If you have not heard of Sasha Lazardyet, you will. She has just released herdebut album on Virgin Records titledThe Myth of Red, and it is creating quitea buzz. Raised on Manhattans UpperEast Side and in Paris, she is a classically-trainedsoprano but her album combinesfuturistic, electronic beats with an operaticflair. This sultry singer is charmingboth classical devotees and dance-clubaudiences alike. Washington Lifes Editorin Chief Nancy Bagley spoke to Sashathe morning after her release party inNew York.
NANCY BAGLEY:Sasha, congratulations on making #3 on Billboards Hot DanceBreakout Chart and on launching your debut album in New York last night. Doyou feel like your life is about to change?
SASHA LAZARD:Yes, absolutely, because last night was the first time that Ive performedwith a full live band and dancers, and I definitely think it added a new elementto my performance, giving it a lot of energy.
NB:Your music has been described as trance-opera. How would you describe it?
SL:Operatic arias fused together with primal/tribal electronic hip-hop beats.
NB:At what age and how did you get interested in opera? Are your parents musical?
SL:I started going to the opera with my mother at age eight. When I was 13, Ijoined the school choir and continued singing throughout college at Bennington,before going to the San Francisco Conservatory to study.
NB:Werent you in a rock & roll band for a while? What was the evolution fromopera to rock to your current musical genre?
SL:I wasnt really in a rock band, but I did work for a while with a team of CelineDion-type people. They sent me to a teacher to change my sound to pop, butlearning a new style didnt really work for me at all. So I said Id be back in a fewmonths and fled, which is when I hooked up with Mark Raskin, who was workingon the soundtrack for a movie my brother had written, and we started experimentingin the studio with different electronic sounds.
NB:Could you describe the artistic process of making this album? Did youwrite any of the songs?
SL:All the songs on the album are songs that I love and have been singing forever.It was really a collaboration with the producer, Frank Fitzpatrick. He can hear anarias catchy pop sensibility, and wed feed off of that and rewrite some of the wordsto follow the story of the Myth of Red.
NB:The title of your debut album is called The Myth of Red. What is the story behindthe name?
SL:Well, its loosely based on a Samaritan myth but the story is basically about awoman named Red who is restless with her life on earth and gets seduced by theDevil. In the morning she awakens to a beautiful melody of her man urging her tocome back to him. Red is also my favorite color.
NB:If you could collaborate on your next album with any artists in the world, whowould they be?
SL:Moby, or Josh Groban.
NB:Bono from the band U2 has really been shaking it up in Washington...first bylobbying for debt relief in developing countries, and now his new mission is tosave Africa from the AIDS epidemictwo very ambitious, critical, and related issues.After you sell millions of albums and you are rich and famous, will you lend yourname to any charitable or political causes, and if so which ones interest you?
SL:One of the reasons Id like to become successful is so that I can have influenceon important issues and give back. The issue of adoption is important to me. Acouple of years ago I was in Kyrgyzstan with my sister and she adopted a child. Imight also want to adopt one day. But foreign adoption is illegal in many countries,and there are many orphans here in the U.S.
NB:Are you currently working or volunteering with any charities?
SL:I have been too busy recently, but I used to volunteer with the Association toBenefit Children which helps children living with AIDS, and Id like to start givingsinging lessons to inner-city kids.
NB:Do you have a personal motto?
SL:Treat people with kindness and dignity no matter who they are. It drives mecrazy when I see someone treat a waiter or a taxicab driver poorly.
NB:Whats your ideal vacation?
SL:Going to my house in Maine with a group of friends...but they have to cook,because wed all starve otherwise.
NB:I hope that it works out for you to perform at Washington Lifes 11th anniversaryparty at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel this autumn, but in the event that it doesnt,do you have any confirmed performances scheduled in Washington?
SL:My tour schedule is being worked out right now, so I donft know what is confirmed,but I really hope it works out for me to perform at the Washington Lifeparty.
