'Brown Girl In The Ring was a very simple song that children can sing but we gave it a beat that even the grown-ups thought they could sing and it was no longer a child's song. It became a dance song for everybody.'
Boney M's Liz Mitchell talks about her music, and India.
It's always intimidating to interview a legend. I was quite tense anticipating my telephonic interview with Boney M's Liz Mitchell.
Boney M, one of the most popular bands of the 1970s and 1980s, sung chartbusters like Daddy Cool, Brown Ring In The Ring, Rasputin and many more.
The tension grew as the interview kept being pushed back. Finally, four hours later, I found myself on the other end of the line from Mitchell.
The Jamaican-born singer had apparently been giving interviews the whole day -- mine was the last one -- but she did not sound tired at all.
"Hello, I’m here!" she says cheerfully, and then laughs.
Excerpts from a conversation with Jahnavi Patel/ Rediff.com.
You are performing at the Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla, in north Mumbai on Saturday. Is this your maiden performance in India?
No. I think because you guys are so young, you wouldn’t have been born when we came to India the first time -- it was in the 1980s (laughs)! I suppose it's our maiden performance for our young fans.
Why didn't you think of coming to India earlier?
We were going to come about a year ago but it got cancelled. But we’re here now and I’m glad that we are.
What can we expect from the performance?
We will definitely be doing all the hits, and some new songs as well. It’s going to be a very happy and joyful evening.
Have you heard any Bollywood music from the 1970s?
That’s a difficult question. It's difficult to come up with a memory but I may remember them if I hear them.
I’m sure it's happened to you... If you tell somebody, 'Ah, that was Boney M’, they may say ‘who is Boney M?’ But if you play Daddy Cool, they would know it.
It's with same thing with Bollywood songs. I can go: 'Oh, I know this song' but at the top of the head, it is difficult to name them.
Did you expect such a big fan following in India?
Yes, we knew we had fans in India from before, so it's a matter of whether they have forgotten. People can forget your music but we are more surprised than happy to see that no one has forgotten our music.
We were taught your songs in school, so we really cannot forget them.
(Laughs) It’s fantastic. It makes me happy to hear that.
The rights of many of your songs have been bought by music composers here. What do you have to say about this? Do you think they will do justice to it?
You mean if somebody else played our song? You know, as I said, music is becoming international. Everybody is putting their own flavour to the music, and that can easily be done in India if you had a DJ or a mixer who wanted to use my voice, maybe, and put the flavour of India in it. I'm sure it would work.
Music composer Pritam had bought the rights of your song Rasputin for his Agent Vinod song, I'll Do The Talking. Did you know that?
Oh, really! I’m not sure about that.
Do you know that many of your songs were so popular they were copied in Hindi films?
I wasn't aware, neither was our producer Frank Farian. You have a different music registration system. We follow a lot of records in India but we never collected any finance because of the way the market works here. So if someone sings our songs and records them here, it isn’t a proper registration and obviously, we wouldn’t know about it.
What was the inspiration for some of your catchiest songs like Rasputin and Ma Baker?
You know I was explaining it to someone that sometimes you’re given the idea to do certain songs that seem, as you said, catchy, and it works very well for the people who listen to it. Like Brown Girl In The Ring. It was a very simple song that the children can sing but we gave it a beat that even the grown-ups thought they could sing and it was no longer a child's song. It became a dance song for everybody.
Which has been your favourite Boney M song?
There is no favourite song because I can't break them down to one. Every song has been like a beginning point for me.
Like Daddy Cool was the first song that opened the door of success. So it was extremely special and I will always sing that song.
Then Sunny released and it was the first song where I've featured as a soloist. I was overwhelmed and loved the fact that it was a hit.
I could go through all the hits and tell you what they stand for and what it means to the audience. I’m always trying to please the listeners.
I’m like the mother of the songs, if you know what I mean. You can’t choose one over the other (laughs).
Everything back in the 1970s and 1980s was very different, from costumes, music, dance... Does anything crack you up when you look back?
(Laughs) Every now and then you may see a video and think ‘Oh my god! what was that?' But you know at that time it worked and people enjoyed the look.
There’s one costume I find particularly funny -- I’m wearing a red and white body thing, with a very funny hat (laughs) and sometimes when I look at that I think ‘oh my god!’ But you know, it was funny at the time and it worked. So I wouldn’t even notice the picture today.
What advice would you give to stars like Justin Beiber who seem to be struggling to deal with success?
Every artist has to remember that they’re human beings first, even with the type of stardom placed around their name and aura, they have to still remember that.
You live on earth, you walk the ground. You’re a man or woman and you need all the things that any human being needs -- you need love, food, sleep.
I think what happens is that sometimes people start believing the high, the stories, the things that are said about them and forget who they really are. You can’t forget who you are. You must always remember that you only have you.
Where have you travelled in India till now?
We arrived in Mumbai a day ago, and are at Pune (struggles with the pronunciation and then laughs) at the moment.
After this, we’ll go back to Mumbai for two shows.
Have you tried any Indian cuisine?
The Indian cuisine will always be curry, good curry. I just had a good curry for dinner (laughs). Even in the Caribbean, we enjoy a good curry because that’s what India brought to the Caribbean.
What memories will you take back from India?
I would take the love, happiness and the vigour of India.
When I was here first, I took that with me and really, I would be doing the same because the energy hasn’t changed. People are still very active and full of love.
