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Duchess Q&A
How has Chancers changed your life?
So far, being a part of the Chancers show hasn't changed my life in any way, well not yet anyways,
I'm hoping it will though. I mean the whole point of me sending my demo was to get exposure for me
and my music.
What lessons did you learn?
I learnt that in this business there are gonna be times when you have to toe the line just like in
any other job, whether you like it or not. I learnt to have more confidence in my ability to write
for other people, which was cool. I also learnt to experiment wid my sense of fashion; it was hard
but I did it.
What most impressed you about New York?
The shops and how cheap everything was. I like the buildings and the fact that everything comes in
extra large! The people are friendly and some of the food out there is too nice! I put on a bag of
weight while I was out there; I think if I lived in New York I'd have to join the gym for sure! It
was cool meeting the celebs out there too.
Who did you most enjoy meeting in New York?
Peter Edge from J Records, he was cool. I think he found me funny. I treated the whole thing as a
laugh which was a good way to break the ice. It felt like I had to turn myself into a presenter;
that was a bit nerve-racking so I just acted like a nutta and we ended up having a laugh. I mean
it wasn't like I was there to get a deal! (Unfortunately). He was a cool daddyo and most importantly
he's representing for the UK as well as the States. Peter Edge has signed a lot of top artists that
I have a lot of respect for, so that's one of the main reasons why he was my favourite.
Does the UK still have a lot to learn from US artists?
In some ways I think da UK could learn more in terms of making radio stations play more local talent,
whether the artists are signed or not. The States have so many different kinds of radio stations playing
all kinds of music. In this country all the radio stations sound the same cos they play the same music
throughout the day. That's why I'm not surprised people ain't listening as much as they used to; it's all
about videos now (Video Killed the Radio Star!). In my eyes, a radio station should be a reflection on
what's happening in its area. I also think that we Brits give the American artists too much airplay and
not enough to our own talent; I mean even the Americans are saying that. Also it's a shame to see the UK
getting caught up into this bling culture, cos they aren't paying enough attention to the actual music and
it shows. Now it seems it's all about who looks sexy and who's going out wid who and who's wearing the
latest bling and it's like if you want to be successful in da music business you have to play the fame
game. Quite sad really but what can you do? Still, all of that bullshit doesn't faze me. I'm still gonna be
making the kind of music I love as well as the crap radio-friendly commercial tunes that this industry so
strongly requires.
How did you choose your stage name?
It was given to me by one of my producers, Professor Stretch, I was getting cocky, as I do, and he called me
the Duchess cos of it and I liked the name so I thought yeah I like that! From now on people can call me Duchess.
All my close mates usually call me Dutch or Duchy now.
Who has been your greatest influence?
I have so many influences. Dionne Warwick has to be the main one; there is just something about the way she
sings. She ain't into vocal acrobatics, she just sings with so much love and I totally
respect that. My favourite album of hers is Heartbreaker from 1983. I love the singing and the harmonies; the music
is sweet and so well put together and Barry Gibb works wonders on the backing vocals. My favourite tracks off it are
'I can't See Anything (But You)', 'Misunderstood' and 'Yours'. I used to cry and fall asleep to that song. It's
about a woman that loved this guy with all her heart and soul and was so badly let down. She sang that song like
her heart was aching; it was beautiful. If I met her I'd properly burst into tears.
I love Aretha Franklin too. My favourite album of hers is Queen of Soul from 1966. My favourite track on that
one is 'I May Never Get to Heaven'. I played it cos it had a pen mark next to it (it belonged to my mother). This
track is about a woman that is leaving the church to take her chances wid the big bad world. I played this track
over and over in tears cos I was leaving the church and it hurt so badly cos I felt like I was letting God down;
like I was letting myself down. My mother walked in the room crying and I asked her why she was crying and she
said it was the song she played when she left the church and then we cried together.
I got all my mum's old records when she brought me my first hi-fi. I was only nine and I was playing anything
and everything from roots reggae to disco. My mum even had two albums by The Stranglers. It was really my mother's
taste in music that made me love music with such a passion; that's why I can't just hear music, I have to feel it
too. It's all about vibe for me. I was listening to Dennis Brown, Mighty Diamonds, Third World and Earth Wind and
Fire at a very young age. I loved British artists too, but none of them was allowed to stick around as long as the
American artists. Big up to Caron Wheeler, Mica Paris and Omar – where have you gone?
What is the best thing about the music business?
Is there a best thing about the music business? Hehehe. I guess there is once you get your foot in the door. Travelling
the world, letting people hear your music, getting to work with your heroes; I've yet to experience these things.
What is the worst thing about the music business?
The worst thing about the music business is feeling like you're on the outside looking in. Seeing so many companies in
the industry put the big bucks in to people that just want to be famous whether they have talent or not! It really is a
crying shame. There's a lot of music that sounds like it's just been made to make money and it's such a shame cos music
should never be about just making money; it just cheapens the industry even more.
Where do you see yourself in five years' time?
A house, a car, a dog maybe a husband (hahaha). Hopefully on
my second or third album, wid my own production/record company
so I can give other talented people a chance to be heard. I
want to help other people build up their confidence. I didn't
have a lot of confidence when I was younger even though people
thought I did. My dyslexia held me back in a lot of ways –
feeling stupid is one of the worst feelings in the world and
it's so easy to lash out when your feeling like that. This is
why we need to help our youth a lot more; there are so many
kids out there that want to learn but don't know how. They are
the ones in the danger zone getting into badness and we need
to help them instead of making them feel even more alienated.
We need to be educating people about things like dyslexia and
all kinds of learning difficulties, because there is a connection
wid the kids on the streets. It seems like today, parents and
teachers need just as much educating as children do.
More on Duchess.
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