(Photo Credit: Harley Jade Walker)
How did you come up with your name Miss Cherry Delight?
The name “Miss Cherry Delight” is basically a lure, much like “Chucky” or “Annabelle.” It tricks you into feeling comfortable and safe. It sounds like a cupcake or some shit. You do feel safe, don’t you? What could possibly go wrong? Nothing! So you let your guard down. And that’s when I get you…
Can you introduce us to your band?
J-Murder on lead guitar, Thunderbeast on rhythm guitar and bass, Ghost Stories on the keyboard, Juggernaut on Drums, and when we are lucky enough to have her, Laura Leecifer on backing vocals. They’re fucking amazing and I’m so lucky to be able to create and perform with them. They are perfect for this project and when we’re all together I think of us as a creepy Megazord.
When would you say you first got into writing music?
I was trained classically and began singing professionally at 14. Then I got happily kidnapped by jazz musicians and earned a thorough education in jazz and blues. All of these experiences are essential elements of what made my rock voice strong. By 2018 I had sung everyone’s songs but my own. I had written poetry my whole life, but never a song. One day on my way to work in the city, I thought about what my mentor, Bambi the Mermaid, had just said to me. She asked me, if Miss Cherry Delight could say anything, what would she say? I was inspired to write a poem from the point of view of a villain, wracked with self-doubt and weighed down by impossibly high standards, who suffers so deeply because she desperately needs to have everything. By the time I got off the train, I had written the lyrics for my first original song, Cherry Blood. That was August 18th, 2018.
Shortly after that, Mike Forzano, a great bass player with whom I’d worked before, introduced me to producer/guitarist Justin Ethan Mathews. Justin and I worked together to complete Cherry Blood and record it in his studio. Since then we would continue to collaborate on twenty-nine (so far!) more songs. Justin became J-Murder and Mike became Thunderbeast. The rest is history.
Is there an artist that inspires you?
If we’re talking about Miss Cherry Delight, I’m inspired by anyone who evokes tongue-in-cheek villainy. Probably at the top of that list is Alice Cooper. Also, I would say visually, my makeup and presentation are influenced heavily by early David Bowie Ziggy Stardust era Kabuki makeup and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. But I’m also inspired by any artist whose work is informed by theatricality. Anyone who does that is speaking my language. I come from a Broadway background, so I try to provide a theatrical experience no matter what the circumstances, even on those occasions when I have to work on a shoestring budget. I always want to be more than just a band. I want Miss Cherry Delight to be an experience.
In your words can you describe your style of music?
I call what I do shock rock, hard rock, goth alternative, and electronic. I would say it’s dark, it’s fun, it’s sexually explicit, it’s bloody, it’s in your face. I will never apologize for any of the crazy shit I do onstage. All that matters is that you willingly come along with me on this crazy-ass ride.
What is your pre-show ritual? Do you do anything special before you go on as a ‘good luck’ charm?
I always gotta have two bottles of Monfefo onstage, along with cold water and a thermos of hot tea. When I’m in the recording studio or in a songwriting session, I have a Bowie Saint candle burning. I’ve been lighting these candles from FullCircleGiftsAndGoods.com since I began my first album, and that tradition has kept up ever since. Next to my Bowie candle, there's a snow globe with the face of Oderus Urungus of GWAR along with a gargoyle owned by my dear recently departed friend, the late great Frankie Maddox Rex of the FMs. Three fallen rock legends watching over me while I work.
For someone who is starting out, what would be the best piece of advice could you give them?
This career is not for the weak. People who make it in this business are the ones with clear and precise goals, who will stop at nothing to make sure that everyone sees and hears, and experiences their vision. You have to have talent of course but you also need a strong sense of self, you have to have a relentless drive and you have to go balls to the wall. If you wake up and making your music is all you can think about, if you have a strong sense of artistic individuality, then you will go places. The most important thing you can be in this industry is yourself. Don’t try to copy anyone else.
If you could create a soundtrack for a new upcoming horror movie what 3 songs would be in the movie?
I would say that most of my music would be well suited to any kind of horror movie. If I have to pick three I’m going to choose Cherry Blood, My Altar, and Broken Doll. If you’re asking for three songs by other artists then I would select Spiracle by Flower Face, In My Mouth by Black Dresses, and Edge by Rezz.
Where can we find you at? (this is where you can post any and all links! Promote yourself)
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