Pink News

There is perhaps no mainstream pop artist out there right now taking as many chances and crossing as many genre boundaries as Pink, aka Alecia Moore. After singing in an all-black church as a child, getting her start at age 14 as a backup singer for hip-hop group Schools Of Thought in her native Philly, and serving short stints in the all-girl R&B acts Basic Instinct and Choice, the former punk-rocker/skateboarder/rave-going club kid cut her solo debut for LaFace Records, 2000's Can't Take Me Home, a feisty R&B effort that garnered comparison to labelmates TLC (and had people assuming she was African American at first). Her participation in the Moulin Rouge soundtrack's all-star cover of Patti LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" helped her further cross over to the mainstream, proving that she could take on R&B, hip-hop, pop, and disco with equal ease.

But did anyone expect back then that Pink was such a rocker at heart? Her multiplatinum 2001 sophomore album, Missundaztood, eschewed much of her earlier dance-pop formula for old-school rock 'n' roll, featuring the co-writing talents of long-forgotten 4 Non Blondes frontwoman Linda Perry and guest appearances by Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora--career moves that may have seemed "uncool" in the pop world at first, but somehow worked wonderfully. Singles like "Get The Party Started," "Don't Let Me Get Me," "Just Like A Pill," and "Family Portrait" became inescapable in 2002 and 2003.

But Pink was not content to stop there, no way. She's continued to take chances, whether it's collaborating with Beck and techno auteur William Orbit on the Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle theme "Feel Good Time," or enlisting the talents of Rancid's Tim Armstrong and electro bad girl Peaches on her kickass third album, Try This. As Pink said about her music and entire life philosophy in her recent interview with LAUNCH's own Billy Johnson Jr., "You got to not worry about what other people think is cool. Just do what you do. People have much more respect when you stand up for what you believe in than when you do something just because they like it. My thing is, I'm going to make people follow me. I'm not going to follow you all. I'm going to do what I want and hopefully you'll join along."

In their conversation, Pink and Billy Johnson Jr. also chatted about her rebellious youth, the pressure of being a role model for teen girls, her love of all forms of music, shattering stereotypes, and her dream of one day singing a duet with Eminem. Here's what the missundaztood one had to say...

LAUNCH: How would you describe your own personality?

PINK: Wow, to describe your own personality...that's kind of difficult. I don't know, I'm goofy. I mean, I was a wild child. I was into everything. I didn't think there was one thing you couldn't do. At the same time I was singing gospel in church, I was the lead singer of a rock band, I was going to rave clubs, going to hip-hop clubs, going to school, playing field hockey and gymnastics, skateboarding, whatever. I just did everything, I was everywhere. I thought I was 30 when I was 10. But now I'm really into the music. I'm really happy that God blessed me with the chance to do this. So I've really calmed down a lot, 'cause I realize everything happens for a reason and I experienced a lot when I was younger because I had to. I signed a record deal when I was 16. So I was already done, basically, with whatever I was going to do as a child by the time I was 16, and then it was time to really get serious and realize that this opportunity doesn't come for most people--and it came for me. So it's not going to come twice. Basically I knew I was always going to be a singer. I was bad in school--I was terrible. The teachers would be like, "Where is your homework?" And I'm like, "I'm a singer. I don't even know what you're talking about!" I mean, everything isn't for everybody. I don't know, I like to have fun. I like people that don't take life too serious, you know?

LAUNCH: So what was that transition like? Did it take the record deal for you to kind of take a step back and get everything in order?

PINK: Definitely, definitely. Without music, I don't know where I would be right now. I really don't. I mean, I'm still young, and I still like to have fun. I still go out from time to time. But I went from staying up every night and sleeping all day to getting up early, running, getting in shape, getting my lungs right, getting my wind right, singing, practicing eight hours a day. I mean, around Thanksgiving in '96, I was out all night, all the time. Then a month later, I was in a group, and a month after that, I had a record. So it was like clockwork. It happened really fast. It made me believe in fate, almost.

LAUNCH: I once read that you said being in a group was kind of difficult and that you definitely preferred being a solo artist. What were some the issues of being in a group?

PINK: I loved being in a group. Being in a group was fun. I was in two groups...I was in three or four groups, actually. I was in a band. Bands are different. But groups--I love harmony, I love harmonizing, there's nothing like it. When you are with two girls and you all live together and sing together and breathe together and cry together, the sound that you three can make together, it's beautiful. We used to sing gospel songs and rock and every kind of song, and it was just beautiful. But at the same time, with a group, you have to compromise yourself. The three of us were from different walks of life, basically, and I'm so passionate about what I do, so hands-on, it's hard for me to be able to agree with two other people--let alone women, you know what I mean? Being in a group is hard, but it was cool in my situation because we all wanted to do different things. The one girl wanted to really do Broadway. The other girl wanted to do alternative--she's like a Donny Hathaway meets Alanis Morissette. And I'm over here wanting to do everything. So it was hard. But I miss it. I'm still friends with the girls. One's my best friend, and the other girl is on another label now.

LAUNCH: Now, when you say you wanted to do "everything," that makes me think about how many musical genres you've dabbled in. How would you describe your style of music?

PINK: I can't put it into a category. I know everybody is so into categories and stereotypes and all that, but I stay away from that. Like, with me, my life was so versatile. My favorite word is "eclectic." That's my big word for the day! Basically, I mean the music is just everything because I have so many different influences. My dad introduced me to this music. My mom, myself, my friends, it was all so different. Everything was all different. So the music is really versatile. You can hear a lot of different influences in it 'cause it's hard at one point, then pretty and soft--but it's all honest. I'm a real lyrical person; that's why I like people like Lauryn Hill and Tupac, because they're honest. So I'm really into lyrics. With a couple of the songs I wrote, I was joking. Then I called somebody and said, "Listen to what I wrote," and I was cracking up, and they were like, "Oh my God, you need to finish that!" And I was like, "What?"

LAUNCH: What do you mean when you say you were joking--like you were having a good time?

PINK: Like, I was listening to Biggie and he says something about females--they're irritating like the hiccups, or something like that--and I wrote a song called "Hiccup" because I was so inspired by that. I thought that was so funny and so cool, the way he did that in his rhyme. I was like, "Wow!" So I wrote a song about hiccups. I was joking when I wrote it. It was a joke to me. And then, like, a lot of things I write sometimes are unacceptable, like a little too much for people to handle because, like, they're so much inside of me. Like I'll be in a rage sometimes because I can't get it all out, so I have to write. Writing is my medicine. If I didn't write, I don't know what I'd do. I'd like to have a punching bag...but, um, that's my punching bag.

LAUNCH:Now, I'm glad you mentioned Tupac earlier, because I describe Tupac that way. Tupac is a person that made a song for anything, but his record company got a little bit carried away with some of the stuff that they released.

PINK: Yeah.

LAUNCH: With you, was there a point with some stuff where you said, or the label said, "Maybe we shouldn't put this on a record?"

PINK: Well, you know, I don't think anything should be held back for anybody. If that's how you truly feel, then that's how you feel. You're a human being. You can't expect other people to act, think, or be like you. That's something I had to learn, 'cause I expect people to think like me. I did expect people to be as open-minded as me, and you know, a lot of people aren't. Some people are way past me, but there was some stuff where I had to be like, "All right, maybe that's a little bit too much, because there are kids out there that are looking up to me." That kind of thing, because whether you ask to be a role model or not, you are, and I think a lot of artists abuse the power that they have, you know what I mean? And I know there are a lot of kids out there that were like me and need somebody to latch onto, so I've got to kind of tone it down a little bit. So I don't know--it goes both ways. It's like a thin line you have to walk.

LAUNCH: OK, I want to talk to you about singing with the rock group. What was that whole experience like, especially being so young being out in the club scene?

PINK: Yeah, I was 13 when I did that. Um, it was fun--I mean, it was just something to do, basically. It was kids from the high school, and I was in junior high school and it was just something to do. It was fun. I loved to sing. We did talent shows, we went out and did some clubs, and it was just great. It kept me from being home and it was just something to do. Plus, I always loved singing. But with the rock band, I got to write my own music too, because it was just us kids. So I wrote that and we won talent show after talent shos after talent show, and I was like, "Cool!" I was the only girl, always--thus the name "Pink."

LAUNCH: Were you dyeing your hair pink back then?

PINK: No, my hair was every color. My hair was blue, green, tie-dyed; I did the tie-dye twice. It came out different both ways, both times. I had braids, long microbraids, every kind of hair, everything. I had one side longer than the other...I was a crazy kid. I didn't care.

LAUNCH: Now, when did you settle on "Pink" and decide that was the image you wanted?

PINK: Well, my name has been Pink since I was a little girl. It's been my nickname, but my hair was pink probably for a few years. Just one day I found the color and was like, "Oh, that might be cute. My nickname is Pink, so let me be corny and put this in my hair." And I did it and I liked it. It was like, "Wow, this is my natural color, I'm wearing this from now on!" But wasn't going to be pink forever. I don't know what it's going to be next, but it's going to be something. My hair has been this short like this cut for eight years, so I miss my long hair. I had long hair for two years--it was mine, because I paid for it!

LAUNCH: How did you get into the whole skateboarding thing?

PINK: I got real crazy with it, but I was skating ramps most of the time. Like, I'd go to the parks and skate ramps. Half-pipe was my thing--like, six-foot, four-foot. I was good. I was in a couple of magazines. I went to camp for it--Woodward Skate Camp in the Poconos. It was crazy fun. The thing that drove me was when people told me I couldn't do something. Like, "You can't sing R&B music 'cause you're white. You can't skate 'cause you're a girl." I was climbing trees instead of playing with Barbies just 'cause people said I couldn't do it. So with skating for me, everybody called me a poser, so I was going to get good at it. And I was going to beat you in your own competition, because I just loved proving people wrong. So I loved it. I had a lot of fun. Skating was fun, definitely. I had pink grip-tape and all. It was cool.

LAUNCH: So you were pretty rebellious. I'm sure if you could do it all over again, you wouldn't change a thing, but since you mentioned the pressures of being a role model when you're in the public eye, do you ever worry about the example you set as a role model for your fans?

PINK: I always knew when to draw the line. I always had that inner voice that told me what was right and what was a little too much. I was as rebellious as they came; if everybody was walking in a single-file line, I was walking backwards, diagonal, just because. But as far as kids, you got to be your own person. You got to find who you are. You got to not worry about what other people think is cool. Just do what you do. Make people follow you instead. People have much more respect when you stand up for what you believe in than when you do something just because they like it. My thing was, "I'm going to make people follow me. I'm not going to follow you all. I'm going to do what I want and hopefully you'll join along. I'm fine by myself." Like, you have to be strong, 'cause there's a lot out there now. This world is not the America that TV cracks it up to be. This world is crazy, and it's crazy for everybody. It's crazy for suburban kids. It's crazy for inner-city kids. I mean, there's a lot of drugs going on, there's a lot of pregnancy. You got to be careful. You got to know when to draw the line. You got to pray to God and realize that your parents love you. They brought you into this world, but you have to love yourself because they're not always going to know how to love you. You got to love yourself. You got to respect yourself and...I don't know, it's hard. I couldn't give somebody all the advice they need in an interview, you know what I mean? 'Cause I know for me, I just always knew when to draw the line. I knew how to pick my friends and when to go by myself. Plus, the way my dad raised me, he raised me to not take crap from anybody, not to take anything from anybody. Like, I don't start things with people, but I will finish them.

LAUNCH: So how did you eventually hook up with LaFace Records?

PINK: It was crazy. When I think about it now, LaFace is the best place for me. We sent a demo tape through the mail, believe it or not, and they flew us down off the demo tape, and the first time I went down there, I was told when I got there that I'd be singing for L.A. Reid and a couple of other people. I walked into that conference room and there was the entire staff sitting at that table, standing around the tape. There was like 50 people in the room. I almost passed out! I was like, "You gotta be kidding me!" So I sang in front of all these people, and L.A. just stood up and threw his pen up in the air and was like, "Where do we sign?" So the first day I met him, he saw me and saw my vision and hugged me and said, "What's up, superstar?" And he's used to superstars on his label--I hate that word, but you know, that's what everybody uses. So I have to use it so you understand. But anyway, he's used to having artists that are on that level, and that are creative enough to take themselves there. And he's got the creative mind to be able to see the vision. I mean, they let me be so creative and they let me be myself--it's crazy. It's the best. I couldn't have asked for more blessings in the situation that I always wanted--it was crazy how everything just happened. It came together so wonderfully. It took a while and I always wondered why, but now it's like I realize everything happened for a reason. It all came together like I've been growing as an artist and they've been growing with me--you know, we just grew together. It works.

LAUNCH: But in the beginning, with your first album, people heard your voice and then they saw you and were like, "Hey, I didn't know she wasn't black!" I mean, how did you deal with that?

PINK: Well, I've hated categories. I've always loved people, you know what I mean? I always stuck up for the people being picked on, like I was always like an activist person. I think there's ignorant people all over the world of all types and there's beautiful people all over the world--and the way I grew up, I had the best of both worlds. I was singing in an all-black church and I was at the block parties, but I was also over here, doing other things. But people totally think I'm mixed, like I'm a mutt. But we all are. We all are. We all came from the same place, God, and that's how I explain it. We're all pink on the inside. Whatever you want to call it, I don't. If you respect me, I respect you, and if you're ignorant, then I don't have anything to do with you. People need to realize you don't have to be anything to be anything. It comes from your experiences, from where you've been, what you've been taught, and what you've decided to go with, and what you learned. Whatever, I'm a strong person. I think that people should just realize that we all came from the same place, and that it really doesn't matter. That's never going to happen, but I live my life the way I want. So as far as that goes, I just laugh. Whatever.

LAUNCH: Did you listen to a lot of types of music as a kid?

PINK: I loved music. I mean, I loved it. Like, I used to make my mom take me to singing lessons. I would sing Phantom Of The Opera, Mariah Carey, and 4 Non Blondes in the same practice. My dad listened to Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul & Mary, the Big Bopper, all kinds of people. My mom listened to Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick. I listened to Whitney Houston, Madonna, 4 Non Blondes, Green Day...I mean, I just loved all different types of music. I appreciate good music no matter what it is, something heartfelt and something that inspires me. I love all of it. So I've always thought I was a thousand years old; I've always felt like just an old soul.

LAUNCH: If you had to choose one person, you know, past or present, to do a duet with, who would it be, and why?

PINK: Wow, that's so hard! I would love to have worked with Janis Joplin, or Teena Marie. I would love to work with Billy Joel too. I'd be afraid to work with some people, actually, you know what I mean? 'Cause you hold them up all your life and then you meet them and work with them, and it just seems like anticipation and reality don't meet.

LAUNCH: Do you ever see yourself recording a duet with someone? Anyone in particular?

PINK: Oh, definitely. Me and Eminem--we would go crazy. But I don't know if they want me to be as honest as he is. 'Cause I come with it. I don't know if they're ready for me. But that would be a cool song. I already have some ideas.

LAUNCH: Didn't you once sing background for Diana Ross?

PINK: Yep. I never got to meet her, though, I mean, it wasn't in a show or anything. Daryl Simmons is like one of my favorite producers, and he used to throw me jobs: "I'm doing a song for this, so you come and do backgrounds for it." I did Diana Ross, 98 Degrees, Tevin Campbell, a lot of people. It was cool. Diana Ross's song was beautiful. I did Kenny Lattimore, that was cool. Much-needed money, too. Much-needed.

LAUNCH: You've now met some of your icons, obviously--was there a particular meeting that's really funny or emotional?

PINK: I've met a lot of people. Boyz II Men was cool. Stevie Wonder was cool. I thought Stevie Wonder was looking out a window--I really thought he was looking out a window when I saw him. I saw him from behind, and I was like, "That looks like Stevie Wonder, but why would he be looking out a window?" It was in New York, and I walked in and I met him and everything. I didn't know what to do. I was looking around in the racks like I was looking for a tape. Then I was like, "This is silly." So I just went up and introduced myself. And he was...he was just...you can feel his vibes, like, he's a great person. Like, he's so nice. And then I met Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs, and that's one of the people I got my name from--my friends named me that, actually, but that's where they got it from. He walked by me on the street the other day. I think I scared him, 'cause I just ran. He was trying to be incognito, he had his hat on, and I was like, "Steve!" He was scared of me. I ran up to him. I was like, "I'm Pink. I was named after you!" He was like, "OK, I'll look for you." That was crazy, 'cause I wouldn't have ever seen him. That was crazy. Um, I met Britney...yeah.

LAUNCH: People put you in these categories, so about the whole Britney/Christina thing, does it bother you if people will say, "Yeah, look at them, there's Britney, there's Christina, and there's Pink"?

PINK: It does and it doesn't. I mean, they're great. They're great for what they do. But I do something completely different. Like, my thing when I grew up was I latched onto the artists that inspired me. They could put their songs on that could make me understand my day a little better, you know what I'm saying? I latched onto messages. My thing is I write my music; I'm a hands-on person. Nobody came to me and said, "OK, we're going to call you Pink. Here, throw on some pink hair, put on some pink shirts, here you go, just be you." No, this is me. This is who I am, my music. I don't try to be candy-coated. I don't try to walk on eggshells. I am what I am. Love me or hate me. But people have to categorize you, it makes them feel better. It's like medicine for some people. I was signed in '96, when there was no Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and Mandy Moore and Jessica Simpson and whatever, so it was like they didn't know what to think of me. They were like, "What's this girl like? Is she a punk-rocker thug type? Like, what is she?" So now it's easy for people to categorize me, but I think my music will speak for itself. I don't know...I mean, if it makes you feel better, put me in that category, but I'm painting the world pink. So whatever.

LAUNCH: Something you said in your biography I thought was interesting: You said it was at a young age that you decided that you didn't want to sing these love songs. Now that there's a lot of music out there with no emotion, do you still feel that way? I mean, that's probably why we all love Mary J. Blige so much. Can you talk about why you feel, or felt, that way?

PINK: Because it makes me sick like, there's so many people that aren't in love, that don't have the fairytale...I mean, nobody has the fairytale, really. Love is not what people make it out to be. That's what movies are for. With my music it has to be honest. It has to be real. I can't get out there and pour my heart into a song that's make-believe. I can't get up there and be like, "Don't leave me, I'll be nothing," because if you leave me, I'll be fine--you know what I mean? I will be fine with me. I believe that girls have to realize that they don't need to depend on people. I don't believe in the fairytale--like, I would love to have the fairytale, but it's not there. So I can't pour my heart into it. I can't make you believe that I have this love in my life, if I don't. So all that's boring to me. I want to enjoy this thing.

LAUNCH: You say you want to take about real issues. Your first-ever single, "There You Go," was definitely one of those songs. So do girl come up to you saying, like, "That really spoke to me--thanks"?

PINK: Yeah, I've had so many fanmails like, "Girl, I left my boyfriend yesterday because of you and I dedicated this song to my ex-boyfriend" and blah blah blah. I'm like, "Oh no, I'm going to be assassinated by the Men's Coalition!" But I'm glad I can teach you to respect yourself, if that's what it's doing. That's good, you know what I mean? But it's funny, 'cause I know in my life I'm not perfect. Girls are like, "I don't take crap, just like you!" But I still take crap sometimes from guys, if I care about them. All I know is you have to respect yourself and love yourself, 'cause nobody is going to love you like you do.