Richard Lugo – Interview

In Myrtle Beach with Richard Lugo!

I know you just started touring with O-Town. How many shows have you done with them?

About four shows.

Have you been doing shows before that?

Before that I was on tour with BBMAK.

I didn’t know that. How was that?

It was a lot of fun. Those guys are really cool. There were a lot of people at those shows and it was just amazing. It was my first tour.

Did you watch the “Making The Band”?

Actually, the first time I only caught it a few times during the season, but I watched the whole marathon before I went on tour.

Could you relate to what they went through?

Some stuff was similar, but some wasn’t. The big difference is that of course they are a group so that makes a big difference. One thing is I never did showcases because I first got a record contract. Usually you get management and then signed, but I got the record contract first. Elektra was interested in me and that is how everything came about.

How did Elektra find you?

Elektra found me because of Dallas Austin.

How did Dallas find you?

In June of ’99 I was still in school doing the chorus thing. Dallas sent a lady down to Miami to scout different schools because he wanted to start a five-person Latin boy band. So she came to my school and auditioned me. I tried out and got lead for the group. She also found another kid there too, so in August of ’99 we went to Atlanta and worked on a demo, but nothing happened so Dallas ended the project there. So my dad luckily pitched the idea of me going solo. He pitched me to him as there were no young, I was fourteen at the time, Latin solo artists for the young girls to scream at. (laughs) I mean, there are thirty-year-old guys singing pop, but no young guys.

What did you think about the boy band thing at the time?

Well, it was cool that I would have had four guys supporting me. So it might have been really cool, but then again as a solo artist when they make music for me it’s based around how I feel, not a majority. Everyone that is around me right now are really cool.

When they were putting together the group, did you think you wanted to be a solo artist?

Actually I just wanted to do something. I didn’t mind it either way. I like the group thing, but right now there are so many. There are so many I didn’t even know of. I hear new ones everyday. Like No Authority, I never heard of them until the other day.

The funny thing is that some have been around for a while.

I know, they’ve been around for like four years I think.

What happened with the name thing? You were using just Lugo, but now you have to use your full name.

It was kind of sad. I liked the Lugo thing. What happened there was another Lugo out there. He is another one of those people that no one ever knew about and he found out and then got into contact with my management and told them he’d sue.

What are the chances of that?

I know. It’s not like you hear that last name all the time. I mean, I could understand if I was Johnson or something. (laughs)

I’m curious about Miami and the music scene. Was it you who brought the flavor to the music?

I sure did. In the beginning of “Boom” you hear that (Richard begins to mimic the sound of the intro). That is marange. That is part of my culture and heritage. I’m Dominican and we listen to that a lot in Miami. We also introduce a lot of tropical styles that haven’t been introduced before on this album.

It must have been great for you to be able to bring your heritage to the musical table.

It was amazing. We were in Atlanta and Dallas wanted to get the feel, so he went down to Miami and then the next day he was banging out songs.

Has it helped you because you are so familiar with the melodies, but also because it’s like nothing else right now on the pop charts?

In the beginning they wanted to copy the Ricky Martin style. They weren’t really familiar with the Latin style, they just knew the salsa pop like what Enrique and Ricky bring. We wanted to create a new genre.

Did you grow up around music?

Yeah. My dad promoted Latin salsa and marange artists in the Dominican Republic and in Miami. Before that he was a dj. My mom has always been big into music.

Had you always sung?

Elementary school is when I got into music. I started playing a recorder and that is all I wanted to do. Then when I got into middle school I got into chorus and started hearing music I never heard before. I got into classical music, reggae, and other stuff I never heard.

How did your family prepare you for being an artist?

I’m kind of going with the flow, I guess. I try to watch out and be safe and make sure that I look out for the bad people. But my mom tells me to always be humble and stay true to yourself and be yourself. Biggest is she doesn’t want money to change me, and I know I won’t let that happen because I’m always around great people.

When you get ready for shows, is it a rush?

Early on I would get the rush the day before. Now I get excited in the morning and then the whole day I’m calm up until the minute the show starts and they introduce me. I just burst. The last show we had with BBMAK was really laid back and calm, but we revamped the show for this tour and it’s really been funked up.

When you are onstage what is going through your head?

I don’t know. My head is like a computer. I’m just thinking about twenty different things. I’ll feel myself burning out onstage because my mind is going, ‘Look at this girl, throw your head this way, turn, kick, jump.’ It’s just crazy.

Do you still have the rush when you get offstage?

I go right to the bus and play video games because I need to find a way to calm myself. The rush is so intense that it stays there and I don’t want to leave the stage.

How did you feel being around O-Town and BBMAK?

They are really cool. BBMAK are older and didn’t really relate to me, but it’s because they are a lot older. O-Town are more my age. They smuggle my PS2 off my bus all the time, which is not cool. (laughs) They are all really down to earth. Everything thinks they are this or that, but when you meet the person they are really different.

What are your dreams for the future?

To own my own studio. I just want to own my own studio and help people out. I started my own company so that I can help new artists out once my career gets going. I just want to help others get the chance that I was lucky enough to have.

+ charlie craine