RS: You have always been a visible presence at the Winter Music
Conference and the Billboard Dance Music Summit. Do you think those
industry conferences are important to artists?
Justin: Oh, extremely. Especially when you've met people and put
faces to the voices that you've spoken to on the phone or eMails and
stuff, that's some great networking. I would suggest it for everyone.
Everybody should support everyone at every chance they get, and that
includes, of course, getting on a plane and getting to where the
conventions are.
RS: On your liner notes, its says design by Diva Ego Design.
Shall I take that to mean that you all do your own design for art as
well?
Justin: Yes, actually Diva Ego Design is a production company as
well. That's a moniker we've used where we've been involved with
other artists with artwork and stuff and video design work and
productions. Diva Ego was a clothing design company and clothing shop
in California that was a side project in the 90s. It was becoming its
own beast and taking away from our other projects, so we didn't quite
have time to venture that route so perhaps that will come later, when
we find ourselves a little more time for such ventures.
RS: Wow, it's a full-on brand.
Justin: When you have art in your veins, it has to pour out of your
pores in every shape and form. Our high focus is our true passion
which is our music first and foremost.
RS: On the album, what's your favorite song on the album?
Justin: It's so personal because the whole album was written as a
diary of a shared relationship Christiana and I had at the same time.
It was just a little rollercoaster turning up all the ups and downs of
that particular snapshot in life. What would be the strongest one on
that? I guess for me "Come To This" which has a lot of personal
meaning. I think Christiana would probably say "My Promise" as that
was a personal snapshot of her
RS: Which of the songs was the hardest to record?
Justin: They were written from emotions that were very personal.
Christiana got quite emotional when recording "I Know That You Love
Me." For me, "Come to This" because it was right after a phone call
that gave me motivation as well as the bottles of Champagne during the
recording process.
RS: With the internet, I'm sure you're getting a big
international following, do you ever get an eMail from- say Zimbabwe,
and wonder how did they find me?
Justin: We absolutely adore Myspace. We were part of Myspace from
the beginning, I remember when Friendster was the rage and when it got
clogged up we just switched to Myspace because it was so much faster.
It's just snowballed into such a highway of traffic. MySpace brings
it in definitely globally and we get blown away about the traffic that
you get in there from fans in not just the US. It's just wonderful to
hear things from God knows where, countries you've never even heard of
seem to be on there, bringing in people to discover you.
RS: You're also very much a fan of the music as well. I
remember at the Billboard Dance Music Summit that you basically
stalked Cyndi Lauper with thirty thousand albums for her to sign.
Justin: Oh yes, I remember that. Cyndi Lauper was the first artist
that we didn't personally work with but was our first concert we went
to as major fans. My older cousin had to drive us to Irvine Meadows
Amphitheater. We were totally shaking in our feet, screaming, and
became addicted to concerts. Cyndi was a wonderful experience,
breaking our concert cherry definitely. We probably went to more
Cyndi concerts than any other artist. We saved everything, the tour
books and posters. So definitely that was just a natural, knowing she
was going to be there and bring the stack for her to sign. That's
actually the one Yoko Ono was at too, I remember meeting her and she
was so sweet as well.
RS: What would you like to say to all your fans out there?
Justin: We love them all. We grew up with Stacey Q and going along,
sneaking through the back door and sitting in the dressing room –
seeing all the excitement of her doing autograph sessions. That's
basically what we strive to be like. We know what its like to be a
fan and when we're fortunate enough to have fans because we give out
that spark – it takes us back to being fans and it's a wonderful side
effect of the job.
