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30-Oct-2005 : This article could
have easily been titled 'The rise and rise of Ira Losco'. A perfectionist by nature she's also a rolling stone with an insatiable appetite for setting higher standards. And so far she's always managed to surpass everybody's expectations in style. The sky 's the limit as they say. So where has she been since our first interview and what's in sight? Also:
ACT FAST and WIN! Learn about our fantastic new 'Really meet Ira' competition further down...
Round about the time of our first interview all your four singles released from the album 'Someone Else' reached the number 1 spot in the local radio charts. You then proceeded to win a bunch of awards such as 'Best Female Artist', ' Best Image' at the Malta Music Awards, 'Best Artist' at the Bay Music Awards and Tune In's 'Battle of the Babes Title'. And immediately took off to Germany for the first leg of your tour. But do you ever get time to celebrate your achievements or do you simply take them for granted and go on with life?
I never take anything for granted...I just don't give myself time to savour what I've achieved I
guess, just because I'm too ambitious and too excited about what comes next. My mind is always running ahead of me, thinking of new songs, concepts, image and how I can improve myself and my act. I love music and I live it everyday. Howard Keith and I work an average of 20 hours a day, lately...it's crazy but it is so worth it! I appreciate everything that comes my way and everyone who I have worked with, I love sharing this experience with them and I believe that hard work always pays off.
In Germany you supported Ronan Keating, Nena, and Jimmy Sommerville in Pappenburg. You were also main support to Elton John at his only European arena stadium concert. You even supported Mel C! ... .Wow!! How does it feel to be performing alongside such huge international stars? Did you get a chance to talk to them or even shake hands or exchange a hug or at least a nod of encouragement!?
I enjoyed every single experience that has come my way, and last Summer was definitely a confirmation that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Performing alonside such famous international acts, was a great achievment and honour for me. I spoke to Katie Melua, Jimmy Sommerville, Mark Owen and Mel C, all of them were lovely! I was at the bog when Ronan Keating walked in the venue and putting away my instruments when Elton John walked past me! hehehehe so I wasn't too lucky there, but apparently Elton John was impressed by my performance...the promoters told me, I was over the moon when they told me that. It's a great feeling to know you've been a valuable supporting act, because the headlining artist appreciates the fact that you've put up a good show just before he/she takes the stage. It's important to warm up the crowd!
So tell us. Did the Summer Festival Tour in Germany work out as anticipated or are you just whetting your appetite? Did you really perform to an audience of 80,000 people!!!?
The Summer Festival Tour was an incredible experience, I love being on stage performing my music to the German public. They are a
fantastic audience and my performances where extremely well received. Along the way, I realised that certain fans where actually travelling from one venue to another just to watch me! The last gig I played in August was to a crowd of 80,000 people...it was incredible...the more people there seem to be, the more I enjoy kicking serious ass!
heheheh.
But have you ever suffered some form of stage fright before performing to such huge numbers and alongside international stars? Is there any form of pressure or is it "loads of fun" to you !?
I just can't wait to get on stage, whenever we play a venue. The whole experience is fun from beginning to end. Arriving at the venue, (after a five hour drive!!) sound check, catering, the dressing room, the performance and the after party!!! Sometimes, things don't always go as planned, we once couldn't have a decent sound check, didn't have dressing rooms or catering and I once showered in a bucket! but it's all an amazing experience, and I will never ever forget last Summer! There are no pressures if you feel prepared. I love my job, this is what I've always dreamed I'd be doing, and I'm living my dream, what more could I want?
What was the longest time spent abroad on tour so far and do you perform every day? Is there a special routine the band and yourself go though before getting on stage?
The first leg of the tour was three weeks long and we played every other day. The second was two weeks where we played nearly every day. The last was one month where we played every other day, with the last four days back to back. That meant travelling form one hotel to another, being in the van at a 5 hour stretch every time! The band and I just get along so much, it's just a matter of keeping that positive energy on stage
too!! We all get tired and it's not easy to be on the go like that everyday, but this is our life and we love what we do, so that's our psyche. In the van we're like school children on an outing, except school children aren't allowed alcohol or foul language..... we are....
heheheheh!
What's a normal day like for you guys on tour? Where do you live? Do you sleep well? Do you eat well? (I sound like your mother here) Do you get enough space and time to get prim and proper? Do you get time to practice as a band?? And odd question but honestly ... do you end up co-habiting with dirty linen and empty beer cans or do you even tidy up?
Ok, I'm like the pain in the ass mum, who cleans obsessively in the kitchen and gets pissed when the guys turn up late at table for dinner! lol.
Alex (my acoustic Guitarist) and I take it in turns to cook. When living in an
apartment in Berlin we usually end up sleeping together even though there are like four bedrooms...it's more fun!!! When we go to our gigs we travel in our van for long hours and then crash at our hotel, obviously this time we all get double rooms, I share with Nadienne my bassist. Like I said before,
sometimes I had to shower in a bucket, it's a bit like camping lol ...without the trees! As for dirty linen, the apartments we stay in have a laundry service and when we stay in hotels we wash our stuff in the sink and hang our g strings
everywhere! (obviously referring to Nad and myself here and not referring to guitar strings either!!)
German audiences seem to react extremely well to your music. Is there a chance of rocking Germany even further? Is the big breakthrough close by? Do you talk to your audience and what about?
I love working the crowd, they just go biserk!!! They love a bit of freaking out on stage and my band they're just plain crazy!! I'll jump on the monitors and stand on the front speakers....the last gig at Metzingen was wild....the front rows were screaming like banshees hehehhehe. I believe it can
happen in Germany....it's just round the corner...I just need to keep working my ass off!
As soon as you launched your first album you immediately started work on the second. Incredible! So what are you up to at the moment?
I am now back in the studio, finalising my second album
for the territory of MALTA. My first album for the territories of Germany, Switzerland and Austria, is due to be released early 2006. In fact I started
my radio and TV Promos, last Thursday. I was off to Berlin to perform my single "GET OUT!" on KIKA TV broadcast on ARD and ZDF.
Please do tell us more about
this second album of yours!!
The second album in Malta and the first album in the GSA territory have the same
name...'Accident Prone'....but with some difference in the track listing. Reason being the first album for the GSA market has 8 new songs no one's heard in Malta yet, together with Love Me or Hate Me, Who I Am, Someone Else, Day By Day and So Alive, which people in Malta will remember from 'Someone Else'. The local release has 12 new tracks...one if which was the single 'EVERYDAY" which hit number 1 spot on a local radio station.
So is Malta where you pre-release singles to test the public's reaction?
Let's just say it's always worked great as a test bench, however Malta has always been and will always be my home territory and people who have supported me and continue to support me through my career are very important to me. I want to give them my best and I always want to deliver a great sounding record, which is why I value their opinion so much!
How different is your second album from 'Someone Else'. Was it easier to write?
Howard and I thought it would be hard to beat 'Someone Else', but listening to this album now, I can say that I have matured and challenged myslef so much as an artist! This album sounds amazing...it's deeper, grungier, the guitars are in your face and the melodies are very strong. All the songs mean so much to me, Right after 'Someone Else' was released I started writing for this album. I also had co writing sessions in Sweden, and have written some really special songs during our tour in Germany. Vocally I feel I have reached another level. I am so proud of this album, I just can't wait for it to be released.
Is there anything you miss badly and would love to have more time for but simply can't?
I miss being with my loved ones. I miss having time to sit at table even just once with my family and have dinner and discussing what we've all done during the day. I arrive home at unearthly hours of the morning when my parents are fast asleep ....and when I'm on tour, I don't see them at all. But this is the life I've chosen, it's my passion, and they understand that and support me and that means the world to me. No one ever said this was gonna be easy and I'm ready to take anything that life throws at me....at the end of it all I can stand tall and say "at least I've tried my best!".
And now for our popular cheeky question ;)
How would you classify the following situations; starting with worst first?
| a. |
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Meeting someone dressed exactly like you in an important reception |
| b. |
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Stepping on waste chewing gum half way through a performance |
| c. |
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Badly needing to go to the bathroom soon after starting off an hour's long live television interview |
| d. |
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A long lost lover asking to get back together on 'Tista' tkun int' with smoochy photos in hand |
Worst
first would be as follows:
| d. |
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A long lost lover asking to get back together on
'Tista' tkun int' with smoochy photos in hand
Long Lost lover??? (a) I’m not a romantic so throw away your red roses guys...(b) Displaying emotion on National TV was never my forte! ( C) If they’re lovers from the past...there’s little hope for re union...my relationships end for a bloody good reason!! lol
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| a. |
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Meeting someone dressed exactly like you in an important reception
I hate wearing things off catalogues, I usually try and scout around thrift shops abroad and customize my clothes, so if this ever had to happen, I’d walk into a bathroom and improcustomise...lol that’s a word I made up (improvise+customise) or get wasted, run up to the girl wearing the same outfit and yell “SNAP” to the top of my lungs! hahahahah
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| c. |
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Badly needing to go to the bathroom soon after starting off an hour's long live television interview
During those 5 hour trips in the van, Nadienne and I had a competition going, it was either me or her sitting on the edge of our seats, with grimacing looks on our faces, I hate bushes ...my ass deserves better hehehe. So this one’s a killer...sitting through an interview holding a pee sounds like torture and do remember.... my interview gets translated there and then in Germany, so that’s like double the amount of time holding it!!
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| b. |
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Stepping on waste chewing gum half way through a performance
A little bit of gum never hurt anyone....try stepping on dog s*** just before you get on the van in Berlin and drive to Stuttgart.................and I wondered why the band wouldn’t sit next to me!!!! hahahahah
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Thanks
Ira! Good Luck
Interview for Manicmalta.com by Richard
Borg on 30-Oct-2005
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You can visit
Ira Losco on the web at www.iralosco.com
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