Lisa Lisa. Photo Courtesy of Clay Patrick McBride.
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam freestyle star Lisa Velez chatted about her upcoming Lifetime biopic “Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story,” and her music career.
Lisa Lisa on her new biopic
The film stars Lisa Velez as her mother, Jearnest Corchado as Lisa Velez, Bre Z as Toni Ménage, and NYC radio personality Angie Martinez as Nurse Rodriguez.
“I am excited, nervous, and overwhelmed with so many emotions, it’s crazy,” she admitted. “Words can’t describe what I am feeling. I am happy, and ecstatic, so I can’t wait. I think it was about time for this.”
For fans and viewers, Lisa Lisa remarked about the biopic, “I want them to get anything and everything they’ve ever wanted to know about me. I don’t think people know the inside scoop of me, and how I really started in this business.”
“Also, people will get to see everything that went in between until today. Everything was so worth it because I am very happy in my life right now,” she noted.
“Hopefully, this biopic movie will fill people in about my life,” she added.
Lisa Lisa on Jearnest Corchado playing her
Lisa Lisa praised the lead actress, Jearnest Corchado, who is playing her. “Jearnest is fabulous… we handpicked her,” she said. “She is just wonderful. I look at her, and I see me when I was young.”
Westbury show on Long Island
Lisa Lisa recently performed at the Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair on Long Island.
“That was fun,” she exclaimed. “It was a sold-out show. The audience was fabulous, and it was just great.”
“Next year, will be my 40th anniversary of ‘I Wonder If I Take You Home’ and I can’t wait to celebrate that,” she acknowledged.
Music and songwriting inspirations
On her music and songwriting inspirations, she said, “Life itself. I was raised with music. My mom and my dad were in a band, and growing up, we were raised on music. Whether we were cleaning the house, eating dinner or doing homework, music was always playing.”
“My mother was so into her singing; she was the director of the church choir when I was little. So, I was one of the singers in the church choir, and that’s how I started singing,” she recalled. “I’ve always loved music.”
Key to longevity
Regarding the key to longevity in the music business, she said, “It is all about relatability.”
“Back then, everybody related to lyrics and the sound was based out of New York. It was a specific sound that the freestyle dancers used to dance to. Of course, it always has to do with love,” she recalled.
“Everything I am portraying in my music is about the love of life, and how I was raised in this business,” she admitted.
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, Lisa Lisa said with a sweet laugh, “It’s weird. Back then, everything was about boots on the ground.”
The freestyle sensation continued, “I had to be at a record store, I had to be on the phone, and I would remember payphones back then. We would get off a tour bus, and had to get to a payphone to call the radio stations, and then, we would hit the radio stations, and we had to pass out the albums physically.”
“So, now, it is much easier for the kids today to put their music out and to be noticed. It was fun; I’m glad I did everything crazy back then,” she added.
Advice for young and aspiring artists
For young and emerging artists, Lisa Lisa suggested, “Keep your head up, don’t listen to too many birdies in your ear, always have everything in black and white, and get a lawyer.”
“Stay true to your craft; master that, and love what you do,” she added.
Career-defining moments
On her career-defining moments, she shared, “The day I played Radio City Music Hall in the ‘80s, was a defining moment.”
“I used to beg my mom to take me there, so the day it happened (when my name was up in lights), she told me ‘you see, there it is.’ I begged the bus driver to pull up in front of Radio City to see my name scrolling. I saw that, and I kissed the ground,” she elaborated.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Lisa Lisa revealed, “Limitless.”
“I say that I am ‘limitless’ because there is nothing that I won’t do to continue to entertain the audiences. I love to sing, and I love being on a stage,” she said.
“I want to keep moving, keep making new music, put movies out (the biopic is going to be aired in February on Lifetime), and I am writing my memoir right now, which will be released soon after,” Lisa Lisa elaborated.
“Then, we will go on tour for the 40th anniversary of ‘I Wonder If I Take You Home’,” she added.
Superpower of choice
If she were to have any superpower, it would be “to heal.”
“I would love to heal anybody from sickness, heartache, and misery; I’m a cancer survivor myself,” she explained. “So, I would love to heal.”
Success
Regarding her definition of success, Lisa Lisa said, “Success means that my kids could realize what I do. To me, that’s success.”
Message for her fans and supporters
For her fans, Lisa Lisa expressed, “It’s because of the fans that I still have a stage to perform on. They keep me alive. They keep requesting me, and it’s a whole community of beautiful people that keep me going, so thank you to them.”
To learn more about Lisa Lisa, check out her official website and follow her on Instagram.