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Lucy
Diamonds: Teddy, MJ & Music
Lucy
Diamonds started it it on a high note
in the industry: her public battles
with Hip-Hop figures earned her the
moniker: Conflicts Diamonds. Feel free
and visit herMySpace to (re)live her
Episodes through her "bulletins". She
reinvented David-and-Goliath when others
talk about rags-to-riches. Different
myths, different people... But keep
in mind that now, Lucy focuses on her
carreer and the making of her debut
LP. She is part of the Buck and a Dream
project and Teddy Riley is the man behind
it. Lucy and Teddy are working hard
on an album titled Poor Dream Redemption.
After a serious car accident las
august, Lucy has realized that being
saved has been a message to her to go
in some more spiritual direction. Her
music and Lyrics will definitely reflect
that. From Florida to California, from
sessions with Bruce Swedien to Buck
and a Dream, Lucy has diamonds in her
hands that she sows on her road, to
bring more light as she now takes her
profesional career to the next level.
Time to sit down with Lucy and talk
about her life, her craft, and her ultimate
inspiration: Michael Jackson.
Lucy Diamonds, little girl: what was it like? Growing up and
the transition up to Lucy Diamonds.
Growing up, I was always surrounded by
music, and developed a passion for writing, so I always knew they would play a
big part in what I did later on in my life. Rapping was a hobby at first, but
after getting the chance to work with a multi-platinum band and learn the
behind-the-scenes of the music industry, I knew I was going to embrace a career
in hip-hop and step out as an artist, professionally.
How
did you find the name Lucy Diamonds?
In a way, the name really found me. The
moment I decided to make the commitment to a career in music, I knew the next
step was to get a name. "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" by the Beatles was
playing in the room, so I adopted Lucy Diamonds as my stage name.
You
said you met Teddy Riley on a parking lot. Did you meet other producers before
and at what point was your career precisely when you saw Teddy for the first
time?
Up to that point, I hadn't met any big producers. I hadn't been an
artist for very long. I met someone who said they could put me in touch with
Teddy to see if he wanted to take on my project. I sent him a bunch of songs and
he loved the potential. Since I was over-eager back then to get something big
happening, I drove from Tampa, FL to Los Angeles just to meet up with him. We
went onto his studio-tour bus and he listened to the music and just felt I
wasn't quite ready. I was upset back then, but looking back now, I definitely
don't blame him. Those songs were terrible! But again, I hadn't been an artist
for very long. I hadn't decided on my style and my sound and all those things
that build artists. But Teddy has always been very encouraging. I'm glad we
finally get the chance to work together now.
What are your favorite Teddy
Riley productions ?
My absolute favorites are MJ's "Remember the Time" and
"Dangerous," both off of MJ's Dangerous album.
 Buck and a Dream: What is
the concept and how did you get involved in that project?
Buck and a Dream
is a company designed to help artists not only get their music heard by Teddy
Riley but to receive feedback and direction on it. It's something that could
really help a lot of artists out there, and I think it provides the chance a lot
of artists don't get- getting help from a mega producer. Pretty much anyone you
let hear your music will either like it or tell you they're not feeling it and
wash their hands of you. This lets artists know what they need to work on to
have a better chance at being what the industry is looking for.
In the
studio: Teddy and you: how did you two work? How many songs from your previous
works did you finalize together?
Everything with Teddy will be new, both
conceptualized and created together. We're talking through a lot of production
ideas and getting a lot of that in place before we really dig in to
recording.
I heard you worked with Teddy Riley and legendary sound
engineer Bruce Swedien. When and how did you meet Bruce?
I met Bruce back in
2004, through a producer I was working with in Florida who was friends with
Bruce. So after we recorded several songs, he brought my project to Bruce to
have him mix it and get Bruce really involved overall. I would go to Bruce's
home and studio estate in Ocala, FL and get to watch him work. I learned so many
techniques that have helped me further develop my sound and my own process of
recording, so Bruce has been incredibly instrumental in the building of Lucy
Diamonds. Plus, he is one of the sweetest people I've met in the business! I
even got to work on the same Harrison recording console that was used to record
"Thriller."
 Teddy Riley and Bruce Swedien worked with Michael Jackson.
You are a Michael Jackson fan. You recorded a cover of Dirty Diana. Can you tell
us more about YOUR Dirty Diana?
I always loved MJ's intensity in that song
and how he really works his vocals to portray this sort of fierceness from the
lyrics. He's amazing! I wanted to portray the song from Diana's point of view.
So my version is more mellow, with only slight changes to the lyrics, because it
is a cover. It actually wasn't supposed to get out because it's only completed
in the demo form, but it's gotten a great response just the same! The song is
the complete opposite of MJ, because no one can ever really cover anything from
Michael. My "Dirty Diana" sucks compared to his! I'm just being honest! But for
what it is, it's cool. I wanted it to have a real 'dirty' sound too, so I used
the dirtiest microphone possible, with the dirtiest effects to try to play into
the character of Dirty Diana.
Why did you choose Dirty Diana?
I love
the story MJ explains with the lyrics and the way he plays with select words.
Plus, it has such an explosive chorus, so to see MJ carry such intensity in the
verses and still be able to open up the chorus with just an immensely powerful
vocal performance just blows my mind.
Dirty Diana is sure rock-oriented.
What are the other MJ jams that you like?
When I was a kid, the first MJ
song I remember falling in love with was "Man in the Mirror." My brother had a
bunch of MJ music videos on this VHS tape he made and I nearly wore it out
watching that one over and over! I loved "Black or White" too. I saw the video
for "Thriller" before I heard the song, so I was blown away like, "that was a
music video!?! That was CRAZY!!!" MJ's "Beat It" was my brother's favorite song
for years so I'm glad I loved it too because I heard it all the time.
Do
you have a message for MJ fans who will read this?
Keep supporting MJ! He is
the greatest artist of all time!!! Bruce Swedien told me that Michael has NEVER
done any of the things he has been accused of; MJ is not that kind of person. I
love MJ. Seriously. I am almost obsessive. I went to the Neverland Ranch and
waited outside to catch a glimpse of MJ. I called one of my contacts and told
him what I was doing and he let me know that MJ wasn't in the US right then. So
not wanting to leave empty-handed, I picked some leaves off a bush by the gate
as a souvenir!! I have them saved at home, in a frame with a MJ picture!! I got
LEAVES from the Neverland Ranch!! LOL!!
You recently had a car accident.
What happened ?
I was hit by an 18-wheeler semi-truck on the freeway and my
car rolled over several times and into a ditch in the median. The vehicle landed
upside-down. The windows were all shattered and the doors were jammed, so I had
to crawl out my window to get free. It was really scary because I've never been
in a wreck before. It really shook me up. I had a passenger with me and even
though my car was completely totaled, there we no injuries for me or my
passenger aside from a few scrapes and bruises. I definitely had the Lord's
favor!
 Female rappers: what do you think of other rappers? We've been
from Queen Latifah and Salt & Peppa thing (with strong messages) to sassy
rappers like Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim. On the road, we also had Queen Pen and
EVE, who brought something different, with lyrics that can make you dance and
think too. What do you think of them, and what do you want to bring on your own
as a female rapper in the industry?
I loved Eve's first album and that's when
I really started paying attention to female emcees. Unfortunately a lot of
femcees just try to sell sex, both through their image and through their lyrics.
That's not something I'm about, and I never have been. I love to use lyrics to
tell stories and teach. I like to put on hip-hop and be enlightened because
there's a truth there that no one else is putting in the public eye. A lot of
emcees now just make club music and it's sad because it makes lyrics
irrelevant.
Female rappers lyrics are often very deep as far as man-woman
relationships are concerned. Do you get your inspiration from your life and some
of your friends' lives to write songs?
Absolutely. I write what I know and
what people share with me. I always wanted to use my voice to tell the stories
that would otherwise not be heard. People need that connection with other
people- that reminder that they aren't alone in what they're going
through.
How can you describe your style musically and lyrically?
I
strive for originality. I love instruments, so there's a lot of live
instrumentation on the record. The production varies a lot too, it's not just a
beat someone looped and I rhymed over it. I like the dynamics in music so that
even the music itself could take you on a journey, lyrics or no lyrics.
Hopefully the lyrics will just enhance the trip! When my album comes out, it
will sound like nothing you've heard from me before!
I'd say one keyword
that comes to mind regarding your sound is Laid-back and smooth. Do you
agree?
Yeah. There's still a lot of energy and passion in the music, but it's
not dance music, that's not what I do. My style is very smooth and I like the
delivery to be that way. And while it is laid back, it's definitely not boring
by any means!
What is the message you want to address to your public,
especially the young?
Set your goals and go for them, no matter who says you
shouldn't. No one can tell you what the Lord's plan for you is! Just make sure
what you want and what God wants for you are the same thing!
What are
your projects right now ?
Right now I'm putting together a book we'll be
releasing shortly after the album comes out.
What is your global feeling
regarding what's going on in the industry: majors cutting budgets, the mp3
revolution, the spreading of independent projects? What are the good parts of
that and the risk it contains in your opinion?
Like with all things, there's
good and bad in the situation. The good is there's a lot more great artists
emerging and a lot more talent being developed by these indie labels. The mp3s
are great for consumers who want to pick and choose what they purchase so you
don't end up with a $17 album that has 4 good songs and 12 filler tracks. So
with mp3 availability, the consumer can get exactly what they want. The down
side is of course the toll it's taken on the majors who took too long in
figuring out how to capitalize off of the mp3 revolution. It's sad when you've
made a living off product and then your industry changes formats where the new
format is now NO format. It's all digital. I think the majors are getting on
board now though.
Do you have a final message, something you would like
to say to all our readers ?
I'd like to encourage everyone to check out my
myspace page for music and pics and all the latest Lucy Diamonds news! Visit
www.myspace.com/officiallucydiamonds
Interview
/ Editing : Richard Lecocq
(c)
2007, www.mjdatabank.com
LISTEN
TO LUCY DIAMONDS - DIRTY DIANA AND NOW
THAT I FOUND LOVE - HERE
Links
:
http://www.myspace.com/officiallucydiamonds
http://www.buckandadream.com/
Lucy
Interviewe Teddy
Lucy
@ Buck and a Dream
Music:
Now
That I Found Love - Produced by Jonathan Hay of Ringz & Partners Ent.
Dirty
Diana (Demo) - Produced by Buck and
a Dream
Photos:
Lucy Diamonds / Buck and a Dream
This
article can be reposted with a credit
to www.mjdatabank.com
Version
française / French version
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