RS: One serious question, you had a very inspirational song
about spousal abuse that came out in the 1990s called "Shoulda Known
Better." Was there a specific story behind that song?
Candy J: There was, I gave fifty thousand dollars to the National
Correlation for the Abuse and Battered Women. When that was all
coming into play, I was going with a Spanish guy that used to hit me
from time to time. He was very possessive and very jealous and I just
kept saying to myself when I was driving, he was sitting next to me, I
was like oh I've just got to get out, got to get out. Something was
playing on the radio and I started singing that to that, and that's
how that came up. Then I took the money from the publishing and gave
it to the shelter for abused and battered women.
RS: So you're going over to Italy to do some more shows and work
on some more music, who are you working with in Italy?
Candy J: Oh don't ask me that because I can't even pronounce his
name. Don Carlos was somebody I had worked with before and did a song
with him called Everybody that was pretty poplar in Italy but it
didn't do anything anywhere else. I am also working with a record
company in Amsterdam and I think they do a little bit more harder
stuff than any other country I know. I want to do something a little
bit more soulful, so I want to work with Byron Stanley and Mike Dunn.
When I go to Italy, believe it or not, I wind up working with American
DJs that are just over there and they've got studios set up over there
so I really don't even work with the Italian people, which is kind of
weird. Today I went to a garage sale and low and behold, much to my
dismay, there was one of my old CDs, brand new, in the pack, unopened,
selling for a dollar. I screamed but I bought it and it was like some
things never change.
RS: What else are you working on right now?
Candy J: Everybody keeps asking me when is my next record coming out.
I do stuff over in Europe and it comes back over here as imports but
it's just too expensive and people don't hear about it. Now I'm
trying to do stuff for the States again. Let me see, I'm twenty-seven
now..… Ron, you're laughing, what happened?
RS: You're twenty-seven?
Candy J: Well yes, what did you think I was?
RS: Well Hateful Head Helen came out…
Candy J: Shall we move on, Ron?
RS: In 1989, so you were nine years old when you sang that?
Candy J: Yes, just about, I was really young. I am working on a
project with Jeanie Tracie and Martha Wash which is supposed to be a
one-woman show which is going to have some Sylvester influence and my
comedic skills. This guy in Los Angeles is writing a whole treatment
and Jeannie's already agreed to it, so that's something to look
forward to. I was supposed to be doing a duet with Boy George, that
hasn't happened. God, Ron, there's so many promises and ah, what's a
girl to do?
RS: That's the quote, that's the quote.
Candy J: What's a girl to do?
RS: That's your next single.
Candy J: Yes, do you want royalties?
RS: No, I just want to see you perform it one day. Is there
anything you want to say to all your fans out there?
Candy J: I love them and thanks so much for all the support they've
given me throughout the years.