inMusic chats with Perez Hilton
Music Editor: Catherine Main
Perez Hilton is not shy to tell people what he’s thinking; in fact he is known for it! Over the last few years, Perez Hilton has become a celeb –gossip icon in pop culture. He is a blogger, author of 2 books, and now running and managing his own music business. We sat down to talk to Perez about his new ventures, signing a Canadian artist to his label and how he ‘really’ feels about some of the biggest names in entertainment today!
iM: You released a new book recently, what can we expect to find in it?
PH: The book is called “True Bloggywood Stories” and it’s just a really fun, light-hearted, silly read that’s perfect for summer and when you’re lounging by the pool or beach. If you like the website, then you’ll love the book.
iM: The description states, “Perez asks the questions that Barbara Walters would never ask…” Can you elaborate on that a bit?
PH: Well I have a whole list, so I forgot since I wrote the book a while ago. Give me an example of a celebrity and I can give you an example of current questions I’d ask them.
iM: Let’s use Adam Lambert as an example.
PH: I would ask Adam Lambert, how does he get such beautiful skin? Which is a joke, because he’s kinda got really bad skin.
iM: What advice would you give to upcoming bloggers that are trying to do what you do?
PH: I would just tell them to do it for the right reasons. If you’re in it to make money, chances are you’ll be very frustrated and quit. But if you’re just doing it for fun then you’ll enjoy what you do and may potentially end up making money doing it. I didn’t make any money on my website until well over a year and a half after it started. But I see more and more people nowadays trying to start blogs to do it as a living.
iM: What is your limit? Is there anything that you will not cover at all?
PH: Yeah I do try to be very careful and respectful when it comes to a celebrity passing away or about a death or funeral.
iM: What do you say to critics who say you’ve kind of toned down a lot in the last year compared to when you first came out?
PH: I’d say look at last week and all the controversy I got myself into with Miley Cyrus.
iM: You’re known as a music-opinion setter and you’ve been known to break Lady Gaga, Paramore, Mika, and Katy Perry. Do you feel there’s a lot of pressure on you to always be right and that people look to you for recommendations on music?
PH: It doesn’t happen often that an artist I love and really champion goes on and becomes huge to superstars. I can definitely help musicians, but a lot has to happen and the stars have to align for that kind of success that a Gaga has had or a Katy Perry has had. I’m really thankful to have helped in any small way possible and that I get to share music that I love with my readers.
iM: I’m going to list off some artists/bands and I want you to tell me the first thing that comes to your mind.
iM: Semi Precious Weapons
PH: Glam.
iM: JLS
PH: Hot.
iM: Esmee Denters
PH: Boring.
iM: Orianthi
PH: Avril.
iM: Jason Derulo
PH: Bland.
iM: Katy Perry
PH: Fabulous.
iM: You been involved in a lot of Twitter beefs – is this a new forum for people to create publicity or do you feel the fights are genuine?
PH: It really just depends on who it is. Someone like Spencer Pratt really tries to get into these Twitter beefs as often as possible and he’s goading others to get into fights with him.
iM: Speaking of Spencer – do you think Heidi’s music career will go anywhere?
PH: Yeah…it’ll go straight down the toilet.
iM: What is the name of your record label?
PH: It is called Perezcious Music and it’s not really a record label but more of a music company because I want to be doing it all – and I am. From a record label to management to publishing to touring to everything else.
iM: Why did you choose Travis Garland to kind of kick it [label] off?
PH: Travis just spoke to me and honestly I didn’t choose him to kick it off because I’m actually working with ten acts. However, everyone I’m working with is at different stages and he’s the first one I was able to launch in a big way. You know I’m also working with Semi Precious Weapons and I’m also working with Darelle London. And the three of them are out there right now.
iM: How did you discover Darelle? How do you think she should be positioned in the market?
PH: Darelle emailed me some of her music and I listened to it and I liked it right away. She is a quirky, indie/pop singer-songwriter who I would compare to like a Kate Nash or Regina Spektor. She definitely is perfect for fans of Lilith Fair and I am one of those.
iM: If someone wanted to get signed to your label, what’s the best way to approach you?
PH: I’m very specific on what is my preferred method. I love if people email me three mp3s which is their three best songs and send them as attachments. That way I can preview each song in my email without having to go through the process of downloading the song and then importing it into my iTunes and then if I don’t like it, then having to go and delete it from my iTunes and then having to take it off my desktop and putting it into my trash. It really simplifies the process for me if I can just preview music in my email, so that’s what I prefer. I’ll listen to those three songs and I usually know within the first ten to twenty seconds if I like it or not. If I do, then I’ll get back to them and ask for more music or further the conversation along somehow.
iM: Is there anyone out there that you’re surprised made it big?
PH: John Mayer. John Mayer got lucky. He’s talented, but he’s not exceptionally talented. His music is good, but not ridiculously good. There’s nothing really special about John Mayer, but he came around at a different time in the early 2000s when radio was more receptive to his kind of music. If John Mayer was trying to launch his career right now, there would be no way that he’d be successful.
iM: You’re involved in so many different businesses, what does a typical day look like for you?
PH: A typical day starts really early for me – I set my alarm for like 4:30AM Mondays through Fridays. I do snooze a few times then take my dog out to go tinkle. I check my emails and then around 5:15AM I start making a few radio calls every morning. Then at 6AM, I start working and checking emails, getting back to people, finding stories, and just work non-stop. During lunchtime around 11AM, I might have some interviews, then work some more. At 3PM I go to the gym and then at 4:30PM I’ll have some in-person meetings. If I have time, then I’ll go to the gym in the evening and do spinning. Then I’ll come back and work some more and if it’s a good night, I’ll hopefully be in bed by 10:30PM.
iM: Where do you think you’re going to be five years from now?
PH: My vision for five years from now is to continue doing everything I’m doing now, which is working really hard, hopefully working smarter and having fun. You know I’d love to develop my online presence – I have plans to launch a new website. I’d love to really grow my music business. And personally, I would really love to start a family.
iM: Thank you for chatting with inMusic.ca!
PH: Thank you.
Transcribed by Melissa Tam.