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| This interview originally appeared in the March 2006 issue of PM Entertainment Magazine |
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KS: Thank you! I'm so excited.
JR: Can we expect a full-length album sometime soon?
KS: I just finished up two singles for Ultra. After we see the success of the two songs, then they will decide if they're gonna pick up the option for the album. I've already recorded, like, a million albums! I don't know if you know my past history, but I've delivered an album for Sony, and when I was on Columbia Records, that album got dropped. But I had two songs which were released as singles off the album. And then I was on Edel Records: They delivered an album, but they went bankrupt here in the US. They are a European label. Have you heard of them?
JR: I read about it on your site. The album is going to be released in Germany, right?
KS: I did the album in Germany. Exactly. But now, I want something in the States!
JR: That's amazing; it's kind of mysterious. You go by two names: Kim Sozzi here and Kim Styles in Germany! That must be a trip.
KS: I know! The only reason I changed it for Germany is because when I was on Epic over there, they had a hard time pronouncing "Sozzi". They say the "ZEE" as like "ZET". So they said, "Change your whole name", and I was like "No way!" We were trying to come up with a compromise. We're still keeping my first name. "Styles" is just easy to remember. So, we just wound up sticking with that for a while. It was a compromise. But, yeah, hopefully I'll do the Ultra album. I'm gonna see how it goes. And there's a lot of time, also, to do the album and everything like that. You don't want to just put it out there. You want to go out there and you want to sell a lot of records. So, I want to make sure I have enough under my belt with the two singles to really make some noise.
JR: Was "Stay" the first of those two singles?
KS: No! That was actually part of a new project. The two new singles that I've produced and recorded for Ultra are "Breakup" and "Alone". "Alone" is a cover from the band Heart. That's coming out next month. The song just got added to Sirius Radio, and it's getting play on KTU from Johnny Budz, who's one of the producers on the track. The feedback has been overwhelming, actually.
JR: You really make the song your own. You don't just "remake" it. The Heart version, I think, was really heavy and tortured... and yours is more yearning, and more sensitive...
KS: Yeah! It's funny, because when I decided to do the song... well, I actually got the idea when Carrie Underwood sang it on "American Idol", and I loved her version, and I said, "That would be the perfect song for my range!" The Heart version is a little whiny, and it's like, she's definitely pissed! It's angry, almost.
JR: Yeah-- angry!
KS: Mine is more...
JR: ...vulnerable, and you're showing your more sensitive side. It's more emotional.
KS: Yeah. Even though I feel like I sang it pretty strong, it still has that vulnerability to it. But I love it. We have remixes from it, and I'm really happy with the way it came out. 'Cause, it's like the first song where anyone has actually been able to hear my range. Because everything else has been, you know, very safe, like "How Did You Know". Great songs, but just, like, pretty easy to sing.
JR: Well, with dance music, your voice competes with the electronic effects and that kind of thing. It takes a while of listening to your dance music to realize, "Wow, she's got a great voice!"
KS: Yeah. You want your voice to be identifiable, and I just think this is something that will definitely get people to know the tone of my voice, more so than anything else I've done. I'm excited!
JR: Do you ever get tired of the press always calling you a "dance diva", instead of calling you, like, an "artist" or a "singer/songwriter"?
KS: I'm used to it! When I started out, the first thing that I ever released was the song on "Dawson's Creek", called "Letting Go", and that was a big release on a big compilation for that show. So, to go from that to "dance diva"! I was called "pop-rock star/recording artist" before! (Laughs) I'm totally used to it now, and I think to be called one of the divas in the dance industry is a compliment. I think it's one of the highest ranking compliments that I can get, doing the kind of music that I'm doing. I'm happy with it. I think everyone wants to eventually cross over to mainstream. I had a little of that with Mynt, with "How Did You Know", being that it got on Z-100 and Y-100: some of the big stations, in addition to being #1 on KTU. So, we all want to cross over, I think. But I'm happy. I'm crusin' along just fine, and now that I'm on my own, I'm even happier!
JR: When I read that you'd been in Lillith Fair, it was a little confusing. Most of those women have music that's very stripped-down, very raw...
KS: That's what my music WAS, though. I mean, if you ever heard that album, it was very singer/songwritey stuff: all acoustic guitar, live bands... I mean, I fit in perfectly. She (Sarah McLachlan) actually picked me to be on the tour. She picked all the new artists: It was me, Nelly Furtado-- who's a friend of mine-- and others. We got picked and we met at the tour. Sarah would pick a few just to try and help break in some new artists.
JR: Wow! That must have been exciting.
KS: It was awesome. Yeah, those were the good old days! (Laughs)
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KS: They played the D.H.T. video, which was good. I thought that was a great thing for everybody doing dance music.
JR: And you were on MTV recently, right?
KS: I did a taping for a reality show called "My Super Sweet Sixteen". It's going to air in the springtime. I was on it, Jonathan Peters was on it, DJ Scribble, Lucas Prada, Fat Man Scoop... It was like a crazy birthday party for this girl. It was really, really good. So, that will be great exposure for everyone as well. It was a lot of fun. I performed "How Did You Know" and my new song, "Alone". It's funny, because some people who I played it for immediately recognized it as the Heart song, and then there's a whole generation of kids who think it's an original!
JR: Damn, that should make us feel old! (Both laugh)
KS: I know! But I'm telling you, they're out there! Or, the kids THINK they've heard it but they don't know why, you know? So, it's really good in that respect. But it will eventually catch on, I'm sure!
JR: Which song are you particularly proud of? Which one is your favorite?
KS: My favorite? Hmmm... I really like everything I've done. "How Did You Know" I liked immediately as well. I didn't ever think it was going to be as big as it was. But I really, really liked it. But I think that "Alone" is gonna be the one that I'm most proud of. I came up with the idea, I put the whole team together, I wanted Johnny to produce it. I also had Valentine produce a ballad version of it, which came out great. I think I'd have to say that it's probably my best vocal performance that I've done on my own. So I'm definitely most proud of that. I mean, I started that way, with "Feelin' Me", as a solo artist. And then I got involved with Mynt, which was a great, great time. But to be back on your own again is definitely good, 'cause I started out as a solo artist.
JR: Speaking of Mynt, in an issue of PM Entertainment Magazine a few months back, Mynt made it a point that they were really affected by your leaving them.
KS: Yeah. I don't really think I screwed them. It just-- I have to reference the article again-- but it didn't go down exactly as written.
JR: They seemed to imply that you left because you felt you would have more success as a solo artist.
KS; Well, I didn't really just want to continue to be in Mynt from here on out. I did feel that my name had credibility... and I have worked hard at establishing myself as well.
JR: Well, like you said, you were performing solo long before that.
KS: Yeah! I mean, I definitely had a lot of success with Mynt. I'm very appreciative; I thought it was a good team. But at some point, things do arise, and other things come into play, and people have their own visions and ideas about how they want things to be run-- and then that's where you have problems. Which... well, I have to see that article again. I remember not being thrilled when I read it!
JR: Has your direction changed since going solo again?
KS: I definitely think that I chose "Alone" not just because doing a remake is popular or whatever... I actually have gone through a lot of songs that either I've written, or that were submitted to me from other writers, producers, DJ's, whatever. I just thought that for me, vocally, the song was the strongest, and I really had a connection to the song. I said, "I really, really want to do this song!" And I just kept coming back to it. And Ultra loved it, so we went ahead with it. I have another song called "Breakup". We decided to do that as a second single. Mynt's new album is called "Still Not Sorry", but my singles are "Breakup" and "Alone". No pun intended! (Laughs) I actually have input this time. Not that I didn't have any input with "How Did You Know", but with that, I kind of came in as a vocalist. This time around, I had more influences in regard to the production and things like that. That was really important. I had control this time; I got to say who who I wanted to work with and what I wanted, basically.
JR: As an independent artist, you also get to have a more intimate relationship with your fans, too, right?
KS: Yes. They stick around for autographs, or advice, or whatever. I'm definitely patient, I think. I want to please people, basically. You want people to support you-- and the fans and the people you meet out when you're performing are the people that are gonna support you. And of course, all the DJ's. I can't thank them enough. I've had a lot of support from KTU. A major support team there.
JR: DJ's are almost like the unsung heroes of the music industry.
KS: Yeah. They're the ones who start buzzing a record, and playing it in the clubs. That's usually the first time that people hear my music: in the clubs. And that turns into calling the stations and requesting it or whatever, and then getting it on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Charts. And then that's kind of how it gets played from there.
JR: Yeah, especially clubs in New York City!
KS: Oh, my God! Yeah, they're all over, and that's definitely how it starts. I'm performing live a lot, too.
JR: What's been your favorite place to perform live?
KS: I love performing in my hometown, of course: on Long Island. Cause EVERYONE comes out to see me! Posh has always been a fun venue for me. Mirage is also another one that's been fun. And, all the clubs in New Jersey. Everywhere I performed has been great. Also, there's DNA in Queens. It's always packed, and the response is really good there, and you kind of like, know everybody. It's the same crowd all the time. It's always been fun, really. There's only been one or two places where you're like "Oh my God!", where you're standing on a milk crate for a stage. That does happen, but-- you know, you get through it.
JR: A little TOO intimate!
KS: Yeah. No stage... or, you're in the dark! I mean, that's happened too. But those are rare.
JR: So, who was the biggest influence on you? Was there a dance diva or artist who you tried to emulate? Not necessarily music-wise, but more "persona-wise"?
KS: It's so funny, because I used to love Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, even Joan Jett-- I mean, they are all rockers! But as far as disco: of course, you love, like, Donna Summer. I listened mainly to Top 40 growing up because my dad is a musician, and he had a "wedding band" growing up. He played all the current stuff on the charts, so I'm really in tune to the pop market more than anything. I've really grown with the times. I've listened to everything as a grew older. Whatever was really current. I loved The Bangles. And Debbie Gibson. I knew every single song, every lyric to her whole album! I remember when I was promoting "Feelin' Me", I did a show with her in Miami, and she was really nice.
JR: Yeah, she is. She's very obliging to fans and things like that. Speaking of fans, the gay boys love your music. Dance music, for as long as I can remember, has been such an important part of gay nightlife.
KS: Oh, yeah! That's like with "Feelin' Me"... I performed at all the big gay clubs and everything, and I had a ball.
JR: What is it about your music, do you think, that makes gay guys have such an affinity for it?
KS: Well, "Feelin' Me" was such a sexy song. Hex Hector, who has a big gay following as well, produced it. Jonathan Peters also did a mix of it. I think it's just the way we promoted it. People just reacted to it. I don't like to separate anyone. I just want EVERYONE to like my music! My parents' friends like "How Did You Know", and then I'd go to a gay club and people love it, and then I go to a guido club and people love it-- you know what I mean?
JR: I think it's just the "fun factor".
KS: Yeah! I mean, it's fun! People always tell me, "I love dancing to your music. It puts me in a good mood!"...
JR : How do you spend your spare time when you're not performing?
KS: I love to go to the movies, I love to go out to dinner with my friends... A lot of times I go out to Long Island to hang out with my sister and my family. My sister's actually having a baby.
JR: Congratulations! Do people come up to a lot when you're out in public?
KS: When I'm in Brooklyn, or another area where people listen to KTU religiously, yes! In Germany, hip hop is the underdog, and dance music is humongous. Dance music is their pop music. When I lived in Germany and was on Epic, I was recognized all the time. I was on MTV there. Television is a big way to promote. With radio, everyone knows the songs but no one ever knows what the people look like. We dance artists really need some exposure via television!
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