G-Note artist Lea Sunshine recently did a cover of a track called “Dreaming Of You” by Selena. After the break you can view her cover and read an excerpt of her interview with latina.
Can you tell me a bit about your background and family?
“I was raised in Queens, mostly by my single mother. My father was very much involved in my life. He was very much into music, and performed a lot at parties as a DJ. He would take me and I started singing and performing and getting into it. When I was starting out, it was the 80s. So [I was listening to] a lot of that music, but also a lot of Spanish music. My dad would just perform wherever he could, and he now does karaoke!” (laughs)
How would you describe your sound?
“I’m influenced by a lot of different genres. From jazz to R&B to pop. My dad had a huge record collection growing up and I would listen to everything. [My sound] has become a fusion of everything that I love.”
Who would you list as your influences?
“Mariah Cary has always been an influence. She really changed the game when she started out. There was no one like her. I’m currently really into Beyonce and Rihanna. I like [Rihanna] a lot, [though] I’m not as edgy as she is. I’m definitely influenced by her sound and beats.”
How did you come to get signed with G-Note?
“I came out on ‘Sunshine’ in 2004. I was doing anything and traveling and meeting all these celebrities and after that kind of calmed down, I had to come back home and work again as a waitress. Nothing ever happened. It felt like I was completely over. I was defeated and even stopped doing music because I felt very discouraged. I got a job in a club, and this rep found me working there. They wanted me to work on a project for Hot Rod [a G-Note rapper]. So I did and ended up meeting with everyone and talking more and more. Then I met [50 Cent] at an event, and he told me he liked what I had done and I then signed [to the label]. I saw it as a sign from God, at that point. It really came out of nowhere.”
Read the rest of the interview here.
