Lady Daisey is no newcomer to the music industry. Even with the vast amount of involvement in the industry, Daisey has now released her debut solo album, In My Pocket, on May 24, 2010.
The first single, “Magical”, from the debut solo album was released on May 7, 2010. In listening to Daisey’s works, she writes and sings about everyday happenings, but with a beat that you can’t help but listen and move. Her aspiring words in “Magical” make you yearning for more of her work, and you’re left with a “feel good” sense.
Lady Daisey puts the words of life, love, and truth to the beats made by Batsauce – Daisey’s Beatmaker/Producer/Husband. They have been working together for some time, but this solo album of Daisey’s, shows the perfect mix of Batsauce’s beats to Daisey’s lyrics.
Lady Daisey answered a few questions for WYDU. See what Daisey, and Batsauce, had to say about the new album.
WYDU: Any special reasoning or vibes you want listeners to get when hearing “Magical”?? What about other songs on the album?
Daisey: (song by song breakdown)
Magical
Every day is magical, be it beautiful or tragical… I wrote that song for my mom. It’s one of those songs that poured out of me in about 10 minutes. (I wish they were ALL that easy!) She was going through some hard times and I believe the Universe would never throw us a challenge we can’t handle. We may not come out of it smelling like a rose, but we do come out of it a bit stronger, and hopefully a bit wiser. It’s all part of life and a day without some kind of challenge probably means you’re not living anymore. So… bring it! Living and learning, feeling and growing, don’t stop!
Big Time
Oddly enough, this is one of the most powerful and uplifting songs I’ve ever written, yet it was moments after finding out a friend of a friend commit suicide. The overall vibe was super dark the day we got the news and I remember thinking “Yeah, life is hard but dammit! You can’t just quit!” I personify life as a foxy diva, all dressed up struttin’ her stuff, constantly changing her steeze… and it’s up to us, the people, to keep up with her. “You gotta keep up, keep on living, keep on moving, keep on grooving… Every day is worth it!!” I want people to hear that song and feel empowered to do whatever the hell it is they want to do in life, but quitting is NOT an option. Nope. <shakes head>
Gotta Get Up
Being the chronic night owls that we are, we tend to sleep a good part of the day. “Gotta Get Up” is a reminder to ourselves, and anyone else who can relate, that there’s a whole daytime WORLD out there, just waiting to be tapped into!! You know that first song you hear when you wake up? It totally sets the mood for the rest of the day… and we drink a lot of coffee. So each “day” throughout the track starts with one of our musical favorites “playing in ya coffee cup.” It’s funny that I’m singing it to Batsauce, but in all honesty, he usually wakes up before I do! 
4 a.m.
We live in Europe, but I work for a software engineering company in the States… which means I work 9-5 West Coast time and clock in at 6pm, working until the wee hours of the morning. It’s perfect, because that’s my natural rhythm, being the night owl that I am. I always feel more productive at night and I *swear* it’s because I’m feeding off the collective energy of everybody’s dreams. I used to feel guilty about my schedule, but the most amazing things happen at 4 in the morning, and if we were asleep, like everyone else, we’d totally miss out!!
Soul Strut
This is the last song we wrote for the album, and one of Bat’s favorites. We both have a ridiculous work ethic, pretty much non-stop to be exact. But it’s SO important to unplug and rock your inner you! It’s easy to get caught up in that daily grind and lose sight of what’s important to you, what makes YOU happy. Everybody’s got their own Soul Strut, and it’s up to each of us to figure out what that means. But whatever it is, take time out from your busy day to recognize it and rock it with pride!
My Story
Entirely written by Batsauce, who knows me better than anyone! I love it! This track really summarizes my childhood, growing up on the road with my parent’s band, the clubs, the bars, living in hotels, my musical upbringing. Then it fast forwards to my life today… the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree and it’s absolutely no mystery that my life turned out the way it did!
Goes Down Like
This one always goes out to anyone and everyone who makes music, loves music, lives music. Some people cherish the sound of the pitter patter of little feet running through the house, but our house is a bit different… no little feet (yet) Instead, I cherish the sounds coming out of our studio… and I LOVE the way our house sounds! I hear every boom, every bap, every beat Batsauce makes. So I’m forever humming, singing, and freestyling to the omnipresent soundtrack in our home. “You make the music, I sing the song, you make the music and we get it on.”
Wants and Needs
I came up with the first few lines and Batsauce ran with this one. After we recorded a rough mix, I sent it to Akrobatik to do a verse and he KILLED IT!! It breaks down the most basic things we need in this world: peace, love, safety, justice, freedom. And if we all wanted and needed these things as a collective, maybe it might come to fruition… but until then, it’s just a wish list of human rights.
Day Old Bread
I woke up one day, and Bat said “Wanna hear the beat I just made?” I sat up, sipping my coffee and wrote Day Old Bread before I even got out of bed! The song is pretty literal, so there’s not much to decipher, and the message is as simple as it gets – be free and live simple!! The more “stuff” you have, the more you have to carry, be it tangible, emotional, fiscal… in a world tainted by mass consumerism, it’s easy to lose sight of what REALLY makes you happy. And if you break it down, we don’t need much! “The less I have the more I laugh, keeping it simple is the key.”
WYDU: Any previous albums you’ve written for, produced, or artists you’ve collaborated with?
Daisey: I’m also in the Smile Rays, along with Paten Locke (aka Therapy) and Batsauce. I had the pleasure of singing with George Clinton in our home studio, which turned out to be a Smile Rays track! Definitely one of those golden un-toppable moments!! We also did a tour with Mr.Lif and Akrobatik, and Ak is spittin 16 on my “Wants and Needs” track. Since being in Europe, I recorded with Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop (Stamp Out Reality), I did a track with LMNZ on his world project, and most recently I got DJ Vadim to do a remix of Magical for the single release. We’re doing a little tour with him this Spring (a sweet concept!) — “the Couple’s Tour” — me & Batsauce, DJ Vadim & his wife Yarah Bravo, and Ladi6 & her husband/producer Parks.
Batsauce: My role with Lady Daisey, as well as the Smile Rays, is beatmaker/producer. I have been lucky enough to also work with Akrobatik, George Clinton, Asamov. I have also produced tracks for Mr. Lif, Surreal, Dillon Maurer, Qwazar. I’ve got a whole lot in the works, but I probably shouldn’t say too much yet. I might jinx it…just stay tuned.
WYDU: When did you first realize that you wanted to be a musician/artist?
Daisey: Actually, when did I realize there was anything else? As a kid I thought everybody lived like we did!! I grew up touring the US in a Winnebego with my parent’s band. Mom played drums, dad played keyboards, and they both sang. We’d spend a day here, two weeks there, a month somewhere else… bouncing around the eastern half of the States. It was awesome. I was home-schooled by my mom and forever surrounded by instruments. I programmed Flight of the Bumblebees in MIDI when I was 8. I’d write and record songs on my dad’s 4 track. I’d play dress up in my mom’s outrageous stage clothes. I had a tshirt that said “road manager” and had the very important job of detangling all the cables. I’d sing with them on occasion and just loved all of it. The whole situation. So it always seemed natural to follow that path.
Batsauce: Starting out with an AM transistor radio and my Pop’s acoustic guitar, music has always been an obsession. I later bought a bass guitar, and played in band in High School. From one of the first paying gigs we had, we bought a 4-track cassette recorder. From then on I was fascinated with recording. I’ve been playing instruments for over 20 years now, and making beats for about 10 years…
WYDU: Who were your musical influences?
Daisey: I grew up listening to Michael Jackson. I saw him perform when I was a kid and I was so excited I couldn’t sleep the night before. I remember being all decked out in my silver sequin glove and a shiny red jacket. Front row, baby! And I’ve always loved Prince. He’s a genius on so many levels. Saw him too. His music is funky and his lyrics are sassy and incredibly sexy! High school was all about Björk, the Pixies, Janes Addiction, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, RunDMC, DeeeLite, the Cure, U2. I love old Blues: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Sonhouse. Then I was introduced to jazz: Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk. I listened to a lot of Ani DiFranco and Michael Hedges back when I was performing solo with my acoustic guitar.
In 2001, Batsauce came along and laid some mixtapes on me that really set the vibe of the music we were about to make. He brought me up to date with everything funky, soulful and hiphop. And he’s a monster with the beats, which is very inspiring in itself.
Mix it all together.
Shake it on up.
Batsauce: I am all over the place… My ipod is chaulk full of oddities and seemingly unrelated music. I grew up on punk, psych, blues, reggae, & noise as well as hip hop. My favorite groups back in the day were Sonic Youth, Hendrix, and Public Enemy. Later, I expanded to embrace jazz from Ellington to Coltrane, (even inspired enough to play alto sax for a few years). But above all I would say that all the music I dig has a certain inescapable vibe, whether its the Birthday Party or Biz Markie… I like raw, passionate music.
WYDU: What inspires your music/lyrics?
Daisey: Situations. Emotions. It’s cliche to say my music is inspired by my life, but who else’s am I gonna write about? 
Sometimes a song will just pour out of you with no control or awareness of where it’s coming from, or where it’s going. I think those are the most powerful lyrics because it’s like a gift from the Universe. Then you have the ones that start out as an idea or a concept, and it takes some massaging and finessing to get it all to work. Bat and I collaborate on lyrics a lot: he brings the deepness, I bring the sunshine, and together it creates a pretty sweet balance of emotions. We write a lot about our travels, my childhood, our life together… it’s hard to say where these things come from, as if you’re merely channeling.
Lady Daisey will be starting her tour in Berlin, with her CD release on June 3, 2010. There are plans for Daisey and Batsauce to return to the U.S. to perform some shows. You can check out Lady Daisey by following her at any of the sites to see when she will be close to your town!
Ashley Bishop
Written for: WYDU
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