Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 513

INTERVIEW
Hello, Belinda. What
inspired you to do the EP?
There is no inspiration. It
was an accident. I was going
to retire and live a nice life in
Mexico and just be quiet and
once in a while do things.
And then, my son ran into
Diane Warren at a coffee
shop in L.A. and she said,
“What is your mom doing?
Let’s call her.” So they called
me, and she said, “Come
into the studio. I have some
hits for you.” I was like,
“What?” I had to really think
about it because it’s a big
commitment. So I thought,
“Well, we’ll see.” And I went
down to the studio and I was
like, Oh, my God, of course.
It would be so silly…Who
could pass up something
that was like a gift?” I love
these songs. I never really
thought that I would do an
English-speaking pop album
again, to be honest. So, this
is a complete surprise. The
album is entitled Kismet
because it was these kind
of weird things that would
happen, that it was kind of
meant to be.
Well, it’s great. I’m glad
that you did it and I’m sure
a lot of other people are
going to be too. Speaking
of living a nice quiet life:
So you’re going on tour.
What excites you most
about that?
I love performing live. It’s so
fun for me. I don’t like the
traveling part, to be honest.
Traveling is not like it used
to be, as we all know. I get
my little travel fix. I’m not
running around ragged. I
have a little time off in each
city, so that’s cool. I think the
bottom line is I love being on
stage.
Technology has really
changed since you first
started recording. Would
you have done anything
different if we had today’s
technology when you first
began recording?
No, I don’t think so.
Because I think it was a
nice progression. I love the
way that the analog and
reel-to-reel sounded back in
the day, when the Go-Go’s
were recording. It was all
analog. It has a different
sound to it, which I actually
prefer. There were probably
things that didn’t exist then
like Autotune, and I probably
could have used some help
on the older albums when
we first started out, but I
wouldn’t change it. It’s been
a nice progression, the way
it’s sort of worked through
the years.
Music is sold differently
now. Because of social
media, it’s so different. Do
you prefer it that way? Or
did you like it better the
old way?
Everything is so confusing.
It’s so polarized. Even
music. I think the music
changed with the beginning
of MTV. It was a good thing,
but at the same time, it put
a lot of emphasis on image
and what the artist looks
like. It wasn’t bad–it just
changed music that much
more. I think social media,
in some ways, it’s great. You
have these kids that live
in the middle of nowhere
that are having hit songs.
And deservedly so. I think
in some ways, it’s good. In
some ways, social media is
bad too. I long for the days
before social media. I don’t
think it’s done society a lot of
favors, at the end of the day.
Is there a moment that you
recall that changed the
whole trajectory of your
life?
I think the song “Heaven is
a Place on Earth” did. It’s
between that and sitting
on the curb in 1977 with
three other girls in Venice,
California and deciding to
form a band. That was pretty
life-changing. That was the
beginning of the Go-Go’s.
I think the song “Heaven
is a Place on Earth” really
changed my life. It was
number one all over the
world and I think it’s one
of those songs that sort of
transcends music. It means
a lot to a lot of people. So
I would say those are two
moments that changed the
trajectory of my life.
Knowing what you know
now and everything that
you’ve done and all your
experiences, what advice
would you give baby
Belinda?
I would just say, “You are
perfect.” I always had so
many hangups. I felt like
the impostor syndrome.
Especially since you’re this
teenager coming out of the
garage, and within three
years, you’re the biggest
news in America. But it was
also sort of a lot to deal with.
So, I would just say, “You
were perfect all along, the
way you were. Everything
was perfect.”