RS: I wanted to compliment you because this has been a great year for you, with both Aida and your song "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" which has been number one on the Billboard Dance Radio Chart since the start. What was the inspiration to cover "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven?"
Deborah: The opportunity to record the song came when Phil Collins' record label, Atlantic, was doing a tribute album to him and they asked all these different artists to do renditions of his songs. So I did "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" and the original version is a ballad. The original Phil record is uptempo but we slowed it down and made it a ballad. The record was only released in the UK, and then when the idea for the remixed album came about, which was an idea that I've had for the longest time, I said this would be great song to remix as well, and so we did it. The song came out to be a gem, just came out to be a really, really interesting rendition of it. Funnily enough, it ended up being uptempo again, so it was just one of those things that felt really good doing. I decided that SHOTWTH should be the leading single for this, to drive this remixed album.
RS: You've always included your dance remixes on the albums, you've had at least two or three on each of your albums. What was the inspiration just to do a whole album of remixes?
Deborah: I think the inspiration came from the fans. Whenever I'm online or whenever I get a chance to really communicate with the fans and the audience, they always say that they would love to have all of the remixes on one CD. They've got the singles and some people have burnt them from different web sites and stuff. So it was something that we talked about for a long, long time, and I just wanted to make sure that this remix album to be really special. I wanted it to feel like you were in the club and on the dance floor, so that was the approach and I think we accomplished that mission.
RS: Now a serious question for you, a few of today's R&B and pop acts have expressed their view on not wanting their songs to be remixed or it to be associated with dance music. You, on the other hand, have always embraced dance music and remixes since the beginning of your career and yet you still maintain your R&B credibility and roots, what's you opinion on this?
Deborah: My opinion is that music is music. As long as you approach doing a remix with truth, I don't see the dance remixes being any different than an hip-hop remix- it's really a different version of the song. For me, it's important to re-sing the vocals and make sure that the production value is right so that it comes out truthful in that area, you know what I mean? I don't understand why people shy away from it but it's to each his own. Whatever you feel is going to be truthful and maybe some artists don't feel like their songs are, have the same impact when they're remixed. So I don't know, I think differently, I think it's about reaching everybody on every different plane and every different level, and if I could remix the song and do a dance remix, that's great. If I could do a classical version, that'll be great too. It's all just about expression.
RS: That's a wonderful answer, thank you for saying that. Your music has a really wide fan base and I'm wondering, have you every performed to two different crowds in the same night, say like an R&B show early in the evening and then a dance club later in the night?
Deborah: Yes, I've done that I was touring a couple of years ago with R. Kelly and the Lillith Fair, I would do the late night underground gigs as well because it's always around those times that there was a hot song, either on the radio or in the clubs, it would just be simultaneous. I've always been switching around the show to accommodate the audience, and you know it really makes it a lot more fun for me and keeps it fresh so that I'm not complacent with the same show every night and with every audience.
RS: Wow. In my mind you would not need a hot single, you'd be amazing to see any time, because I love your music.
Deborah: Thanks.
