KALINA ISATO: THE INTERVIEW

Kalina Isato (formerly known as Divinity Lee), the artist also known as Gorgeous Girl, was one of MP3.com's most popular artists. Her fusion of trance, techno, and house music embodies the spirit of clubland. This exclusive interview with Kalina captures the essence of her work ethic and her never-ending desire to be the best artist that she can be.

How did you get started in music?

It all started when I was four years old and my father gave me his old reel-to-reel tape recorder. I made up my own songs and recorded them. I played the tape back years later and noticed my voice sounded a lot like Mickey Mouse. I think that revelation made me realize that I had better stick to writing music than singing. My elementary school forced everyone to learn music, so for six years I learned how to play a plastic flute. We had a piano in school and my classmates and I were envious of the one boy who got to play it every day because he was lucky enough to be able to afford private lessons. My yearning to play keyboards started back then. For about seven years after elementary school, I didn't touch a musical instrument, so I kind of regressed musically. I listened to a lot of music at the time to keep my mind occupied. My two younger brothers both learned sax and my mother sang Chinese opera and recorded a number of songs so my family was somewhat musically literate.

I taught myself chords and piano technique while in college. I practiced every day until I got pretty good at playing one of my songs over and over again. I saw many college bands in those days and really liked the energy and excitement that went into live playing. Many musicians I knew at the time had a talent for playing other people's music, but when it came down to writing their own songs, they weren't very good at it. I probably had an advantage over them in writing my own music because I didn't have to play other people's songs over and over again to satisfy some teacher.

When did you first start writing dance music?

It was in my last two years in college. I basically took a lot of college courses with a professor who wanted to start an electronic music program in my university. In 1988, I helped him set up the first electronic music lab in the New England area. We beat Berklee College of Music with that accomplishment! My friends and I used to stay and play in that lab day and night. A few of us were really interested in Ray Lynch, Barbara Dennerlein, and synth bands like Erasure, Depeche Mode, and New Order. Many of my songs have been recorded in recent months, but have been lurking in the back of my mind for years. Only recently, about 12 years later, have I built up sufficient production skills to record them to my liking.

How long does it take you to write a song?

I'd like to defer to a Vince Clarke quote on that one. Vince said that a song can be created in 20 minutes. I would agree with this. You can devise a good melody in 20 minutes. It's what you do in the next three or four hours that can mean the difference between a keeper and a throwaway. Some people have a knack for writing and producing songs quickly. In the end, a song should never be judged by the time it took to produce, but by the quality of it. If a song came from your heart and you gave it your best effort, people will hear it in your work whether it took you 20 minutes or 20 years.

Do you use samples in your music? Do you believe in sampling?

I do believe in some sampling. When there's a great vocal hook or clip, you'd be out of your mind not to use it. In terms of beat loops, however, I used to use other people's beat loops, but I soon discovered that you can only get so far with sampled beat loops. It's much better to create your own. That way you have absolute control over every inch of the production. With sampled beat loops, you can add, but you cannot cut out beats easily, especially if a sound you want to cut out is right next to another that you want to keep. You can spend hours trying to fix a beat loop. I'd rather spend that time learning how to create my own. Any production where you use your own beat loops will sound cleaner than one with sampled beat loops.

What do you think of musicians who use Acid and ReBirth and other software synthesizer and sampler products? Do you use them?

I don't use these products, but that doesn't mean they aren't any good. A lot of the purists out there will try to put down artists who use these programs, but my thoughts on the subject are if an artist is a true artist, he or she will be able to use any instrument or tool to its fullest capacity and then some. You can use these programs and still be considered an artist if you put your own personal touch into them. By that, I mean you should try to exploit certain features of the programs that other artists may not have considered. I've heard a couple of incredible songs made with the much-hated Ejay program. One song combined several different musical styles together in interesting ways. If you don't know what you're doing, a project like this could turn out disastrous. Luckily, this artist knew what he was doing and the result was a song that transcended the limitations of the program.

Do you perform live?

I've been asked to perform live several times. I haven't done so yet, because I really want to put together an outstanding show before I go ahead and do it. I'm currently working on a number of concert mixes of my tracks.

How did you come about producing your song, Techno World?

Techno World was an idea I had for quite some time. I wanted to create a song that represented the finest elements of the techno genre.The song had to scream "TECHNO ANTHEM!" It took me almost a week to write that song.It underwent about two dozen revisions before I was finally satisfied with it. The main melody changed along the way. The things I had to concentrate on were buildups and breakdowns, which good anthems have. I went to a lot of gay clubs when I was younger, so that gave me a great foundation for creating the kind of song I wanted. The name of the song was very important to me, too. A good song title can make or break a good song. I was going to call it Synchronicity at first, but I decided against it because that was too close to Sex in the City. I also considered calling it Anthem, but that sounded a little pretentious. Techno Anthem sounded stupid. When I thought about Techno World, I said to myself that this title embodied everything the song was about. An anthem is a song that is universally loved and, to me, there seemed to be a logical connection between the word "anthem" and "world." Given the picture that I used [of New York City], I also considered attaching the phrase "Fire Island Mix" to the song because Fire Island is known to have all the great gay dance parties where all the anthems are played, but that phrase probably would have killed the song with a lot of people who are not gay. I stayed with the "universally loved" concept and kept the title short and simple so it would appeal to the masses.

Tell us about some of the production that went into Techno World.

Well, a lot of people know that I totally love virtual analog synthesizers like the Novation Nova and the Quasimidi Sirius. I created all of the arpeggiated lines in the song with those two synths. I created all of the beat loops on my E-MU E4XT Ultra and added extra sounds from the rest of the gear in my setup. It took about a day and a half to get the initial melodies and sounds right and several days to tweak all of the parts to create a good story that a listener can follow. Songs tell stories, but anthems tell awesome stories, so in order to create a great story, I had to get down to the tick level and adjust notes to fall exactly in the right place. How certain notes fall and where they fall can create such dramatic effects in the listener's mind. A song can be mellow and slow, but an anthem has to be upbeat and fast. Techno World developed on its own over time and I never rushed the production of it. Throughout the production, I adhered to a "never be satisfied until I got it right" principle.

What was it like to get your music heard on MTV's "The Osbournes"?

It was like a dream come true. Over a minute and a half of "Planet Rave" was used in episode four of The Osbournes and I recently started receiving royalty checks for my work. Getting your music heard by hundreds of thousands of people is always exciting.

Why did you choose the name "Gorgeous Girl"?

Years back, a producer friend called me that, so the name kind of stuck. It's a little embarrassing, actually. I have to always put my best face forward and not everyone may agree that I'm gorgeous, but I feel that the name gives me a high standard that I have to either meet or exceed every day. Just like anything in life, if you set high goals for yourself and work hard to achieve them, you will be successful in the eyes of others. People cannot fault you for putting out your best effort. I'd like to think of Gorgeous Girl as a band name and not just an artist name.

How did you come up with your image?

Well, I figured that a "gorgeous girl" had better look pretty gorgeous, so that's where my side job as a makeup artist comes into play. I do a lot of dramatic makeup for men and women. I wanted to create a larger-than-life image for Gorgeous Girl yet I still wanted to remain true to my music. There are so many electronic artists that prefer not to have their faces shown alongside their music, which I think is a shame because some people want to associate a face with a body of music. It adds a personal touch to the musical experience.

Has your image changed over time?

Definitely. My first artist picture had a more glamorous look, but several people told me that my look didn't quite fit my music. I then went for a raver girl look, which was kind of cool for a while, but it just didn't sit well with me because the look wasn't glamorous enough to me. My name had no longer fit my image. Luckily, I had a photo shoot soon afterwards and came up with the image you now see on this web site. To me, the image fits the music and I'm happy with it. I call it the "diva DJ/dance music producer" look.

How do you see your image developing over time?

I'd like to be able to build on the foundation that I have now and create a larger-than-life image like many pop stars, however, I'm not like most pop stars in that I'm not a singer or a dancer. I'm the person behind the controls making the music. DJs and dance music producers have been held in very high regard nowadays and people like Junior Vasquez and Paul Oakenfeld can play in a club or a stadium and draw tens of thousands of people. These two DJs are the people I try to aspire to be like.

Has your image been a positive or a negative factor for you?

Some people will always have their prejudices and it is hard to change them. I've given up on trying to change people. You can either love or hate my image. If you don't like my image, that's fine, but don't dislike my music just because you dislike my image. I'm sure there are many artists whom people like for their music rather than for their image (e.g. Madonna, Michael Jackson, KISS, Queen, Eurhythmics, Boy George). For the most part, though, people do like my image. They say nice things about it and it's even better when they say nice things about my music, too. So, my image has been a positive factor for me.

Who was involved in producing your CDs?

I produced everything you see and hear on all six CDs, except for the fantasy art cover on Wild Ride. I subcontracted the work out to Dan Burke, a graphic artist who has worked for NVIDIA and Blizzard Entertainment. Remember that name, because he does fantastic work. Nowadays, indie artists have to get involved with all aspects of CD production, from writing and producing songs to CD artwork. Thankfully, I had a head start in all of this. I've been producing CDs on a mass scale (1,000 copies or more) since 1993. Check out Wild Ride Limited Edition, published right here on Catwalk Records.

What do you have to say to all of the artists out there who are just starting in the music business?

It's really tough out there. I've been doing this for many years. If you stick with your vision and write good music, you will eventually be heard and your fan base will grow. When developing yourself as an artist, promotion is every bit as important as your music. Without promotion, you may be super-talented, but may never get heard.

Any closing remarks?

Don't be afraid to be different and try new things. If everyone wanted to make music "just like Madonna" or "just like the Chemical Brothers," the world would be so boring! Don't be afraid to integrate your unique experiences into your music. When you can do that successfully, you will have elevated yourself to the status of an artist rather than just a copycat.

Thanks, Gorgeous Girl! You're an awesome person and an inspiration to us all.

You're very welcome and thank you!