Barbara Tucker is probably the hardest-working diva in the business. Crafted as part of a benefit for AIDS charity Lifebeat, her record with Blaze, "Most Precious Love," was the definitive record of Winter Music Conference 2005. With a re-release pending on Defected and a hot video, the song continues to be a club anthem. Performing back-to-back every night during the week of the conference, Barbara also organizes "Let the Singer be Heard," to give artists a chance to share their music with a very supportive and appreciative crowd.
DJ Ron Slomowicz: I saw your schedule for WMC and you are the hardest working diva in the business!
Barbara Tucker: Oh, you think so?
RS: Oh yes, it looks like you're performing every night.
Barbara Tucker: I'm sure there are other people performing more that I am, but it just happened that way. My music is bigger overseas and certain quality parties, especially if they support artists, want me to be part of what they're doing. Then, of course, I also do my own thing.
RS: Your party, Let The Singer Be Heard, is always a highlight of the week.
Barbara Tucker: Thank you.
RS: What was the inspiration, where did the idea come from for it?
Barbara Tucker: Because I noticed that a lot of the artists did not have a stage. If they were not pushy or they weren't a big name, the artists were not coming or they were just there and not performing. I had started this actually under the energies and spirit of the Underground Network like about eight years ago. You've got all these DJs playing and that's not how the Conference started, it was to showcase new music labels and artists, and it's flipped and turned into a ten DJs on a bill situation. I said you know what, let the singer be heard, the singer got something to say, and that's how I came up with that. So it's been five years ago I switched the name, and that's what I've been doing every year.
RS: Last year, "Most Precious Love" was the song of the week. I heard it at every club and you sang it every night. What about the record do you think made it such a great Winter Music Conference record?
Barbara Tucker: It's a real thing and it cuts through. A lot of the songs kind of sound the same - a lot of them are mellow or a lot of them are hyper with no vocals on it, and "Most Precious Love" was in the middle, it cut through. I just honestly believe that God had his hand on this project, because the basis of the project was to raise money for Lifebeat.
RS: Yes, it started from the Underground Dance Artists for Life, how did you get involved with that?
Barbara Tucker: Kevin Hedges of Blaze, who came up with the idea, said he was inspired by the Let The Singer Be Heard parties and he was inspired by me and how I'm always bringing artists together. So he wanted to do a project that did that with some of the main artists and they started writing and formatting everything. A year before Most Precious Love another song was written for me. He said this is not the one for Barbara. He was in Japan and was inspired. He sat down and thought of me and this is what came to him.
RS: The song has kept growing. I heard Defected is about to re-release it in the UK.
Barbara Tucker: Yes, they are about to rerelease it in April. There's an animated video and it was just added to the number one radio station in the UK.
RS: You've got BBC Radio One on it, wow! I love the video and I noticed that your website is going to look like the video also.
Barbara Tucker: Well we're going to switch it up a little. We like that idea and we're going to run with that, because I tend to be animated.
RS: One of the many things I love about you is, like the video, you bring so many people together, all the artists, all the DJs.
Barbara Tucker: I love people.
RS: And that really comes through... Were you involved with making the video?
Barbara Tucker: No. Basically I did tell them this is how I wear this and I don't wear that. Because if you want to do me, do me right. My afro, when I do wear an afro is never neat so it shouldn't be completely round. I said I don't wear pumps that much, but I wear boots when I perform because of the support, and I wear corsets. Well, they got it right, somebody was watching me.
RS: That's awesome. Congratulations also, you won a whole bunch of awards at the House Music Awards - Best Live PA, Outstanding Vocal on a Track, Best Track, Best Remix, and Defected won Label of the Year. Those awards were chosen by the people going to the website and voting. How does that make you feel to know that so many people voted for you?
