinkles…. I hate, hate, and hate to wait in line to get in a club. I
hate, hate, and hate not to be on some guest list. I like it when people know
me at the door, when I get in for free (not a money issue…. just a
principle…), when I get a VIP pass, when I don’t have to get my drinks from
the bar myself…. well, what do you call somebody like me? A bitch? Hahahaha…
or a Diva? You choose, please. And let me know! hahahaha…. its 2 am and now I
m getting silly….THANKS SOOOOOOO
MUCH TO BE IN THE DIVA ISSUE OF HX…. IT’S A HUGE HONOUR! Really. I would have
never, ever dreamed to be in your magazine. And thanks to all my fans. I
really, really appreciate every single soul who listens to my tracks and to
what I have to say. I love you all.If you wanna know
more about LULA and ask her questions regarding this interview, sign ON to her
new PERSONAL message board coming soon at http://www.lulainthespeaker.com
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