Lady GaGa aka Stefania Gabriella Germanotta has dazzled the dance music scene with her new album ‘The Fame’ with its booty shaking hits like “Just Dance” and “Poker Face.”  Hustling the streets of NYC her whole life, it’s no surprise this blonde bombshell has brought major grit and glamour to her dance floor friendly songs.  If you haven’t heard of her yet, check her out now as I predict she is here to stay alongside the best.  And apparently I’m not alone:  The New York Post called her the “Future of Pop” and Us Weekly called her “Pop’s New Dance Diva” while comparing her to Madonna.  Throughout all this hype, Lady GaGa remained refreshingly grateful and honest during our candid interview.  I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did conducting the interview.

Killahbeez: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Lady GaGa: I’ve been working on this album for over two years now and am grateful that it has finally gotten to this point.

KB: What got you into singing and song writing at such an early age?
LG: Well I started piano at the age of 4 and started writing at the age of 13.  At 16 my mom would help me so I could get into certain clubs to play and I just hustled you know.  I dropped out of college early and started sending out my demos that I made out of my room.  From there I started go-go dancing and really working the club scene to get out there.

KB: You have a keen fashion sense.  Do you feel that fashion is an integral aspect of your music or music in general?
LG: For sure.  The fashion, the technology and just being innovative with what people are hearing and seeing are a big aspect of my music.  I want people to go to my show going “What the fuck was that!?”  In other words it’s like a pop show fit for a museum.  Everything we do is completely spur of the moment.  I don’t usually know what I’m wearing until it gets delivered an hour before the show and it’s usually stuff you can’t just get anywhere.

KB: What are your top 3 clothing and shoe designers?
LG: For clothing I would say Chanel,  Maison Martin Margiela and Thierry Mugler. For shoes I would pick Christian Louboutin, Marni and I have to say again, Chanel.

KB: Where do you get your inspiration for your music?
LG: For music pretty much New York, parties, pop culture. I’m really inspired by all the energy they give.

KB: How did the NYC scene influence your music growing up?
LG: Oh it totally did.  Everything about my music is attitude and lifestyle.  I would be a completely different artist if I didn’t have New York.

KB: It’s been rumored that you have collaborated on Britney Spears’s track “Quicksand” from her upcoming album Circus, can you confirm that?
LG: Wow, how did you find that out already (laughter)?  I can confirm that I worked on a track but not which one.

KB: What was it like working with Britney Spears for you?
LG: I never got to work with her directly in the studio because I was in Europe.  I would have loved to produced the vocals for her but I wasn’t in the studio.  I’m excited to work with her more closely in the future though.

KB: Your upcoming tour is with New Kids on The Block.  Were you a big fan like most of us in the Nineties? How does it feel to be touring with them at this point in your life going almost full circle in a way?
LG: Oh my god, I was HUGE fan!  I mean I had the “I love Johnny” t-shirt and everything.  It feels amazing.  It really, really was hard not to be star struck even though I know them as friends now, to see them on stage still gets me super excited.

KB: Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
LG: I would love to work with Marilyn Manson.  He is such a visionary and his work is really artistic in the same vain as what I do.  I would love to work with someone who has the same philosophy as I do.

KB: What would you advise to your fans who are interested in singing and song writing?  Any words of wisdom?
LG: Two pieces of advice: 1)  Go buy the book “Letter to a Young Poet”.  Read it 100 times and in the deepest hour of the night, ask yourself if you would die if you were forbidden to write.  2)  Live your life within quote that book unquote, since it has strong philosophies I agree with about art.  Everything in there is true, you will find your dreams.

KB: Do you find it any different getting into the music scene as a female?
LG: Well when you are female and you are blonde and pretty, people assume you don’t know shit.  It takes a minute to earn your intellectual space as an artist, especially when you’re a woman like me who likes to do it in her underwear.

KB: What’s the worst trend in music these days?  Favorite trend?
LG: Least favorite is the “I don’t care trend.”  Like “I don’t care how I dress at award shows and I don’t do interviews” type attitude.  I’m enjoying seeing artists that work really hard and are doing something really serious in their arena.

KB: Can you name a few of those artists that you enjoy right now?
LG: I really like M.I.A. and Britney.  In some ways, she (Britney) has to fight harder right now to get people to take her seriously but I have a feeling she will be making a comeback in the next year with some serious pop music.

KB: Any last words to your fans?
LG: Thank you to my fans and I love you!  You are so loyal to me and I will stay loyal to you.  Keep your eyes and ears open because I will be making a lot of things happen soon!!!

A long time indie favorite, dance floor rockers The Faint have brought us the undeniable truth about American politics and the daily life of the American middle class with a quirky, tongue-in-cheek approach making use of unforgettable lyrics and striking melodies that no one can shake off.  I had the opportunity to speak with Todd Fink, the lead singer of The Faint and am truly pleased to share this conversation with our readers.

As kids, what did you all want to be when you “grew up”?

Todd:  Hmmmm… well not sure if I wanted to be anything or even had certain aspirations.  Kinda sad, I know [laughter].  But I guess as I grew up I wanted to be a professional skater.

How far did you get with skating?

Todd: Right up to being a pro but then I realized that I wanted to take my time with getting better at skating so that I would have a better chance at becoming a pro with a reputable skateboarding company.  I did really well in national youth competitions and stuff.

How did the transition from skateboarding to music happen?

Todd: I had surgery for my knee from arthritis, and found out I couldn’t really skate anymore.  But from the experience of doing something that I loved, I gained the passion that transferred into music and if I kept doing it just like with skateboarding, I knew that anything was possible.

How did the members of The Faint all meet?

Todd: Well Joel is a skateboard friend and my bro Clark, I had him around all the time to go skating.  The three off us were from the skating scene and started the band.  The other guys we just met in Omaha and it just so happened that we all went to the same high school.

Did you think that you would be this successful when you all first started out?

Todd: No. I mean, we didn’t really think about it.  The only goal that I remember having was a dream to be able to go out and tour different places and know that however amount of people there would be whether big or small, that they knew our music and it happened bigger than we ever expected.  At the same time you are convinced by your own humility and it’s hard to really know which one to believe, the numbers of fans responding to the success is almost a mind fuck.

You boys are from Omaha.  How has that influenced your music and your individual creativity?

Tood: I’m sure it has, I mean we’ve all been here our whole lives and I’m sure our opinions in which things we have experienced have affected us.  There have been good record stores here and venues that are conducive to small bands performing and it’s not like we lose people to Kansas City or anywhere.  The closest place is 8 hours to Chicago.  So we are just a bunch of people for whatever reason ending up and staying here, so Omaha has a thriving music scene.

I’ve noticed you have evolved as a band since the days of Danse Macabre, Wet From Birth to your current album Fasciinatiion.  Was this planned or something more along the lines of a natural progression?

Todd: Well we sort of base it on our opinions about what sounds good and what makes sense.  To do changes over time, based on what music we hear, it’s a natural progression for better or for worse.  It’s definitely natural.

People in the past have labeled you as the “new new wave” or “dance/punk.” How do you feel about these labels?

Todd: Labels.  People love them, but in general we try not to associate with them since they are fads and catch phrases and no matter how cool they are at the time, people invest too much in the actual label and get tired of them over time.  We feel like, “listen and decide for yourself.”

If you were to describe The Faint and your music to an outsider, what words would you choose?

Todd: I’ve had to do this on the plane a few times sitting with strangers [laughter].  I guess I’ve said we play electronic rock music before.  It’s pretty general.  Or I will say we play songs with keyboards – I try to keep it literal.

Who have been your major influences in the music world and are there any current bands/acts that have caught your attention?

Todd: Fugazi has influenced us.  But you take different things from different bands, you know.  Sonic Youth, The Clash and David Bowie – bands that have good songs that are unmistakably their songs.  The band Late of The Pier, they are pretty awesome and from the UK; they have something there that I relate to for sure.  We like that French electronic scene.  There is a huge explosion of artistic expression there.  We were in France and met with Busy P, Sebastian, Kavinsky, Kasper from Justice, etc..

So any prospects of remixes with them?

Todd: Definitely.  But we’ll see,  we do have some good remixes that are being worked on including with Boys Noize  - Alex,  he and DIM did a mix together.

Where did you come up with The Faint as your band name?

Todd: It just presented itself.  There was no decision; it just was.  We didn’t have a name for a while and it was just kinda assigned to us when we did our first show.  On the flyer was a Roman Bailer reference, so we kinda considered ourselves as a band without a name until 1997.   We knew it was just going to come to us and it did.

Last but not least, what do you guys spend your time doing when not touring or making music?

Todd: Well, I like to make visual art collages and other artistic things.  Also I love playing pool, I love learning science, astronomy etc.  We are kinda the NPR and stoned cartoon watching kinda of guys – we can’t help it.  When we’re not doing band stuff we still hang out.

Thanks so much guys and I’m looking forward to seeing you guys live at your next show!!!  When is the next U.S. tour?

Todd: Our next tour in the States is in two weeks and after that in the Spring.

Every girl’s dream can now come true this Valentines day with the drop of the MAC and Hello Kitty collaboration.  Japan’s infamous Hello Kitty made going shopping for school supplies fun.  From backpacks, the best erasers ever, to the cutest pajamas or panties, no girl was untouched by the glory of Hello Kitty.  Now Hello Kitty is joining forces with the world’s most popular cosmetics line, Make-up Art Cosmetics (MAC). Just like with the Barbie and Fafi collabo - this is sure to sell out within days so be sure to get your camp on.  Word on the street is the official drop is a day before Valentines: 09-13-09 -just in time for that last minute gift fellas!

The Chloé Paddington is already a world recognisable bag.  Now for the rest of us there is Chloé’s sister line, See by Chloé who has launched it’s fall 2008 line of new bags and totes with fun and colorful designs at price points our wallets can handle.

From mini mice purses to everyday totes, you’ll find what you need with this new collection guaranteed.

Available at Nordstrom.

Personally, I feel it’s the accessories that make outfits come to life.  That being said, I’m in LOVE with this striped pointelle scarf with feminine scalloped edges by one of my favorites, Missoni.  Stay warm and sexy - the vibrant colors of pink, black and white make a statement, day or night.

Find it at Shopbop

This is boot is simply genius. You can have both your bootie and tall rugged style in this smartly designed boot all in one, hence the name Fiorentini and Baker’s “Bi” Boot. The rustic brown, buckles, rounded toe and overall versatility is a mega score for your fall shoe collection.

Available at Barneys

Another pic after the jump. Continue Reading

M.I.A. launches her own line this summer/fall showing off graphic prints, big bold colors and the funky steeze she rocks so well. From bomber jackets, leggings, hoodies and T-shirts - both the ladies and the gents will be happy with her unisex line.

My personal fave is the “Watermelon Hoodie” and the “Islamic Hoodie”.  Yet another brilliant move by the one and only Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam aka M.I.A.

Cop it online at Miauk or in store at: Opening Ceremony NY

35 Howard Street New York, New York 10013 (212) 219-2688

Available at Bloomingdales