Hey Mica, thank you for talking to the DMC world. Your new single ‘Baby Come Back Now’ (an apt title) coming out on May 25th and the album ‘Born Again’ (again, another apt title) swinging through Rhythm Riders Records in June – talk us through the album…
“Well the albums has taken me two years to perfect. I went in to work with Brian Rawling and we both decided we both wanted to make an organic album. The first year was tough, we threw a lot of the songs away because they just weren’t good enough and Brian played me a song called ‘I Remember’ by Keisha Cole and the minute we recorded that song the whole album came together, it was the turning point. The album has amazing songwriting on it which is why I believe it sounds so good. I got songs penned by James Morrison an amazing talent and an incredible gift. He’s given me the first single, as you say, ‘Baby Come Back Now’. ‘Born Again’ was penned by Paul Barry who’s just the most incredible writer because he zones into my mind and thoughts and interprets my emotional story. We were determined to try and make sure there were many potential hit singles on this album because I thought my fans and people who have followed me for many years that they deserved to have an album they could play from start to finish and enjoy the whole journey.
So what kind of music was filling your house when you were growing up?
“In my childhood, I was mostly brought up on American Gospel as my Grand Parents were Ministers and then at the age of thirteen my father introduced me to the Isley Brothers, Miles Davis, Tchaikovsky – I knew then that I couldn’t only just sing gospel.”
You have worked with the likes of Anita Baker, Natalie Cole, Prince, Mark Morrison, James Ingram, Boy George, Jools Holland, Courtney Pine and obviously Will Downing on the cover of Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack’s ‘Where Is The Love’ – an amazing career, who has been the most joy to work with?
“They’ve all been amazing for me it was a gift to be appreciated at such a young age by many of my hero’s”.
What do you think is your finest ever single release?
“‘My One Temptation'”
You have brought music to the world, presented for TV and radio and acted on stage – but is music your true love, is that why you’re back in the studio or is there more twists and turns ahead for Mica in other areas?
“Who knows??? But one thing is for sure, music is always my first love”
You were born Michelle Wallen and changed your name to the lovely Mica Paris – an abbreviation I believe is the phonetic version… for people
out there who don’t understand what a phonetic version is, can you explain…
“Well my name is Michelle, people always call me Meesh so I thought maybe if I call myself Mica it would sound cooler and Paris because I always loved French culture”.
What is the best album ever made?
“Probably Marvin Gaye ‘What’s Going On'”
If you had to invite six celebrity guests, dead or alive to your dinner party – who would they be?
Marvin Gaye
Martin Luther King
Caravaggio
Gurdjieff
Barbara Streisand
Mayo Angelo”
Which artist would you most like to make a record with?
“Kings of Leon”
What was it like appearing on stage in The Vagina Monologues and the part of Amelia Walker, the American Jazz singer in Marple for television?
“When the Vagina Monologues was a trip as I’m a church girl at heart and having to say Vagina in front of a few hundred people a night was a bit cringe but after a few nights it was liberating. The Miss Marple was scary as I was with an impressive cast consisting Francesca Annis, Martine McCutcheon but they were very supportive to me and helped me along the way but I wouldn’t say that I would be looking to become an actress anytime soon hahaha.”
What do you really think about celebrity reality TV shows? ‘Hit Me, Baby One More Time’, ‘Come Dine With Me’ you have appeared on…
“Oh they were fun because no-one was being humilated it was just celebs together having a laugh.”
You appeared on Gordon Ramsey’s F Word with your mum, dad and sister – what was he like?
“He’s a Nut Nut”.
You are the cousin of former World Champion boxer Chris Eubank – a little eccentric huh?
“Yeah as you can see it runs in the family.”
How important is the church to your life?
“Church isn’t important at all but the values that it teaches are.”
