Yer Gonna Be A Star, Kid! – Dalal Bruchmann

Yer Gonna Be A Star, Kid! is a feature whereby we at GUY are looking to get in on the ground floor (or at least the mezzanine) of the careers of Hollywood and Music’s up-’n-comers before they become way too big to bother with slobs like us. And in order to see where they might be going, we take a look at where they are and where they’ve been… including running our own sort of background check. It ain’t your standard interview, that’s for sure.

Dalal Bruchmann

Born: April 30, 1988

Origin: Oberwart, Austria

Profession: Singer / actress

She Got a Website? Not at present.

On Facebook? Yes: Facebook.com/dalalmusic

On Twitter? Yes: twitter.com/dalalmusic

On Myspace? Yes: myspace.com/dalalmusic

Does YouTube know about her: Yes.

Background Check

GUY: The name “Dalal” is actually Arabic?  Meaning womanliness and coquettishness.  Is that you?

DB: A little bit, especially with the job I’m doing, like interviews, etc.  It’s coming through in my songs, as well as in my personality.  So, yeah.

GUY: I know that your ancestors composed lyrics for Franz Schubert.  There are a lot of Austrian and German classical music composers, and I read that you liked Antonin Dvorak.  Who is your favorite composer?

DB: Oh, that’s so hard.  I do love Dvorak, he’s one of my favorites.  And I love Beethoven and Bach.  Bach I love because he [composes for] the left hand and the right hand [on the piano] to the same degree.  I love him.  And I love modern composers and soundtracks.

GUY: Beethoven’s 5th was made into a dance song back in the ’70s.

DB: Yes.  I think they did lots of remixes.

GUY: Have you thought about incorporating classical music into your songs?

DB: Yes.  I did.  Actually, the themes that they use are very strong and you can pick out certain sections and I think, “That’s such a hook!  Why hasn’t anyone ever taken that?  But you hear lots of that, especially in the rap world.  There’s a lot of classical themes taken from composers all over the world and they make a rap out of it.  Like Pachelbel’s Canon, which is so common in weddings and stuff.  You do find it though.

GUY: Your classical music knowledge sounds pretty extensive.  Did you ever think you could have made a career more in like opera or in the classical field?

DB: The thing when you do pop music is that you can incorporate classical and so many things.  The other way is a lot harder.  If I wrote a theme or a song, it would be harder for me to incorporate pop into the classical world.  The other way around is easier.  I did musical theatre for a while so it’s all kind of blurred. (laughs)

GUY: Austria and Germany have that rich heritage in classical music, but there’s also a dark side to their music: David Hasselhoff.

DB: Oh my gosh!  That was actually kind of before my time.

GUY: I’m going to need you to defend Austria’s liking David Hasselhoff’s singing.

DB: You know what, I actually like his songs.  Like “Song for Freedom.” When I was in Austria, they played that.  That was very popular.  And I liked Baywatch during that time, and I listened to it and it was catchy.  But I never bought an album.  Maybe I should have.  But he’s definitely kind of a niche.  And people really enjoy that, especially over here.  He tried to speak the language and people were very…I think he was here a couple of months ago, actually.

GUY: In New York?

DB: No in Austria.  I’m traveling right now.  I was in Berlin with my family for two weeks and then I’m back in New York.  [Hasselhoff] was definitely popular here.  The funny thing was is that they played a lot of [his] videos on Austrian stations.  Austria has only like a couple of channels.  And I remember him on a motorcycle or something [in one of them].

GUY: Have you done a dance song in German yet?

DB: No.  My priority is definitely English.  I’ve always written in English.  But when I did a musical, I did of course German songs.

GUY: Are you familiar with “99 Luftballoons”?

DB: Oh yeah, of course.  That’s Nena.

GUY: Can you sing a little bit of “99 Luftballoons”?

DB: You know, I don’t remember the lyrics.  It’s an anit-war song, right?

GUY: Yes it is.  I know two jokes in German…sort of. They’re a tiny bit naughty.  I need you to tell me if they’re any good.

DB: OK.

GUY: What do they call Vaseline in German?

DB: Vaselina?

GUY: No,  Derwienerschlider.

DB: Ooooh…yeah, we don’t use the word! (laughs)

GUY: Well these are “German” jokes told Americans.

DB: Yeah, that’s definitely different than what you hear here.

GUY: What is German for virgin?

DB: ??

GUY: Gutentight.

DB: [laughs)

GUY: Were those any good?

DB: Yeah, they were good.  I'm so bad at telling jokes.

GUY: Are you?

DB: I can tell you a joke though, because I just read this book about philosophy, about every philosophical way and pattern of thinking is through a joke.  Are you familiar with Sherlock Holmes?

GUY: Of course.

DB: OK, so Sherlock and his partner, Watson…I'm trying to translate because it was in German…

GUY: OK.

DB: Sherlock Holmes and Watson go on a hiking trip and they camp.  They go to sleep at night in a tent and suddenly Sherlock Holmes wakes up and he's like, "Watson!  Watson!  Wake up!  Look up into the sky, what do you see?"  And Watson looks up into the sky and he's like, "Well, Holmes, if I were an astrologer, I would see that the sun is in the moon, which means there's going to be rain tomorrow.  If I was an astronomer, I'd think the universe is so great, so amazing.  If I was a formalogist, I'd say it's quarter past three.  What about you, Holmes?"  Holmes is like, "Dude, they stole our tent." 

GUY: Hah!

DB: And it's so cute because they're trying to explain logic and you don't see the forest...I don't know how you say it in English.

GUY: The forest for the trees?

DB: Yes, exactly! (laughs)

GUY: That's funny.  Does iTunes suck in German as much as it does in English?

DB: Does it suck?

GUY: Yeah, I'm not a big iTunes fan.

DB: Well my computers are all English and work on an American base, so every time I'm in Austria or Germany, it's like, "This is not the right country for you."  I think the problem is like, it's so regional.  Like in America you have access to certain things and in Austria or Germany, you have access to certain things.  So if I want to search for things in Austria or Germany, sometimes it's blocked.  So that sucks.  But actually, I like my iTunes.

GUY: I understand wienerschnitzel is big in Austria.  Have you been to the American Wienerschnitzel?

DB: No, simply because I don't eat it in Austria either.  I'm not a big wienerschnitzel fan.  But my friend, Arianne, she's from California and she loves Wienerschnitzel.

GUY: Since you’re a rock star, what drugs are you currently abusing?

DB: No drugs, except like...music drugs.  I write all the time, that's the only drug I can think of.

GUY: Did you ever consider going on American Idol?

DB: No.  I mean, I think everybody has their own path and their own way of trying to achieve their goal, I believe for some people it's great and I admire those people, but definitely not my path.

GUY: Name me the artist you’re going to start a music beef with?

DB: A music beef?  Like a collaboration?

GUY: No like a music war.  A rap war.  A beef.

DB: Oh, okay.  Oh…

GUY: Just in good fun of course.  Like maybe a song coming from two women's opposite view points, perhaps about a man or something.

DB: OK.  Well I definitely think Rihanna would be an interesting music person to do that with.  She's fiery.  I think that would be very energetic.  I haven't heard the term "music beef" before.  I'm going to have to write that down (laughs).

GUY: Ever dated a drummer?

DB: No.  But it's…should I?

GUY: No, it's just an old music stereotype / gag.

DB: Oh, well, no I have not.  But who knows what will happen in the future?

GUY: Diana Ross once cupped Lil’ Kim’s breast on an awards show. If you found yourself in a similar situation, how do you handle it?

DB: You keep on smiling and nod along and…(laughs) go with the flow.  Nodding is always nice.  It's all part of the show.  Just keep the show running. (laughs)

GUY: Kanye interrupts your awards speech.  How do you handle that situation?

DB: Like with Taylor Swift?  I think I'd be…either I'd start like a real cry drama or I would be like, "Get off my stage?"  I don't think that would bother me that much.  Wasn't it kind of good for Taylor Swift in a way?

GUY: Lot of PR.

DB: Yeah, lots of PR.  But I would be like, "It's my thing.  And I got the award..."  If he wasn't part of the jury…maybe use the F word.  No I wouldn't!  I would not use the F word! (laughs)

GUY: What weapon would you be packing at the Source Awards?

DB: The Source Awards?

GUY: Yeah, you know these hip hop awards shows have to be taped because a lot of bad stuff can happen and a few years ago there was somebody who brought a gun to the Source Awards or the Vibe Awards.

DB: Oh no!

GUY: So if you were attending one of those awards shows, what weapon would you be packing to protect yourself?

DB: Oh, duct tape. It's always good.

GUY: Duct tape?!  That's...a good answer.

DB: Duct tape is always good. (laughs)

GUY: That's very MacGyver of you there.

DB: Yeah, but if you were MacGyver, a bobby pin would be enough.

GUY:  Yeah, but duct tape…definitely didn't see that one coming.

DB: (laughs)

GUY: Lady Gaga once wore a meat suit to the VMAs. Which animal would your meat dress be made out of?

DB: Oh, I would never…I couldn't wear that.  No I…I couldn't.  First of all it stinks after a while!  I wouldn't want to be "stinky girl" at an awards. (laughs)

GUY: Would you make one out of vegetables?

DB: A vegetable?  Yes!  Probably a red beet / carrot dress.

GUY: A carrot dress?  OK, that's good.

DB: And beet.

Past Work History

GUY: Is it true you've been a visual effects artist?

DB: Yes, yes.  I actually studied animation.  And I was working while studying art history and English literature on the side.  I was doing 3D animation, which I love.  And I was lucky enough to graduate top of my class and got a scholarship and I was able to work for a visual effects studio in Los Angeles, which I really really enjoyed.  And I worked on 90210 and Sonny With a Chance and a couple of movies.  I love visual art.

GUY: That's interesting, considering that I know you studied music from a young age, violin and piano.  How did you segue into doing animation rather than music?  Why didn't you major in musical theatre or music or something?

DB: I went to university for musical theatre.  I did three universities in two different countries.  But I always loved technical things, picking my computer apart and just looking inside; and I really like messing with cables and plugging things together with my hands and technical things.  I love doing that.  3D animation was interesting for me because you create your own world and there's like, no limit.  And you start thinking about the physical world and things like gravity and you know, everything that limits your space.  And it's also important for music: the acoustics and how you work with your...there's so much in my music that people don't necessarily hear that's there.  And I just like to work with space and tone and acoustics and also like creating visuals for that.  I was very involved in my video and other people's videos before.  I worked for some artists in Amsterdam.  So yeah...

GUY: I can't think of too many other singers that would be able to belt out an answer like that.  Were you ever a singing telegram?

DB: What is a singing telegram?

GUY: You've never heard of a singing telegram?

DB: No.  Is it like a post person, someone delivering messages?

GUY: Yeah, they deliver messages and they sing the messages.

DB: Oh, we don't have that here really.

GUY: Oh no.

DB: There's nobody that delivers messages singing, but I've seen it in French when I was growing up and that would be fun!  I'm sure that's like a fun job!

GUY: It probably is fun for the singer.  It's got a bit of a stigma here in America because it's like a Jehovah's Witness or something coming to your door and singing.

DB: Oh, yeah…  That's probably also a good way to revenge [someone].  Through song, yeah.  But we don’t have that here.

GUY: What about a wedding singer?

DB: Yes, I did that! (laughs)

GUY: Oh my gosh, you were a wedding singer?!

DB: Yes, it was a lot of fun.  It was at a castle close to where my grandparents live.  And I was also working for the church when I was younger and seriously, I didn’t really like the way the whole choir thing was going on, so I introduced gospel!  I actually taught two choirs, during church and university as well.  It was actually a coincidence because a singer from a wedding couldn’t come.  So they asked me real quick, “What can you sing?  Hallelujah?”  So I did that until I was 15 and yeah, I met a lot of nice people.

GUY: Wow.  I wasn’t expecting an answer to that one.  I figured it’d be like, “Nah, I was never a wedding singer.”  That is wild.

DB: Yeah, music in Austria is very very different than American church music.  And I was very much in love with gospel and a strong choir sound.

GUY: OK, so let me clarify, you’re saying you were a singer during the wedding ceremony, correct?

DB: Yes, but I was also a soloist during the wedding.

GUY: What about the wedding reception, where you have the local singer who sings a lot of pop songs for the wedding reception?  The party after the wedding.

DB: I did that once for a friend.

GUY: Ever perform for change out on a street corner?

DB: You know, this is really funny, we were in Corinthia, I was with one of my best friends and I think we were 12 years old and we met at the hotel with some friends and we were so bored.  And we did a lot of swimming and everything you can do when you’re on vacation.  And we were so bored that we started writing songs.  And then we were like, “You know, we can write a song about the hotel we’re staying at.”  So we did that and we went in front of the hotel and we actually made a lot of money!  But yeah, that was the only time.  But it was a lot of fun.  We still talk about that. (laughs)

GUY: Ever flubbed a National Anthem?

DB: No.  I’ve never done that.

GUY: Ever compete in a high school talent show?

DB: Yes, a couple of times.  We have different talent shows like a singing competition and a dancing competition and there was an acting competition I was in.  Different talent things.  And I enjoyed that.  I actually got a couple of very nice awards.

GUY: I know you are also an actress and struggling actresses are often waitresses.  Were you ever a waitress anywhere?

DB: No.  I’ve never waited.

GUY: Been on a reality show?

DB: Also no.  Because reality shows, in Austria not a lot and maybe only a couple in Germany.  So no.

GUY: Have you ever been a barista at a Starbucks?

DB: What’s a barista, sorry?

GUY: The ladies who make you your coffee.

DB: Oh, no.  No because the coffee shops here are very different.  I only came to the States a couple of years ago when I first visited.  No, but I’m sure that’s also a fun job.  I like Starbucks! (laughs)

Music Psychological Profile

GUY: O-Town or 98 Degrees?

DB: I guess…oh man, that’s hard.  I think I only know one song from O-Town.  So maybe neither?  Is that an answer?

GUY: Neither is the perfect answer.

DB: OK, good! (laughs)

GUY: Jodeci or Boyz II Men?

DB: Boyz II Men…was that like Brian McKnight?

GUY: No, that was like Wanya and Shawn…Do you know Jodeci more or Boyz II Men more?

DB: Probably Boyz II Men, but I’m not familiar with the other one that much.

GUY: OK.  Favorite Beatle?

DB: I like Paul.  Paul’s good.

GUY: You might not know these next two because they’re from the ’80s: Whitesnake or White Lion?

DB: Ooh, yeah, I don’t know them.  It’s like my musical knowledge is really bad.

GUY: No, no.  These guys were before your time.  You’re in your early 20s.  I’m much older than you are.  OK, not much older…

DB: Yeah, but I love like Danny Kaye and stuff and I know some people before my time.   But I don’t know them.

GUY: Well, Whitesnake and White Lion are not Danny Kaye, trust me.

DB: OK, good (laughs)

GUY: Duran Duran or Depeche Mode?

DB: Ooh…both.

GUY: Elton John or Billy Joel?

DB: Elton John.

GUY: Zeppelin or The Who?

DB: I like The Who.

GUY: Name the decade that had the best music?

DB: Oh gawd that’s hard!  Oh my gosh!  I think the…oh this is hard…let me…I like the ’70s.

GUY: The ’70s is my favorite decade for music.

DB: Oh very good!  So let’s just do that!

GUY: That’s a very good answer, very smart answer.  Which member of the 27 Club do you listen to the most?  Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain or Amy Winehouse?

DB: Probably Janis Joplin.

GUY: Name the 3 female singers you end up doing a “Lady Marmalade” remake with?

DB: Rihanna again, because she wasn’t in the first one.  I would pick Christina, and…oh man…Beyonce?

GUY: Three good choices.  I would love to see that video by the way.

DB: Yeah!  Let’s do that video, right? (laughs)

GUY: Who’s got the better music groups right now?  The U.S. or Europe?

DB: Ooh, that’s also tough.  I would say the U.S. is usually very progressive in setting trends.  I feel like Europe – and by Europe I mean England – they’ve always been this one balanced direction.  From the ’50s to now.  You can see a pattern in the English and the way they do their music.  And the U.S. has lots of variety.  But I would have to say the the U.S., although I do like a lot of the English groups and British music as well.

Current Project(s) Being Plugged

GUY: OK.  I know you’ve had a couple of big projects this year: the single, “Taste The Night”, which was good.  I thought the video was sort of a cross between Madonna’s “Cherish” video on the beach and sort of like a Lady Gaga video in the club.

DB: Oh yeah.  For me I wasn’t looking in any direction as an artist, especially not Gaga because…I should have black hair and do alt-style music and they’d say I’m like Gaga.  It’s really hard to get around that mainstream idea.

GUY: I was thinking Gaga more for the costumes you had in the club settings.  Those sort of looked like Gaga’s.  And the way you presented yourself kind of reminded me of Gaga or maybe Christina.

DB: What we definitely wanted when I worked up the initial concept and then when I worked with the director was to be something vibrant, positive, fun, and also something very romantic and Fiji summer-y.  “Taste the Night” has a lot of senses and the senses were very important to me in the whole concept of the video.  That’s why I chose the beach because it’s very sensorial.  And the club was my idea because I like to balance it: have a really open space and then a closed space.

GUY: What can you tell me quickly about Into The Darkness?

DB: It’s a movie project I’m working on right now and it’s a story about four friends  basically that spent a year apart and then they meet again and they’re all very outdoors-y and they celebrate a friend’s birthday and go on a hiking trip and find this cave that’s unexplored.  And you know men, they’re like, “Let’s check it out!”  So we go along, but I warned them…but nobody listen to the blonde girl…as always. (laughs)

GUY: What projects do you have coming up?

DB: I’m also starting a movie called Old 37, I think in the next couple of months.  And musically, I’m currently talking to different labels, which is taking up a lot of my time.  And I’m working on the album concept.  I’m also writing for motion pictures circles, so we’ll see what happens there.  So the next single, definitely.  And the album, hopefully the mid of next year or the beginning of next year.

GUY: The last young singer I spoke to was doing a lot of her career on her own and wasn’t too occupied with getting a record deal at this point in her career.   She’s doing all of her stuff through iTunes and social media and stuff like that.  Is that your focus or do you feel like the record deal is the next level that will help you?

DB: Yeah, I mean definitely.  There are great record companies out there.  I came to America basically because I love the country and I want to access the world, which is more limited from Europe…if you don’t count England.  England is very international.  But America is…because I love the world, and I want to be a world artist, I felt like a bigger platform like a record company that working relationship that I want to really travel the world and bring my music to all the people.  So that’s why I felt like from the beginning this is why I’ve been here and I would love to be able to work with a label to access the world.  But there are so many ways to do it.  If somebody has the chance to do it by herself and it works and it’s what you want, why not?  Do it.  I’ve been approached by a couple of labels, which was very great within the last couple months.  So I’m hoping to make the right decisions.

GUY: I wish you luck on that and I wish you luck on your career.  It seems to be going very well for you so far.

DB: Thank you very much, that’s very kind of you.

GUY: I noticed your English is very good.  Did you have a thick Austrian accent when you first moved to America?

DB: No, because before I moved, I learned for years and years and years.  We start learning English when we’re like 12, and I always loved the English language.  When the [language CDs] came out, it took a while but I had a great opportunity to learn the language and I love it.  I just kept on practicing and practicing.

GUY: Do you think if you had moved to England instead, you’d be speaking…because your accent is almost flawlessly American.  I wouldn’t be able to tell you’re Austrian by birth.

DB: Basically, in high school, you learn British English, which is the standard.  Although I love the British English, and if I would have moved to England I would have adapted to that, I just love the American [style of the] language and I love the different accents.  Everybody’s talking differently and I tried to work on that.  I love that it’s so full of energy.

GUY: Well I think that’s the perfect way to end things.  Hopefully this’ll make you a little more popular with American readers, but I think your music will do that much more.  I wish you a prosperous career, Dalal.  We’ll be watching for you.

DB: Thank you, very much, David.  It”s been a pleasure talking with you

Publicity Stuff Somebody Else Wrote

Hailing from Austria, this singer, actress, and model known as Dalal, has been busy making her mark on the entertainment world. She began her career as a certified musical prodigy, learning the piano and violin at the age of 4 and composing her own scores by 5. By age 8 she had already played with several acclaimed European orchestras!

Dalal debuted her first single and video for “Taste The Night” to great success, premiering it on AOL Music and acquiring over 1 million views on YouTube in its first 2 days! She landed a lead role in the upcoming movie “Into The Darkness” alongside Kiowa Gordon (Twilight Saga) and Mischa Barton and will also be featured in the up-and-coming horror movie “OLD 37” with Brandi Cyrus. Dalal has been featured on Inspired Women Magazine (cover), Arthur Kade, Eat Sleep Breathe Music (artist of the month), Guyism, Kenton Mag, A Teen View, My Gay Radio, It Gets Better (PSA), and took part in the inspirational NOH8 Campaign. The entertainment dynamo recently attended the Michael Musto “Fork on the Left, Knife in the Back” book launch party, performed at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and Couture Fashion Week will also walk the runway in New Jersey Fashion Week this fall.

Taste The Night Official Video: http://youtu.be/ad2oJoVSwRk
Taste The Night YouTube Stats: >1,215,000
Taste The Night Radio Stats: Most Added Artist in America!
Taste The Night Chart History: #5 Billboard Dance Club Chart, #29 R&R Top 40 Pop Indicator Chart