Calling a debut album Pretty Mess is quite a statement, and Erika Jayne has been described as Paris Hilton with class, brains, and talent, but she is so much more. The reformed party girl and classically-trained opera singer has conquered dance clubs around the world with her number one debut "Rollercoaster." Erika Jayne is what dance music needs right now – an artist with the headline-inspiring dynamic persona and the musical chops to back it up.
DJ Ron Slomowicz: Congratulations on hitting number one single with your debut
single "Rollercoaster," how did that feel?
Erika Jayne: Like a dream come true.
RS: What's the story behind Rollercoaster?
Erika Jayne: Well what story have you heard, and then I'll clear up
any rumors you have?
RS: When I hear this song I think it's like a drug trip, and then
in the video you're like a performer who's stolen off screen.
Erika Jayne: Yes, I can see how that can be confusing. The story
behind the song is about haing a good time. It's kind of sexual in a
way, don't you think?
RS: Definitely.
Erika Jayne: The video is a nod to the movie Casino because that was
the story of the Stardust hotel. We had unprecedented access to the
Stardust Hotel right before it was demolished so we built the story
around all the great things that were there.
RS: What was it like filming your first ever music video?
Erika Jayne: It was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. My friend,
Travis Payne, choreographed the video. Dancing on that big stage was
amazing, I felt like the ultimate showgirl.
RS: A showgirl has to have amazing songs. You worked with Peter
Rafelson putting together the album.
Erika Jayne: That's right.
RS: He's worked with some other really amazing women : Madonna,
Stevie Nicks, the Bangles. What about him do you think works so well
with women?
Erika Jayne: Peter is not threatening at all and really able to let
a girl be a girl. You always feel safe and I think he is able to get
into your head.
RS: You wrote a lot of the songs on the album, right? Did you
write the title track, Pretty Mess?
Erika Jayne: I wrote a third of the album and co-wrote "Pretty Mess."
RS: What's the story behind the song Pretty Mess?
Erika Jayne: Everybody can relate to Pretty Mess because every woman
has felt like a princess or a doormat or a diplomat. Pretty Mess is
basically about all of the different colors of being a girl. It
represents two sides of one personality, you can be pretty and you can
be messy at the same time. Life is that way, it's neither black nor
white.
