Ever wonder what happened to the ultra-hot dyke duo God-des and She after their infamous L-Word appearance a few years back?Wonder no more, because they're about to release their third record, Three, and have big plans for touring, Grammy awards and general musical magic.
Both originally from the Midwest, God-des and She started playing together in Madison, Wis., in 1999. Since then, they've released two albums, 2004's "Reality" and 2007's "Stand Up." A unique melding of hip-hop, soul, rock, dance music and electro-pop, God-des is the band's rapper, and She, the singer. The pair has been featured in two documentaries, including one on LGBT hip-hoppers, held the number one spot on MTV LOGO for 15 consecutive weeks, toured all over the world, and have enjoyed a growing and appreciative fan base. Currently, She lives in Queens, N.Y., and God-des recently moved to Austin, Texas. Three was a project they worked on with Public Enemy producer Brian Hardgroove, and the gals hope their more mature, mainstream sound will finally catapult them out from the underground.
In an e-mail interview, Windy City Times caught up with this genre-busting act, who has a new CD out.
Windy City Times: You've been working on being full time musicians for several years now. When and how did you both realize that you could start actually making music full-time, and survive financially on that?
God-des and She: It was right after we were on the L Word. We were playing too many shows to have day jobs. It was really exciting to make enough money to live on. That was four years ago now. We feel blessed and consider ourselves very lucky to do this as our job. We will feel truly successful when we hear our songs on the radio, and can pay off our parents houses for them!
WCT: Tell me what happened after the episode of The L Word with you both on it aired?
God-des and She: We were busy, and played a ton of shows. The L Word was responsible for the opportunity, and then we did the rest.
WCT: Describe how you would summarize your working relationship as a duo.
God-des and She: We have a special musical chemistry you rarely see. You just can't be bored watching a G&S show! I think this record really cements us as a duo. Two powerful people coming together to rock. It just works.
WCT: What are some of your musical influences, and what groups are you loving these days?
God-des and She: When we are on the road we listen to a lot of '80s and classic rock. We both like Kings of Leon a lot. We like older hip-hop and R&B. The new stuff has no soul. It's too much of a product and not real enough for people to feel.
WCT: What songs do fans love the best, and why? What are your current favorites to perform?
God-des and She: Fans will scream "Lick it" till the end of time! We always make them wait for it. "Love You Better" is a huge hit among show fans. A lot of people know the song from the video and get excited to belt out the hook. "Love Machine" is shaking up the crowd along with Respect My Fresh. Everyone loves to make out during "Spin The Bottle."
"Yeah Yeah Yeah" is our opener and always a hit. We usually love to perform whatever are our newest songs.
WCT: What do you hope listeners most notice about the new record?
God-des and She: Our new record totally stands out. Everyone has a different favorite song which is awesome! There really is an equal amount of both of us on the album. We have fused our styles together to create something totally unique. We have some deep topics but mostly tried to have fun and inspire people on this record. The world is so depressed that we wanted to make people feel happy if only for that moment.
WCT: What will you be doing to promote Three? Any upcoming tours planned?
God-des and She: We will be touring a lot in 2010 to support the new record. Make sure to catch us on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or our e-mail list via our Web site to get tour dates. Make sure to buy our new record, Three. It [ came ] out Dec. 3 and will be available via our Web site at www.god-desandshe.com and also on-line via iTunes, Rhapsody and other on-line sites! We also are doing a fundraiser to raise money for the release. We are in debt and our fans have been stepping up to help support the release. Since we don't have a record label, our fans are our record label. For more info on the fundraiser go to our Web site.
WCT: Any last words for your fans?
God-des and She: We will always represent and be positive role models.
