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ANA LOVELIS: Hard Edges, Soft Surfaces... A Chat with Playboy.com's Unsigned Artist of the Year 
By Geoff Koboldt
In the 2nd song 'I'm a Girl' off of
Ana's CD Nothin but love (postal service madness) I was instantly
drawn to the chorus, easily repeating the lyrics and for once, I
understood and deeply felt Ana's interpretation of love from a girl's
point of view.
At that moment, I thought to myself –
how can this stuff not be on the radio – because these were complete pop
gems? It wasn't long before I realized that Ana had co-written this
song with the Matrix trio, who had written several of Avril Lavigne's
big hits.
As I dug deeper into the CD, the list of
major song-writers grew, including Matthew Gerrard, who wrote Kelly Clarkson's multi-platinum hit Breakaway,
which was originally written for Avril. Again I thought to myself, how
come this stuff isn't on the radio? Furthermore, how did she afford
these producers and songwriters?
I learned it was RCA and
industry guru Clive Davis. When I learned that Ana basically
negotiated out of the deal to essentially keep her integrity, I thought
– is this girl crazy? I mean, doesn't every artist dream of making it
on a MAJOR label (statistically, less than .1% of bands ever get to that
point).
It wasn't until I saw Ana perform for
the first time that I realized she's not an artist you can control in
any way. Furthermore, I couldn't believe just how consistent her vocal
dynamics were in comparison to the CD - there were no fancy studio
tricks, just pure, passionate vocals with an acoustic guitar.
I watched her perform 8 songs and with
each song, she took me out of my element and into hers. I was
captivated by her innate ability to tell a story or rather sing it and
reel the listener into her vivid and imaginable world. If that wasn't
enough, Ana performed like a star, as if she were performing before a
90,000 seat arena.
Towards that end, 5 major music industry
players at a film and music festival critiqued Ana back in the fall of
2005. One of them said, "I see it says in your bio that you compare
yourself to Madonna. Quite frankly, you are no Madonna. I have worked
with Madonna for more than 15 years and you are light-years ahead of
Madonna in terms of vocal performance and showmanship. There is no
doubt you are going to be a STAR."
Next week after that, we were offered a
series of licensing deals for major motion picture movies and TV shows.
Hearing this gave me goose bumps and I knew I had to work with this
girl.
Furthermore, at a recent music
convention in Hollywood, I was with Columbia Records A&R and Michael
Laskow, President/CEO of TAXI in the Presidential Suite looking over
Hollywood playing Ana's song Wet. Needless to say, Marshall from
Columbia was quite impressed and told the others 'Now that is how you
write a chorus! Damn good song!!
Again, I got goose bumps and an
overwhelming feeling that indeed; this girl is going to be a STAR.
After that event, I was presented with another series of licensing
deals, all of which are in negotiation, as we continue to value and
control our music, our art and our integrity.
We are now scheduled to co-headline the
140,000-person Rock Oyster festival in England in September, and
will book a European tour around it. We will be putting a DOXY song
into the horror movie Cabras, which is the first
independent movie scheduled to be released internationally with Ipod.
Ana will be launching an LA-based
fashion store with which she will be modeling the clothes in combination
with the music internationally through podcasting. The new album with
her new band DOXY record will be out in the coming months and will be a
complete 180 to the pop stuff; much heavier, raw and always passionate.
Review: Who is the real Ana Lovelis?
Ana: Why does everyone want to
know this? I wonder it 10 times a day! When I think I have it figured
out, it changes. I'll
tell you the truth.... I am pretty whacked out. Something went wrong
when I was created. I know I was dropped on my head or something but my
father blames my insane ways on the fact that everyday my mom was
pregnant, she drank and smoked like crazy. Who knows!
I do my best to put aside all that drama
though and to create music that will inspire the masses. Truth is music
is the only thing that is stable in my life. I would die if I couldn't
write and perform. I have a lot to say, theories, opinions, fears,
dreams. Like everyone, I am searching to find the deepest answers that
are hidden in the mind of the creator. I look around and ponder... what
the hell was it thinking?
Review: What keeps you in the musical circus when the odds are so stacked against artists in today's environment?
Ana: Masturbating, nightmares,
too much coffee. I have the misfortune of a mind that races, it just
won't
stop. I hate having to be only one person. I want to know and be
inside other people, other artists, being inside their minds when they
wrote that book or the lyrics to that song.
Review: How do you define success?
Ana: The idea of success is
simple. Make a living off of what you enjoy doing. It has nothing to
do with material goods or luxuries. It has to do with a sense of
accomplishment and self worth. I think anybody that contributes to the
betterment of humanity and the world is a success from Bill Gates
to the corner street performer.
Review: How did you win the Playboy.com Best Unsigned Band Contest?
Ana: I don't really know.
Actually, my writing partner, K-dog is always on the Internet checking
out all kinds of crap. Other bands, contests, new ventures... He seems
to keep us focused, but we have won all sorts of contests and festival
things, it doesn't
really matter. I don't need any of those ego boosts. My head is big
enough for everybody.
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