With the recent rise of uncouth pirates and political tea parties, it’s hard to tell if we are living in the 21st century or the 18th. Luckily, gender roles have yet to revert back to the restrictive etiquette of previous times, as women are keeping the entertainment industry wrapped around their manicured fingers with sexy professionalism and determined attitudes.
Back in December 2008, the New York Women in Film and Television held their 28th Annual Muse Awards, where they honored elite members including actresses Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon, Nickelodeon/MTV Networks Kids and Family Group president CymaZarghami, and advertising queen Linda KaplanThaler. A classy affair held at the historic Waldorf Astoria, the point was made that accomplished industry women today are getting attention not because of notorious behavior but because of undeniable talent.
Well, for the most part anyway.
Now, fast forward to Spring 2009 and get acquainted with Electrik Red. Just when you thought women were done pioneering major cultural movements, here comes a group that is strong, vibrant and on a mission that was once considered impossible. The fierce foursome includes Naomi, Sarah, Lesley and Binkie. After getting their feet wet in the entertainment industry through various gigs like backup dancing, they then decided to combine their talents and break free with a unique identity and solid approach. According to Leslie, the group aspires to promote confidence and empower the female audience listening to their music.
In the spirit of Madonna, Janet Jackson, Vanity 6, The Spice Girls and TLC, these ladies are ready to celebrate their sexuality and gender by bringing their “edgy brand of hip hop and R&B” front and center. However, don’t be misled because, according to Binkie, there is a thin line between a sexy presentation and a raunchy one. Make no mistake about it — these ladies are all about a classy delivery.
“It’s about taking ownership of being a female,” Binkie said while Sarah stressed that it is important to stay “true to who you are.” In the past couple of decades alone, this “ownership” of their music has been a growing phenomenon among female artists. From an angry AlanisMorissette to post-trauma confident Britney Spears, a rocking Melissa Etheridge to a self-identified diva Beyonce, the bold voice of women in the music industry continues to grow, perhaps making up for time lost during the prim Victorian era.
Yet, those previously named are all single recording artists. When it comes to female groups, Electrik Red strongly feels that there is currently a void in the music industry that they are more than ready to fill. It’s no secret that artists in general see the world differently and often also see alternate methods of making a difference. By setting what Leslie describes as a “blueprint” for modern women with their style and message, the group is now ready to break out on the music scene.
At the moment, LosAngeles serves as their home base for their mission. However, since these ladies have set their sights on “world domination,” brace yourself to be electrified by music’s latest energized ensemble as they paint the town Electrik Red.
Electrik Red took a moment to give "cyber-hugs" to The-Dream and Tricky in while talking about what it was like to be the stars of their video instead of the backup dancers, how they came up with the concept for their single "Drink in My Cup" and why world domination is next after they conquer the music scene.
Walking into the conference room at the New York City offices of Def Jam to meet quartet Electrik Red was like stepping in to a sauna. The heat was thick in the air. On the massive marble table (that takes up the majority of the space), there were red velvet cupcakes and Hershey's Kisses strewn carelessly about. It was pretty obvious that something had just gone down. And as it turned out, we'd just missed out on the fun: the ladies had just thrown an impromptu dance party, mounting the expensive-looking table and clicking their heels across the marble countertop as the label staff cheered them on. It could quite possibly have been the most action that table has seen in a while - and something that only the ladies of Electrik Red could pull off in an office environment.
That's because these four gorgeous performers - Naomi, Binkie, Lesley and Sarah - are giving hip-hop and R&B a much needed shot of attitude, sass and spunk in the arm. Their smoky new single "Drink in My Cup" featuring The-Dream (and written by him and Tricky Stewart), mixes suggestive lyrics with taunting boasts about sipping on some bub in the club. The jam is just one of the sizzling tracks on their upcoming as-yet-untitled debut, produced entirely by the RedZone team (The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Radio Killer and Carlos) and set to be released early next year. And the quartet is so confident that it's unlike anything you've heard before that they've created a word for their unique genre - Urban World - describing it as a "whole new melting pot of love and juices." It's a bold declaration, but it's precisely the type of confidence and 'tude that separates the women from the girls - and in this case, Electrik Red from the rest.
And though they're only getting the ball rolling on their singing career now, Electrik Red has stayed busy pursuing careers in other areas of the industry before signing to Def Jam. Before teaming up as a foursome, each of them had successful careers as backup dancers, separately performing in music videos for artists like Usher, Ciara and Chris Brown. But it was only when three of the ladies were on tour with Usher that they decided to jumpstart their singing career, recording a demo that eventually led them recording more tracks with hit maker Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and independently shooting their debut video for "Electrik City." Their big shot at fame came when they inked their deal with Def Jam in February 2007, and ever since they hooked up with the RedZone family, they've been staying busy in the studio laying down tracks for their debut album.
But no one ever said they couldn't have fun in the meantime. After giving their impromptu performance in the Def Jam conference room, Electrik Red took a bathroom break to touch-up and get their minds right to talk with Kiwibox VJ Kylie. The ladies were kind enough to clear off the chocolate and baked goods from the table before pulling up a chair and getting down to business, bringing that same sense of spontaneity that they'd shown earlier to the conversation. Taking turns answering questions, Electrik Red took a moment to give "cyber-hugs" to The-Dream and Tricky in while talking about what it was like to be the stars of their video instead of the backup dancers, how they came up with the concept for their single "Drink in My Cup" and why world domination is next after they conquer the music scene.
Bossip recently caught up with new girl group Electrik Red to discuss their new album and why the Dream thinks that “these b*tches are crazy!”
Bossip: If any one of you were to get caught up in some crazy story (that would surely end up on Bossip), which one of you would it be? Electrik Red: Every single
one of these crazy b*tches would be one of those girls. I pray to God that everyone keeps their sh*t together. You might catch Binkie getting kicked off of an airplane. You’ll probably catch Naomi leaving the club with Nicole Richie, Jamie Foxx…a couple of the homies. You’ll probably catch Lesley in Jamaica tanning topless on public beach, and you’ll probably catch me (Sarah) eating a burger with my mouth open. Binkie: I don’t really care what people do as long as you’re on time for the show. Just everybody show up to the goddamn show and play your position.
Bossip: The name of your album is How to Be a Lady Volume 1, but what’s the real meaning? Electrik Red: It’s basically tongue in cheek. It’s our 2009 version of what we feel the modern day woman should be like. We’re all very strong individuals and we don’t take crap from anybody. We’re quite the opposite (of a traditional lady) because we definitely have potty mouths, and we definitely don’t shy away from getting our point across in whatever manner. We’re more aggressive than the traditional definition of a lady which is quiet and dainty. But of course, we do have table manners and we know how to conduct ourselves in any given situation. We just have an edge to us and we’re not afraid to show it.
Electrik Red: We won’t have our cheeks out in Dubai, though!
Bossip: This edgy persona that you display…is it who you girls really are, or was it made up for the group? Electrik Red: It’s definitely us. That inspired The Dream when he wrote the album. It was kind of like a weight lifted off his shoulders. He works with all kinds of artists like Mariah Carey and he might want to say certain things but she wouldn’t necessarily curse or be open to certain things. When he met us was like, ‘Wow, these b*tches are crazy!’ He felt like he could say whatever he wanted and so we did just that on the album.
Bossip: You girls are not the typical waifs that we see in girl groups. You’re thick and muscular and look like you might enjoy a cheeseburger every once and a while. Electrik Red: We are brown women and we do appreciate a good turkey burger with cheese on it. However, we are going for high school skinny, but let me clarify that. I don’t mean no @ss, no tits, no nothing. That’s not it. We understand that we are four brown women and we embrace our bodies, but we want it all toned and intact.
Bossip: What’s your goal with Electrik Red? Binkie: We’re trying to accomplish world domination. The most amazing thing about Electrik Red is that we’re actually friends. We like each other’s company. We’ve all had really amazing careers. We’re all trained in different aspects of the arts. There’s a common blood amongst us. I’m going to go on the record and say that little to nothing will break us off of this path. We applaud each other for our different journeys and things that we all want to do in our lives, but right now the main goal is to knock n*ggas in the head with this Electrik Red sh*t.
Bossip: You guys have done a pretty good job of fusing together different genres of music. What’s your sound? Lesley: I would say we’re a mixture of the sexiness of Vanity 6 with the urban touch of Total, and a dash of Gwen Stefani Hollaback Girl. We’re all about girl power, but without the corniness of a Spice Girl. Sarah: But, definitely Spice Girl money! Bossip: A lot of your songs are racy and sexual. Are these songs coming from personal experience by chance? (pause…then laughter erupts) Binkie: Everything in the music is relative. I will say that “WFY” (We F*ck You) is dear to my heart. I’m a big supporter of “Kill Bill” although I can’t say that it’s a personal experience. If it goes down, you’ll hear about it. Bossip: Who did you work with on the album? Electrik Red: Dream executive produced the album with Uncle Tricky (Tricky Stewart). They are geniuses. They really honed in and figured it out for us. It was amazing.
Bossip: Which one of you guys were the back-up dancers for Usher? Electrik Red: Lesley, Sarah and Binkie. Because we worked for such amazing artists like Usher and Ciara, they gave us little jewels of wisdom because their professionalism is top notch. We saw how they handled their careers and we were able to take note.
Bossip: Electrik Red is a crazy name. Who came up with that? Binkie: I was chillin’ with Lesley one day and we were riding around in our hometown, the old stomping grounds, and we kind of just blurted the name out. We wanted something that was really, really amazing, and would match the magnitude of the music that we were making. We built the idea of Electrik Red, and then we named it.
Posted: Thursday, May 28th, 2009 Written by Bossip Staff
Description Of Event : Free! Bring the whole family! For the 6th Annual Pittsburgh Black Family Reunion. Events for everybody in the family. Three on three Peace in the Hood basketball tournament. Arts and crafts, Moon Bounce, Wall Climbing, Games. All kinds of Food. Vendors of Arts, Clothing, Jewelery and more. Workshops and Panel Discussions. Saturday is full of the best artist in the City including Wiz Khalifa and Electrik Red and many more dance, r&b, & hip hop acts. Sunday is a gospel & jazz brunch including Artistree and Line Dancing with Mr. Roland Ford.Plus much much more!
Get an exclusive look at the new Baby Phat footwear line and their predictions for music’s “next big thing”! Fresh talent like ELECTRIK RED, KRISTINIA DEBARGE, PRISCILLA RENEADONDRIA made the cut. GIANT recently had a photo shoot featuring the stars in their Baby Phat looks. Check out some of the exclusive behind-the-scenes footage!
READ MORE ABOUT and Get VIP Access to the Baby Phat Sole Series Tour coming to a city near you featuring these hot new artists!”Click here for details.
..another Electrik Red social website coming soon.
All websites listed above are the ONLY sites officially owned by Electrik Red. The ladies have their own personal Facebooks that are not listed but the fansites above are official. If you find a site online that is NOT created by Electrik Red, RadioKilla, DefJam, teamElectrikRed, Anke or FuriousStudios then their fakes. Please beware of fake Twitters; the Twitter pages listed above are the ladies only Twitter pages. -message from webmaster (charod)
ELECTRIK RED 'HOW TO BE A LADY' vol.1 IN STORES NOW
(new womens anthem) "P IS FOR POWER" ..is the next single!!
Check out the clips below of Electrik Red making signs, promoting their album HOW TO BE A LADY VOL. 1 which is in stores NOW! Making sure you all go out and get a copy!
TO WATCH ALL ELECTRIK RED VIDEOS http://youtube.com/ElectrikRedTV (Click 'Playlists' for more videos)
HOW TO BE A LADY VOL. 1 In Stores NOW!
Click here to purchase HOW TO BE A LADY VOL. 1 on iTunes Click here to purchase HOW TO BE A LADY VOL. 1 on Amazon
Text SEXYRED to 66937 for a free Electrik Red ringtone and updates. http://www.electrikredmusic.com http://Electrik-Red.blogspot.com
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ELECTRIK RED
'HOW TO BE A LADY'
VOLUME ONE IN STORES NOW
Text SEXYRED to 66937 for a free Electrik Red ringtone and updates!
Comprised of Naomi, Sarah, Lesley and Binkie, Electrik Red hails from both New York City and Canada. Throughout the history of pop music, few things have been more important than the relationship between artists and their producers. Legendary hit makers like Quincy Jones and Timbaland helped transform singers like Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake into musical icons. Staying in line with this formula for success, Def Jam is set to re-direct the face of popular music with all-girl singing group, Electrik Red.
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