Category: Interviews

Seamus Haji Interview 2014

As a DJ/producer/label owner/A&R guy, Seamus Haji has worn many hats in the dance music world. He is also one of those rare producers that can make credible underground/progressive releases (like the buzz record ?Inception? with Sheldon) and remix big commercial pop songs by artists like Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Girls Aloud, and The Saturdays. It was quite a fun interview especially since I got to ask so many questions I?ve wondered about for many years.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: I?ve always wondered ? with a name like Seamus, are you Irish?
Seamus Haji: My mom is Irish and my father is Indian. I was born in the mix!

RS: Someone just told me that you used to do A&R for Strictly Rhythm.
Seamus Haji: Yes, it was back in 2010. I went to work for them for a year after they split from Defected. They asked me to come aboard and sign really good club records which is what I did, but after a year they wanted to move towards a commercial direction, so we were at two different head spaces. I was about signing good underground club music and getting into events and they really just wanted to concentrate on having commercial hits so we decided to part ways. During the time that I was working for them I put Big Love on hold and have now re-launched the label. I also have a label deal with a big company in the UK called New State. They do a lot of Cream and Pacha compilations and so I am really excited about a lot of new music that we have coming up.
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Sharon Needles Interview 2014

The TV show RuPaul?s Drag Race has bought mainstream attention to the drag world unlike any other show before.??But just like any other reality or competition show, it is what you do with the platform that determines where you end up.??Born Aaron Cody and growing up in Iowa, Sharon Needles rebelled against his conservative upbringing by moving away, creating her character Sharon Needles, and incorporating goth, punk, and the macabre into his drag persona.??Her style of drag attracted a massive fan base and she won Season 4 of the show.??Rather than rush out a melodyned club track like most of the contestants have, she wrote and recorded a full-on artist album that blends rock and electronic music in a unique and cohesive way.??What?s really impressive, aside from the quality of the album, is how active she was at the Winter Music Conference ? speaking on panels, hosting the IDMA, and making her presence known.??She is also a pleasure to speak with, respectful of those who came before her, and not afraid to speak her mind about anything you ask her.??

DJ Ron: Listening to your album, I?ve been wondering what your songwriting process is. Do you start with a track and write to it or do you write your own lyrics first?

Sharon Needles: I write all of my own lyrics, but it really depends on the song. A lot of songs, especially ?I Wish I Were Amanda Lepore,? was something that I wrote when I was 18 years old. ?Dead Girls Never Say No? was also part of my old poetry. I get my tracks in advance and I write my songs according to my tracks. I have a great topliner named Ashley Levy who helps me make sure that everything sounds phonetically correct and that the timing of words is correct. My production company, Killingsworth Records, are phonetic Nazis. The way that they look at timing and think of vowels and words in a song is very important to them. It is all my writing, but they just kind of chop it up and help me make it ?correct.?
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