DOUBLE PAGE SPREADINTERVIEW WRITING

These are the interview’s I have used for inspiration and structure within

my interview writing for my double page spread. I have included elements of each interview within my writing.

Aaliyah. The M Factor (Movies, Music, Motivation)

Major record and movie success could just be the ingredients for an ego problem. However, the Native New Yorker singer/actress remains firmly rooted in reality. Jeff LOREZ meets a very focused young star.“I work hard and I’m a hell of a perfectionist.”

Heads turn, cameras flash, people stare. Aaliyah has just entered the room. Sporting a brown suede jacket, a luminous, warm, relaxed smile and Farah Fawcett styled 70’s silky shimmering black hair with red tips. Aaliyah looks every bit the burgeoning mega star that she is, strolling into the media room at New York’s Club Exit during the launch party for Joe’s latest album. There’s a buzz about Aaliyah, a common knowledge that true celebritydom is in our midst. You see, Aaliyah has just made that charismatic leap from being just another R&B cutie pie to something bigger, much bigger in fact. Romeo Must Die the action thriller co-starring Aaliyah and martial arts wiz, Jet Li, is a runaway box office smash Stateside and Aaliyah not only turns in a credible performance but one smouldering with swiftness, sexiness and the promise of a helluva lot more to come. Then there’s the soundtrack featuring Destiny’s Child, DMX and a clutch of new tunes from the leading lady herself, the first single of which, the infectious Timbaland-produced “Try Again” shot to the US charts higher regions so fast it threatened to give itself the bends!

“I went to Warner Brothers films to read for other projects and they said that “Romeo…” was in the works”explains the softly spoken singer/actress from her LA hotel room a month or so later. “When they told me that Jet was in the film I wanted it right away. I did a screen test and got the part.”Her success in “Romeo…” has, inevitably, landed her a subsequent role in an upcoming vampire flick, “Queen” which, she says regrettably, the studio has told her not to discuss. Despite her rapid rise in the movie business, Aaliyah is anxious to reassure her fans that her thespian pursuits will not be to the detriment of her music.

“Music still comes first” she states flatly. “In fact, right now I’m in the middle of recording my new album with Timbaland. We’ve recorded a lot of songs of which probably only four or five will make it. I’m trying to get it finished by the end of the summer.”

Her debut album on Blackground/Jive “Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A Number”, produced by dormer mentor R. Kelly containing the hits “Back & Forth” and “At Your Best (You Are Love)” set the ball rolling back in ’94. The two parted ways in a cloud of controversy after Vibe Magazine printed a supposed marriage certificate between them when Aaliyah was still only 16. She subsequently left Jive Records and has had nothing to do with Kelly since.

Her career hit over-drive with her groundbreaking sophomore set, “One In A Million” on Background/Atlantic which teamed her up with the then fledgling writing team of Missy Elliott and Tim “Timbaland” Mosley. Their unique brand of smoothed out R&B over trippy sluttered hip-hop beats redefined the sound of urban America and spawned a slew of imitators. Hits such as “One In A Million” and “Hot Like Fire” not to mention the aforementioned anthemic “Are You That Somebody” cemented Aaliyah’s image as the midriff-baring street but sweet and chic R&B icon that, along with her producer set the pulse of black radio. “Try Again” from “Romeo…” has only continued that ascendency.

Although Aaliyah doesn’t write her own lyrics, she’s adamant that they suit her personality.

“Lyrically I want things to be different” she stresses. “Very deep. I love deep songs. I admire Stevie Wonder because he’s someone that can take a love song and really put you in a whole ‘nother place. I want to touch everybody. I think I’m a sweet person, very laid back but I’m also very complex” Aaliyah laughs. “I want my music and the work that I do to stress that. From my perspective it can’t be one dimensional. It must have depth.”

Aaliyah’s “depth” was seriously put to the challenge during the filming of “Romeo…”. One scene in particular stands out in her memory.

“When I had to do my crying scene… man! I had to deal with a lot of pain and emotion to bring the tears up” she says. “That was the most intimidating part of the whole script. My grandmother passed two years ago and I was very close with her so I thought about her a lot and other painful moments in my life. It was a very depressing, draining day. When I see it now it’s very rewarding to know that I actually did cry and the tears were honest.”

Aside from the tears and stunt work the character of Trish was one Aaliyah feels worked so well because ultimately it wasn’t too much of a stretch.

“We’re similar in almost everyway” she says. “She’s edgy, she loves her family and that’s what motivates her. I’m exactly like that. She’s a little quicker to speak her mind than me. I’m generally very reserved, and very sweet. One thing about me is that I work hard and I’m a hell of a perfectionist. I’ll redo vocals three or four times over. I need to get it right.”

After completing her new album she’ll fly off to Australia to shoot her forthcoming film and upon her return will go straight into the production of her new album, the first single of which is expected by the year’s end. It will all culminate in the largest tour she has ever embarked upon next summer.

“Touring is always the most fun part” says Aaliyah, who has been performing live since her first album was released at fifteen. “On the second tour compared to the first I was more comfortable on stage. I had a better idea of what I wanted with the sets. The next tour is really going to be mind blowing! I know exactly what I want to do.”

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Aaliyah talks about her One In a Million album & moreJust 17 but already something of a music biz veteran with a million selling debut album and dues-paying road activities behind her, the sweetly seductive New York based vocalist catches the full attention of Jeff Lorez who seems more than a little interested in her new album, new label, and her thoughts on movie stardom.On the eve of this release of her new album One In a Million, in the midst of a US promotional tour, Aaliyah is able to put her introduction to life in show business into some kind of perspective. Understandably, though, she prefers not to make R.Kelly the point of discussion.That was a very rough time for me. It was very tumultuous. But I got through it. I had The Lord in my life and my family and I had a lot of support from my fans. They wrote me a lot of beautiful letters which inspired me to put my all into this new project. You know, through all that which I went through, I said to myself I’m not gonna let this break me down, I’m not gonna hide. I said I’m gonna face this adversity. I’m gonna get past this. I went out and did interviews and shows. I said I’m too young, I’m 17, I’m too young to let anything stop me, I have too many goals to achieve. I’m past that now. I have a new project, I’m on a new label. It’s a whole new situation and I’m very happy to be past that whole mess because that’s exactly what that was.Aaliyah has surrounded herself with an army of young blood writers and producers such as Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland, Jay Dibbs, Vincent Herbert, Kay Gee, Rodney Jerkins and veteran Daryl Simmons who has penned the ballad, The One I Gave My Heart To. Could it have turned into a case of too many cooks ?No, not really. It’s important to click on with your producers and I vibed with them all, especially Timbaland. I was able to put my all into the songs.Something of a relative newcomer, Timbaland wound up contributing almost half the songs of the album.He’s young. He’s 24. It was just like working with a friend because we have a lot in common. He originally sent in a demo and I didn’t really like the song but I liked the track, so I got in touch with his people and said I’d like to work with him but I wanted the songs to be a certain way. We did two demos and really clicked and it turned into 7 songs.As far as memorable melodies go, The Isley Brothers have committed more than a few to tape in their time, something Aaliyah has cottoned on to, covering At Your Best You Are Love on her debut album and now redoing the classic Choosey Lover but adding a little twist in the process.I really wanted to do another Isley’s remake. This one is very different from the first one though, because it has more of a beat to it and I liked it for that reason. We also wanted to change up the vibe of it a little, so we thought we’d do like a hip-hop remix and just include it on the album but then we thought it would be cool to merge the two together. With time to prepare a lengthy and well thought out campaign behind her album, Aaliyah is thankful that things won’t be as rushed as they were first time around, especially when it come to touring. I’d only done two track dates before I went on tour with band. I mean I didn’t want to do a lot of track dates because I prefer being with a band but I suddenly had confirmation a week before the tour began that I had to go out with Keith Sweat and BLACKstreet, so I only had a week to rehearse and get it together. It came off well, though. I realised that touring is what I most enjoy about this business because you really get to interact with the audience and the fans. Travelling overseas was a completely new experience. I think here in States we’re spoiled. We get everyone all the time so it’s never a big deal. But overseas they appreciated every little thing. They want you to do an hour and a half show. I mean I headlined by own show there. They knew every single song. It was a beautiful eye opener for me to see just how much more music is appreciated there.Aaliyah has big plans for herself in the entertainment industry.I would like to model myself on Whitney Houston and Barbra Streisand. They went into other things. Whitney went into acting, Barbra into directing. The key to this business is longevity and that’s what I want to have.And moving to New York may well allow Aaliyah the chance to star alongside her two favorite actors.I would love to have been in Heat because I’m in love with Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro! That’s a dream for me to be in a movie with either Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro. I loved “Carlito’s Way” too and I can’t wait to see “The Fan” with Robert DeNiro. I’m their biggest fan!

Source: Aaliyah interview for Blues & Soul magazine, 1996

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