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Music Interview

Miss Tila

Miss Tila


You might not be familiar with Miss Tila yet, but she's going to make sure you are very soon! The artist formerly known as Tila Tequila has already packed successful ventures into modeling and reality TV - with MTV's Shot At Love - under her belt, and now she's turned her attention to the world of music, where she doesn't do things in half measures! With new single 'I Love My DJ', new EP Welcome To The Dark Side and her very own record label to run - not to mention a management firm and her own gossip blog - we somehow managed to grab a few minutes in her hectic schedule for a chat.

What's the reason behind your name change?
"Miss Tila is more age appropriate, I think. Tila Tequila is so long ago - it was a screen name, it was on MySpace, it was from Shot At Love. I don't like to be called Tila Tequila anymore, it's not appropriate. My name is Tila and everyone calls me Tila anyway and I'm originally from the south so I think it's nice when people call each other Ma'am or Miss, so I like to be called Miss Tila."

You're involved in so many projects - how would you classify yourself to someone who didn't know you?
"I'm aspiring to be a mogul. I don't want to be another reality star-turned-singer-turned actor. I want to be a mogul like Jay-Z or Diddy or Donald Trump, but instead a female mogul. I have my record label, my management firm, my blog and I release my music through my own label. It's a lot of work - I don't sleep! - but it pays off in the end."

The original version of your single is called 'I F***ed The DJ'. Were you worried that could affect its commercial success?
"I have tons of songs that are unreleased and I love putting out YouTube videos. I did a little 20-second snippet of the dirty version and the only reason I put out that version is because so many fans loved it and wanted it to be released. I had the most requests for that song so I listened to my fans and got it mixmastered and then did the clean version."

It has an entirely different sound to the songs on your EP. Would you say you have a specific style?
"The single is more of the old Tila Tequila - the rap, fun party girl and the dirty girl - but my EP showcases more of my vocals. I don't like to copy trends and what's hot right now, so I made it what I like, which is classic, timeless music, like Marilyn Monroe and the '50s kind of style."

It has two cover songs on it - Depeche Mode's 'Blue Dress' and 'Walking On Thin Ice' by Yoko Ono. How did you choose them?
"A lot of people often don't see the other side of me, they just think, 'Oh, Tila Tequila, Shot At Love, party girl.' They don't know that I'm really into music and I grew up listening to all kinds of music. I thought Yoko Ono was a very challenging thing to do. The producer told me to listen to it and I was like, 'Hmm, I'm not really into that one but I like challenges, how can we change that?'. If you compare the two versions of 'Walking On Thin Ice', they are so different. I wanted to add my own spice and have it blend in with the rest of the album. For the Depeche Mode song, I absolutely love 'Blue Dress' and it means a lot to me. I sing it with so much passion because somebody really inspired me to just get out there and do it, and every time I sing it I remember that person and I don't see anybody else."

It also contains an original song that you wrote called 'Get Me Off'. Is that a nod to the old Tila Tequila?
"Haha, yeah, yeah. It's a homage, but I also decided to make it a mixture of a country song with my dirty lyrics. It's sexy, but it's not rap. I mixed all the elements in together for 'Get Me Off' to make it my own unique song."

Are there any plans for a full album?
"A lot of my fans are asking me about that. I've given them tons of snippets throughout the year so I know what songs they like, and there are lots of songs that I haven't put out there. The album is pretty much done but it's just deciding what I want to put on it. I actually want to do two albums, maybe Welcome To The Dark Side and add the rest of the classical music, and then maybe Welcome To The Party, like a double album."

Have you any timeline for it?
"Well... since I'm the boss! It just goes around my schedule when I feel like I'm available, because when that comes out there will be a lot of work because there is the tour and the press. I'm doing press for the single alone now and then it's summer so I need a vacation first of all! And then Christmas is coming up... maybe sometime next year."

You released your music through your own record label. What's it like to be in charge?
"Lots and lots of work! I'm in negotiations to sign an artist from New Zealand at the moment. I was supposed to fly him out here to be with me but there's so much stuff going on I thought I should deal with it when I'm back home. We've been working with him for the past few months, it's a lot of work, and I have so much else to do, but I know in the end it will pay off."

There were rumors a while back that you were going to sign an X Factor band. Is that true?
"Yes, yes. I was looking for a bunch of people to sign and within an hour I had about 15,000 submissions! There was one I that signed and then I dropped - I paid for the producer fees and studio time, all this money, and then you go off and leak [your music]? It's just not good for business. With the X Factor girls - they're from London - I was working with them and then I found the artist from New Zealand. I don't want to be one of those people who tries to do this and that and is then a mess, so I told them to let me take care of this first, take care of him and I'll do it one at a time. It's a small business building up. Once it gets bigger I can bring more people on. I want to do it the point where it's realistic what I can handle. I'm still in touch with them."

What do you think of shows like the X Factor?
"I think it's great because it makes their dreams come true but the only con is that it happens overnight and the contracts aren't great. They pretty much have to sign their soul away and later on they can realize that and feel frustrated about it. There are pros and cons. You have to know the business before you jump in there. That's why I have my own label!"

'I Love My DJ' and Welcome To The Dark Side are available now

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